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Head coach Mark Johnson is in his ninth season as head coach of the Fighting Illini, with a record of 104-26-1 (.798) at Illinois.
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Feb. 28, 2001
BIG TEN CHAMPIONSHIPS:
The seventh-ranked University of Illinois wrestling team will travel to
Evanston, Ill., for the 87th annual Big Ten Wrestling Championships. The
championships will be held March 3-4 at Welsh-Ryan Arena on the campus of
Northwestern University.
The Fighting Illini enter this year's championship after compiling a 12-2 dual record (6-2 in the Big Ten), a first-place finish in the 52-team field at the Las Vegas Invitational and a sixth-place finish at Midlands. The Illini rank second in the Big Ten in team championships with 16. The last Illinois team to win the title was in 1952. Iowa leads the Big Ten with 29 team championships. Illinois has also crowned 56 individual Big Ten champions which ranks fifth. The last Illinois individual champion was 149-pounder Adam Tirapelle last season.
The Lineup
Overall Dual
Wt. Wrestler Record Record
125 Ryan Escobar 22-10 11-3
133 Kelly Madden 16-9 4-2
141 Mike Castillo 20-7 13-1
149 Adam Tirapelle 23-1 13-1
157 Griff Powell 21-9 10-3
165 Matt Lackey 23-7 12-2
174 Ben King 14-5 7-3
184 Nate Patrick 28-2 14-0
197 Pat Quirk 23-7 10-4
Hwt John Lockhart 24-6 12-2
SCHEDULE OF EVENTS:The following is a breakdown of the daily sessions at this year's Big Ten Wrestling Championships.
Saturday, March 3
Noon CST Session I begins
7 p.m. CST Session II begins
Sunday, March 4
Noon CST Session III begins
3 p.m. CST Finals begin
NCAA Qualifying Tournament:
The Big Ten championship is also a national qualifying tournament with 72
wrestlers advancing to the NCAA championship in Iowa City, Iowa, on March
15-17. The top seven placewinners in each of the 10 weight classes along
with two wild card selections will advance. Illinois was the only Big Ten
school to have all 10 of its wrestlers qualify for the NCAA tournament last
season.
Quick Shots:
Adam Tirapelle, the nation's second-ranked 149 pounder, tied the school
record for career pins with his 31st career fall on Jan. 21 against Gabe
Cook of Indiana. With his next fall he will become the Illini's career pins
leader.
Tirapelle is also moving up the career victories list and currently has 119 wins. With his next win his will tie Illini assistant coach of former national champion Steve Marianetti for second on the list with 120 wins. With two wins he ties Ernest Benion's career mark of 121. With three victories he becomes the Illini's all-time career leader in wins.
The Illinois lineup features six senior starters who will be vying for their last shots at Big Ten and national titles. The seniors are Ryan Escobar (125 pounds), Mike Castillo (141), Adam Tirapelle (149), Ben King (174), Nate Patrick (184) and Pat Quirk (197).
Nate Patrick, one of the Illini seniors, may be back next season. Patrick tore his ACL prior to the 1997-98 season and has only been in the starting lineup for two complete seasons. He completed his redshirt season during the 1996-97 season and will seek a medical redshirt year from the NCAA. He finished second at 184 pounds at last year's Big Ten Championships, injury defaulting in the finals.
UP NEXT:
Illinois will travel to Evanston, Ill., for the Big Ten Wrestling
Championships set for March 3-4. Any Illini qualifiers will participate in
the NCAA championships on March 15-17 in Iowa City, Iowa.
LAST TIME OUT:
The Illini improved to 12-2 overall and 6-2 in the Big Ten with a 25-6 win
over No. 8 Ohio State. John Lockhart of Illinois dropped a narrow 3-2
decision to No. 1 Tommy Rowlands in the dual's opening match but win the
next eight decisions for the decisive victory.
CASTILLO EARNS WEEKLY HONOR
Illini wrestler Mike Castillo was named Big Ten Wrestler of the Week by the
conference office following his performance in duals at Purdue and
Wisconsin. Castillo, a senior from Western Springs, Ill., went 2-0 during
the week with a 15-5 major decision win over Paul Sacquitne of Purdue and an
8-3 upset win over No. 13 Grant Hoerr of Wisconsin. Castillo, ranked No. 20
at the time, has moved up to No. 12 in the Intermat individual rankings at
141 pounds.
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, 17th (125), Mike Castillo, 12th (141), Adam Tirapelle, 2nd
(149), Griff Powell, 17th (157), Matt Lackey, 6th (165), Ben King, 14th
(174), Nate Patrick, 2nd (184), Pat Quirk, 12th (197) and John Lockhart, 5th
(Heavyweight).
