Jan. 9, 2008
Virginia Duals Notes in PDF Format 
#17 Illinois at Virginia Duals
Jan. 11-12 // Hampton Coliseum // Hampton, Va.
• Mike Poeta (157) is ranked No. 1 in the nation for the sixth-straight week in the NWCA rankings, marking his second-longest streak of topping the national listings. He was ranked No. 1 for nine consecutive weeks in 2006-07.
• Patrick Bond (197) is a native of Chesapeake, Va., approximately 30 miles from Hampton, Va., where this weekend's Virginia Duals are being held.
• The Fighting Illini are seeded No. 2 in the Virginia Duals, behind top-seeded and third-ranked Oklahoma State. Illinois will square off against Lehigh at 9 a.m. Friday in the teams' first-round match of the 16-team double-elimination tournament.
• For the second-straight year, Mark Johnson has two true-freshman in his starting lineup with Ryan Prater wrestling at 141 and Grant Paswall at 149. Paswall was one win away from placing at both Midlands and the Las Vegas Invitational, and Prater dropped a 7-5 decision in his consolation fifth-round match at Midlands, one match from the medal stand.
Probable Lineup
125: Gabe Flores (Sr., 12-4)
133: Jimmy Kennedy (So., 11-3)
141: Ryan Prater (Fr., 11-3)
149: Grant Paswall (Fr., 13-3)
157: Mike Poeta (Jr., 15-0)
165: Roger Smith-Bergsrud (Jr., 8-3)
174: John Dergo (So., 13-6)
184: Dave Gleissner (Sr., 7-4)
197: Patrick Bond (So., 10-3)
HWT: John Wise (Jr., 16-7)
Virginia Duals Preview
The 17th-ranked Fighting Illini travel to Hampton, Va., for the 28th Virginia Duals at the Hampton Coliseum on Jan. 11-12. Illinois is the No. 2 seed behind top-seeded and No. 3 Oklahoma State. Old Dominion is seeded third, Penn is the fourth seed, Virginia is No. 5, Oregon State is No. 6, Kent State is No. 7 and Rider is No. 8. Illinois faces Lehigh in its first-round match at 10 a.m. Friday, and with a win would face the winner of the Kent State/Bucknell match.
This trip marks the sixth time Illinois has competed in the Virginia Duals and first since 2002-03. The Illini won the tournament in 1999, finished second in 1996, placed third in both 1995 and 2003 and finished 15th in 1985.
Fighting Illini sophomore Patrick Bond will enjoy a trip home this weekend, as he is from nearby Chesapeake, Va., a mere 30 miles from Hampton.
Past Illinois Finishes
1998-99 - 1st
1995-96 - 2nd
2002-03 - 3rd
1994-95 - 3rd
1984-85 - 15th
Poeta jumps Onto UI Record List
With his 15-0 start to the season, junior All-American Mike Poeta has vaulted onto Illinois' career winning percentage record list, where he currently occupies third place. Poeta's career .872 percentage (68-10 in two-plus seasons) ranks behind Matt Lackey's .896 (120-14) and Alex Tirapelle's .877 (128-18) marks. Prior to Midlands, Poeta had not wrestled the minimum 75 matches to qualify for the record list.
Poeta Opens New Year Unbeaten
Poeta has started the season 15-0 for the second-straight year. He began the 2006-07 campaign with 19 consecutive wins before dropping his semifinal match at the Big Ten Championships. Only Matt Lackey in 2002-03 and Eric Siebert in 1997-98 have finished campaigns undefeated, going 38-0 and 37-0, respectively.
Illini Shine in Major Tournaments
In addition to Poeta's early success in 2007-08, six other Illini have fared well in major tournaments early in the campaign. Gabe Flores has a pair of fifth-place finishes at 125 at the Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational and Midlands, but hasn't wrestled a medal-round match this year, winning both of those matches by medical forfeit. Heavyweight John Wise placed fourth in Las Vegas and seventh at Midlands, while John Dergo (174) finished sixth at both tournaments.
Jimmy Kennedy (133) placed fourth at Midlands after medically forfeiting his consolation matches in Vegas, and Roger Smith-Bergsrud (165) placed seventh at Midlands after missing nearly a month with an injury. Patrick Bond (197) finished fifth in Vegas, but didn't compete at Midlands because of an injury.
Poeta Repeats at Midlands; Illini 4th
Poeta won the Midlands Championship title at 157 for the second-straight year, defending his 2006 title and reaching the event's title match for the third-consecutive year after advancing to the title bout of 165 his redshirt-freshman year. As a team, Illinois finished fourth behind champion Iowa, second-place Iowa State and third-place Central Michigan. In addition to Poeta, Jimmy Kennedy (133) finished fourth, Gabe Flores (125) was fifth, John Dergo (174) was sixth, and Roger Smith-Bergsrud (165) and John Wise (HWT) placed seventh.
Illini Placewinners
1st: Mike Poeta (157)
4th: Jimmy Kennedy (133)
5th: Gabe Flores (125)
6th: John Dergo (174)
7th: Roger Smith-Bergsrud (165), John Wise (HWT)
*Complete notes available in above PDF.
