FightingIllini.com
The Official Home of University of Illinois Athletics
- Men's Sports
- MEN'S SPORTS
- Baseball
- Basketball
- Cheerleading
- Football
- Golf
- WOMEN'S SPORTS
- Basketball
- Cheerleading
- Golf
- Gymnastics
- Soccer
 |
|
|
Feb. 13, 2001
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. - The seventh-ranked University of Illinois wrestling team (11-2, 5-2 Big Ten) will host No. 9 Ohio State (15-4, 5-1 Big Ten) on Sunday, Feb. 18, at 1 p.m. at Huff Hall in Champaign.
Sunday's dual marks the final home appearance for eight Illinois seniors. Those seniors are: Mike Castillo, Ryan Escobar, LaDaryl Hale, Ben King, Jon Lanning, Nate Patrick, Pat Quirk and Adam Tirapelle.
Projected Starting Lineups
Illinois (11-2, 5-2 Big Ten)
| Record | ||||
| Wt. | Rank | Wrestler | Overall | Dual |
| 125 | No. 19 | Ryan Escobar | 21-10 | 10-3 |
| 133 | Dave Stoltz | 1-3 | 0-2 | |
| or | Kelly Madden | 15-9 | 3-2 | |
| 141 | No. 13 | Mike Castillo | 19-7 | 12-1 |
| 149 | No. 2 | Adam Tirapelle | 22-1 | 12-1 |
| 157 | No. 17 | Griff Powell | 20-9 | 9-3 |
| 165 | No. 6 | Matt Lackey | 22-7 | 11-2 |
| 174 | No. 18 | Ben King | 13-5 | 6-3 |
| 184 | No. 2 | Nate Patrick | 27-2 | 13-0 |
| 197 | No. 13 | Pat Quirk | 23-6 | 10-3 |
| Hwt | No. 6 | John Lockhart | 24-5 | 12-1 |
Ohio State (15-4, 5-1 Big Ten)
| Record | ||||
| Wt. | Rank | Wrestler | Overall | Dual |
| 125 | No.20 | Kore Sharpley | 21-13 | 3-3 |
| 133 | No.20 | Jeff Ratliff | 18-15 | 2-4 |
| 141 | No.11 | Robert Sessley | 28-8 | 5-1 |
| 149 | No.14 | Keaton Anderson | 22-1 | 5-0 |
| 157 | Josh Janson | 19-11 | 5-1 | |
| 165 | John Clark | 20-10 | 3-3 | |
| 174 | Ryan Hieber | 22-12 | 4-2 | |
| 184 | No.20 | Anton Talamantes | 15-9 | 3-3 |
| 197 | No.9 | Nick Preston | 25-5 | 5-1 |
| Hwt | No.1 | Tommy Rowlands | 33-2 | 6-0 |
A BATTLE OF RANKS:
This weekend's duals will feature several matches between ranked opponents.
125-
No. 19 Ryan Escobar of Illinois vs. No. 20 Kore Sharpley of Ohio State
Escobar beat Sharpley 3-1 at the Midlands earlier this season but Sharpley
beat Escobar twice during the 1999-2000 season, a 4-2 overtime decision at
last year's dual and a 6-5 win at the Big Ten championships.
141-
No. 13 Mike Castillo of Illinois vs. No. Jeff Ratliff of Ohio State
The two have not faced each other.
149-
No. 2 Adam Tirapelle of Illinois vs. No. 14 Keaton Anderson of Ohio State
The two have not faced each other.
184-
No. 2 Nate Patrick of Illinois vs. No. 20 Anton Talamantes of Ohio State
The two have not faced each other.
197-
No. 13 Pat Quirk of Illinois vs. No. 9 Nick Preston of Ohio State
Quirk and Preston have not wrestled this season but each wrestler came away
with one victory in meetings in 2000. Quirk won 1-0 in overtime during the
regular season dual while Preston won 3-2 at the NCAA championships.
Hwt-
No. 6 John Lockhart of Illinois vs. No. 1 Tommy Rowlands of Ohio State
This will be the second meeting between Lockhart and Rowlands with Rowlands
winning the first bout 3-2 in overtime at the Las Vegas Invitational last
December.
THE SERIES:
The Illini and Buckeyes are all square in the all-time series with 27 wins
apiece and one tie after 55 duals dating back to 1934, a 15-11 Illini win in
Columbus. Illinois has won the last five meeting between the two schools
including last year's 36-3 decision in Columbus. Mark Johnson coached Illini
squads are 5-1 against the Buckeyes with the lone loss coming during the
1993-94 season by a 24-6 count at Ohio State. The last time the Buckeyes
came to Champaign and left with a victory was during the 1990-91 season 40-6
UP NEXT:
Sunday's dual marks the regular season finale for the Illini. The next
action for the Illinois wrestlers will be March 3-4 at the Big Ten
championships in Evanston, Ill.
LAST TIME OUT:
The Illini improved to 11-2 overall and 5-2 in the Big Ten with a pair of
Big Ten dual victories. Illinois defeated No. 21 Purdue 32-10 on Friday
night in West Lafayette, Ind., then came back and beat Wisconsin 27-11 on
Sunday in Madison, Wis. Mike Castillo, Adam Tirapelle, Griff Powell, Nate
Patrick, Pat Quirk and John Lockhart each notched two victories during the
weekend while Matt Lackey nearly upset the top-ranked wrestler in the nation
at 165 pounds. Wisconsin's Donny Pritzlaff escaped with a narrow 6-3 win
over Lackey. Lackey lead the match 3-2 with about 20 seconds remaining
before Pritzlaff scored his first takedown of the match and registered two
near fall points at the buzzer for the three-point win.
THE RATING GAME:
The Fighting Illini are ranked seventh in the latest InterMat NCAA Division
I wrestling rankings. Nine Illini individuals are also ranked, they are:
Ryan Escobar, 19th (125), Mike Castillo, 13th (141), Adam Tirapelle, 2nd
(149), Griff Powell, 17th (157), Matt Lackey, 6th (165), Ben King, 18th
(174), Nate Patrick, 2nd (184), Pat Quirk, 13th (197) and John Lockhart, 6th
(Heavyweight).
CLIMBING THE CHARTS:
Several Illini are climbing the career wins and pins charts. Adam Tirapelle
is 22-1 on the season and has amassed 118 career wins. He currently needs
only three more wins to tie Ernest Benion as the Illini career wins leader
and four to take possession. At his current pace he will gain the record at
the Big Ten tournament in Evanston on March 3-4.
Pat Quirk has also cracked the top 10 in career wins. He has 23 wins this season giving him 100 for his career which ranks eighth all-time, just ahead of 2000 NCAA 141-pound national champion Carl Perry.
FALL GUYS:
Tirapelle has also tied Keith Healy as the Illini's all-time career pins
leader. He has eight falls this season and his next pin will place alone
atop the list. Nate Patrick is also making a push on the chart. The senior
is currently 27-2 with nine falls and has moved into a tie for fifth with
Karl Roesler on the list with 21 career pins.
ANOTHER MARK IN THE BOOK:
The Illini's success on the mat this season has moved head coach Mark
Johnson atop the Illini recordbook for career coaching wins. Johnson moved
past B.R. Patterson with a 32-3 win over Penn State, moving Johnson's record
to 101-25-1 in under nine complete seasons. Patterson ammased a record of
100-113-12 from 1951-68, a span of 18 years. Johnson's current record is
103-26-1.