FALL GUYS:
Adam Tirapelle has tied Keith Healy as the Illini's all-time career pins
leader. He has eight falls this season and his next pin will place him alone
atop the list. Nate Patrick is also making a push up the chart. The senior
is currently 28-2 with a team-leading nine falls and has moved into a tie
for fifth with Karl Roesler on the list with 21 career pins.
CLIMBING THE CHARTS:
Several Illini are climbing the career wins and pins charts. Adam Tirapelle
is 23-1 on the season and has amassed 119 career wins. He currently needs
only two more wins to tie Ernest Benion as the Illini career wins leader and
three 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.
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.
THE COACH:
Head coach Mark Johnson is in his ninth season as head coach of the Fighting
Illini, with a record of 104-26-1 (.798) at Illinois
Has a career record of 124-31-3 (.794) in 11 years
Became the Illini all-time career leader in coaching victories with a 32-3 win over Penn State. He surpassed B.R. Patterson's total of 100 wins. It took Patterson 18 seasons to accumulate 100 wins while Johnson did it in less than nine years.
1977 Michigan graduate and two-time All-American at 177 pounds
1980 U.S. Olympic team member
1995 NCAA Division I Coach of the Year
Has coached four national champions (Ernest Benion, Steve Marianetti, Eric Siebert and Carl Perry), seven NCAA finalitst, 19 All-Americans and 62 Big Ten placewinners at Illinois
Intermat's Top 25 (2/27/01)
1. Minnesota
2. Oklahoma State
3. Iowa
4. Iowa State
5. Michigan
6. Oklahoma
7. Illinois
8. Lehigh
9. Ohio State
10. Edinboro
11. Lock Haven
12. Nebraska
13. Arizona State
14. Michigan State
15. Northern Iowa
16. Fresno State
17. Oregon State
18. Boise State
19. Hofstra
20. Indiana
21. Purdue
22. Central Michigan
23. Oregon
24. Wisconsin
25. Penn State
NWCA (as of 2/21/01) 1. Minnesota (13) 20-1 325 2. Oklahoma State 17-1 312 3. Michigan 17-3-1 293 4. Iowa 19-4 290 5. Iowa State 20-4 275 6. Oklahoma 18-5-1 256 7. Illinois 12-2 251 8. Ohio State 15-6 226 9. (tie) Lehigh 18-5 212 (tie) Nebraska 11-6 212 11. Arizona State 10-5 196 12. Edinboro 11-3-1 183 13. Michigan State 8-7 172 14. Lock Haven 21-2 151 15. Fresno State 13-5 142 16. Boise State 6-4 131 17. Oregon State 13-6 117 18. Northern Iowa 12-8 107 19. Hofstra 8-7 71 20. Oregon 6-8 65 21. Indiana 15-6 64 22. Central Michigan 15-4 46 23. Wisconsin 9-11-1 43 24. Penn State 8-12 35 25. Purdue 10-6 34Career Wins Wrestler (Wt.) Wins 1. Ernest Benion (158) 121 2. Steve Marianetti (134/150) 120 3. Adam Tirapelle (149) 119 4. Eric Siebert (150) 112 5. Jevon Herman (177) 110 6. Kevin Puebla (126) 110 7. Jon Llewellyn (Hwt) 106 8. Pat Quirk (197) 100 9. Carl Perry (126/141) 98 10. Kirk Azinger (142/150) 91 Seth Brady (Hwt) 91 Nate Patrick (184) 91
Current Illini 18. John Lockhart (Hwt) 81
Career Pins Wrestler (Wt.) Pins 1. Keith Healy (134) 31 Adam Tirapelle (149) 31 3. Larry TenPas (157) 26 4. Bob Norman (Hwt) 22 5. Karl Roesler (Hwt) 21 Nate Patrick (184) 21 7. Eric Seibert (150) 19 8. Mike O'Brien (126) 18 9. Bill Zeman (165) 17 10. John Lockhart (Hwt) 15
Current Illini Ryan Escobar (125) 10
Career Coaching Wins Coach Years Record 1. Mark Johnson 1993- 104-26-1 2. B.R. Patterson 1951-68 100-113-12 3. H.E. Kenney 1929-43, 47 95-30-3 4. Ron Clinton 1984-92 47-83-0 5. Paul Prehn 1920-28 42-5-0 6. Tom Porter 1974-78 39-50-1 7. Greg Johnson 1979-83 37-52-2 8. Glenn Law 1944-50 30-15-2 9. Jack Robinson 1969-73 27-50-1 10. Walter Evans 1915-17 7-2-2 11. A. Elston 1912-13 2-1-0 12. T. Paulsen 1914 1-0-0 13. R.N. Fargo 1911 0-1-0 89 year total 531-428-24 (.552)
2000 Big Ten Results 1. Iowa 140.50 2. Minnesota 132.50 3. Illinois 97.50 4. Michigan State 87.50 5. Michigan 73.00 6. Northwestern 52.00 7. Ohio State 49.50 8. Penn State 48.50 9. Wisconsin 48.00 10. Indiana 47.00 11. Purdue 24.00
125 1. Jody Strittmatter, Iowa 2. Jeremy Hunter, Penn State 3. Leroy Vega, Minnesota 4. Pat Cassidy, Indiana 5. A.J. Grant, Michigan 6. Kore Sharpley, Ohio State 7. Jason Silverstein, Purdue 8. Ryan Escobar, Illinois
133 1. Eric Juergens, Iowa 2. Pat McNamara, Michigan State 3. Joe Warren, Michigan 4. Evan Robinson, Purdue 5. Dave Stoltz, Illinois 6. Brett Lawrence, Minnesota 7. Scott Moore, Penn State 8. John Giacche, Northwestern
141 1. Doug Schwab, Iowa 2. Scott Schatzman, Northwestern 3. Damion Logan, Michigan 4. Carl Perry, Illinois 5. James Torres, Indiana 6. Grant Hoerr, Wisconsin 7. Mike Castillo, Michigan State 8. Luis Blanco, Purdue
149 1. Adam Tirapelle, Illinois 2. Jared Lawrence, Minnesota 3. Mike Kulczycki, Michigan 4. Karl Nadolsky, Michigan State 5. Mike Zadick, Iowa 6. Tim Myers, Indiana 7. Brian Roskovich, Ohio State 8. Jimmy Hawthorne, Purdue
157 1. T.J. Williams, Iowa 2. Luke Becker, Minnesota 3. Gray Maynard, Michigan State 4. Corey Wallman, Wisconsin 5. Kevin Stanley, Indiana 6. Griff Powell, Illinois 7. Nate Wachter, Penn State 8. Josh Janson, Ohio State 165 1. Don Pritzlaff, Wisconsin 2. Brad Pike, Minnesota 3. Peter Rogers, Ohio State 4. Matt Anderson, Iowa 5. Bill Zeman, Illinois 6. Greg DeGrand, Michigan St. 7. Kirk Moore, Purdue 8. Butch Hildebrand, Indiana
174 1. Mark Bybee, Northwestern 2. Gabe McMahan, Iowa 3. Kole Clauson, Wisconsin 4. Ben King, Illinois 5. Delaney Berger, Minnesota 6. Charles Martelli, Michigan 7. Will Hill, Michigan State 8. Joel Walker, Ohio State
184 1. Brandon Eggum, Minnesota 2. Nate Patrick, Illinois 3. Andy Hrovat, Michigan 4. Jeff Knupp, Penn State 5. Tom Ciezki, Northwestern 6. Donovan True, Ohio State 7. Jessman Smith, Iowa 8. Ty Matthews, Indiana
197 1. Nick Muzashvili, Michigan St. 2. Nick Preston, Ohio State 3. Viktor Sveda, Indiana 4. Ross Thatcher, Penn State 5. Owen Elzen, Minnesota 6. Pat Quirk, Illinois 7. Matt Huebner, Northwestern 8. Lee Weber, Iowa
Heavyweight 1. Brock Lesnar, Minnesota 2. Wes Hand, Iowa 3. John Lockhart, Illinois 4. Matt Lamb, Michigan State 5. Matt Brink, Michigan 6. Mark Janus, Penn State 7. Jake Vercelli, Purdue 8. Josh Saul, Northwestern
2001 Individual Rankings 125 2. Jody Strittmatter Iowa 3. Leroy Vega Minnesota 7. Greg Schaefer Indiana 9. A.J. Grant Michigan 12. Chris Williams Michigan St. 16. Jason Silverstein Purdue 17. Ryan Escobar Illinois 19. Tony Black Wisconsin 20. Kore Sharpley Ohio State
133 1. Eric Juergens Iowa 4. Pat McNamara Michigan St. 5. Brett Lawrence Minnesota 8. Evan Robinson Purude 9. Foley Dowd Michigan 10. Kevin Black Wisconsin 20. Jeff Ratliff Ohio State
141 1. Doug Schwab Iowa 7. Chad Erikson Minnesota 12. Mike Castillo Illinois 13. Robert Sessley Ohio State 14. Mike Castillo Michigan St. 15. Grant Hoerr Wisconsin 16. Clark Forward Michigan
149 2. Adam Tirapelle Illinois 3. Jared Lawrence Minnesota 8. Mike Zadick Iowa 12. Keaton Anderson Ohio State 15. Mike Kulczycki Michigan 17. Karl Nadolsky Michigan St.
157 1. T.J. Williams Iowa 7. Luke Becker Minnesota 15. Gray Maynard Michigan St. 17. Griff Powell Illinois
165 1. Don Pritzlaff Wisconsin 6. Matt Lackey Illinois 7. Brad Pike Minnesota 9. Kevin Stanley Indiana 10. Charles Martelli Michigan 11. Ben Shirk Iowa
174 2. Otto Olson Michigan 5. Gabe McMahan Iowa 12. Jacob Volkmann Minnesota 14. Ben King Illinois 15. Ryan Lange Purdue
184 2. Nate Patrick Illinois 4. Victor Sveda Indiana 5. Damion Hahn Minnesota 6. Andy Hrovat Michigan 8. Jessman Smith Iowa 18. Ralph DeNisco Wisconsin 20. Anton Talamantes Ohio State
197 5. Owen Elzen Minnesota 8. Nick Preston Ohio State 10. Joe DeGain Michigan 11. Nik Fekete Michigan State 12. Pat Quirk Illinois 18. Ty Matthews Indiana
Heavyweight 1. Tommy Rowlands Ohio State 2. Garrett Lowney Minnesota 3. Matt Brink Michigan 5. John Lockhart Illinois 17. Jacob Vercelli Purdue
Intermat individual rankings as of Feb. 27, 2001.
Illinois Big Ten Champions Lightwt. 1913 G.W. Schroeder
115 lbs. 1929 Joe Sapora 1930 Joe Sapora
118 lbs. 1932 J.L. Puerta 1933 Glen Orth 1934 Pete Pakutinsky
121 lbs. 1939 Dave Helsman 1945 Robert Burwell
125 lbs. 1927 Theodore Hesmer
126 lbs. 1931 Wilbur Dooley 1932 Bob Emmons 1933 Bob Emmons 1934 Bill Adams 1935 Pete Pakutinsky 1937 Allen Sapora
128 lbs. 1946 Lou Kachiroubas 1947 Lou Kachiroubas
135 lbs. 1928 Allie Morrison 1929 G.O. Minot 1930 L.M. Bauerle 1931 Bob Emmons 1938 Archie Deutschman
136 lbs. 1939 Archie Deutschman
137 lbs. 1952 Norton Compton 1953 Norton Compton
142 lbs. 1988 Kirk Azinger
145 lbs. 1917 E.V. Kurtzrock 1935 Jack McIlvoy 1937 Jack McIlvoy
147 lbs. 1957 Werner Holzer
149 lbs. 2000 Adam Tirapelle
155 lbs. 1942 Ted Seabrooke 1948 Kenneth Marlin
157 lbs. 1958 Werner Holzer 1961 Mike O'Laughlin
158 lbs. 1917 L.V. Cope 1997 Ernest Benion
165 lbs. 1932 Barney Cosneck 1937 John Ginay 1938 John Ginay 1942 Norm Anthonisen 1943 Tom Smerdel 1947 Dave Shapiro
167 lbs. 1955 Larry TenPas
175 lbs. 1920 H.L. Hoffman 1927 J.H. Ritz 1935 Ralph Silverstein 1946 Norm Anthonisen
HWT 1930 L.S. Burdick 1934 Barney Cosneck 1935 A.W. Dahl 1936 Ralph Silverstein 1941 John Sikish 1948 Charles Gottfreid 1957 Bob Norman 1958 Bob Norman 1989 Jon Llewellyn 1990 Jon Llewellyn 1991 Jon Llewellyn
Big Ten Individual Champions 1. Iowa 172 2. Michigan 108 3. Minnesota 63 4. Michigan State 60 Wisconsin 60 6. ILLINOIS 59 7. Indiana 51 8. Purdue 32 9. Northwestern 30 10. Ohio State 27 11. Penn State 14
Big Ten Team Champions 1. Iowa 30 2. ILLINOIS 16 3. Indiana 13 4. Michigan 11 5. Michigan State 8 6. Purdue 6 7. Minnesota 5 8. Ohio State 2 9. Wisconsin 0 Northwestern 0 Penn State 0
