On Friday evening, No. 24 Indiana Wrestling fell short on the road against No. 10 Illinois by a score of 27-7. The loss comes on short rest after Indiana’s 32-13 home win over Michigan State in last Monday’s postponed dual, and marks the third time the Hoosiers have lost to a top 10 opponent this season.
The meet began at 125 pounds, where No. 20 Spencer Moore upset Indiana’s No. 11 Jacob Moran in overtime. Moran scored the first takedown, exemplifying the spark of success that jumpstarts most dual meets for the Hoosiers. However, Moore applied more resistance than most of Moran’s opponents, and ultimately upset the Hoosier graduate student by a score of 6-3 in sudden victory.
Illinois also earned team points in the 133-pound bout, as No. 1 Lucas Byrd appeared to be well on his way to bonus points for the Fighting Illini. However, his opponent, freshman Jackson Blum, defended well after scoring an escape point in the third period to avoid a major decision. Byrd won handily, but Blum put forth a respectable effort in an 8-1 loss.
Indiana’s first win came at 141 pounds, when No. 24 redshirt junior Henry Porter raced past redshirt junior Kole Brower. No. 23 Danny Pucino sat with an injury for Illinois, granting Brower the opportunity to perform. Porter scored bonus points, though, with a late takedown that lifted the Hoosier to major decision territory.
Illinois responded in the 149-pound bout, in a match that contained only one takedown for either side. No. 30 redshirt sophomore Michael Gioffre earned those three points by driving through redshirt sophomore Joey Buttler early in the first period. Buttler struggled to establish an advantage throughout the match, and was disallowed from scrambling for significant amounts of time, leading to a 4-3 regular decision win for Gioffre.
At 157 pounds, Illinois completed its second pair of consecutive victories with a 21-5 technical fall achieved by No. 9 redshirt sophomore Kannon Webster. His high attack rate and swift finishes allowed him to rack up nine points before the start of the third period against Indiana’s redshirt sophomore Bryce Lowery. Webster’s relentless pressure never subsided, and five team points were awarded to the Fighting Illini. As a result, Illinois held a 14-4 team lead at the halftime break.
Coming out of the intermission, No. 19 redshirt junior Tyler Lilliard looked to halt the Illinois win streak and avenge the upset of Moran with an upset of his own against No. 8 redshirt sophomore Braeden Scoles. Lilliard initiated immediate offense and scored the first two takedowns, even planting Scoles on his back. Lilliard didn’t score near fall points or find a pin, but he clearly proved that he deserved his place on the mat against a top 10 opponent. Scoles never quit, though, and came back to win 11-9 for three team points in defense of his home mat.
Indiana’s No. 29 graduate student Derek Gilcher, at 174 pounds, also came close to success. His bout with No. 25 Colin Kelly was incredibly evenly matched, with neither wrestler scoring more than an escape in regulation. In sudden victory, Kelly finally broke through and took down Gilcher for the decisive score.
At 184 pounds, Illinois benefited from the second ranked upset of the evening. Indiana’s No. 14 redshirt freshman Sam Goin led 3-2 entering the third period, leading Illinois’ No. 20 Chris Moore to choose to start the final frame from the neutral position, chasing the winning takedown. That decision paid off, and Moore earned a tremendous victory over a top 15 opponent.
At 197 pounds, No. 15 redshirt junior Gabe Sollars picked up the second and final win of the night for the Hoosiers, triumphing 2-2 over graduate student Dylan Connell. Similar to the 184-pound bout, the first period was an uneventful one. However, in the second period, Sollars escaped, scored a takedown and rode out Connell to secure the riding time point en route to a 6-0 regular decision win for the road team.
The heavyweights clashed in the final bout of the night, featuring Indiana’s redshirt freshman Caleb Marzolino and Illinois’ No. 13 graduate student Luke Luffman. Luffman took down and rode out Marzolino in the first period, and across the board used his superiority in the top position to blitz to a 16-4 major decision win.
Illinois took care of business throughout the evening, with every one of its ranked wrestlers who stepped onto the mat achieving victory against the Hoosiers. The home team also enjoyed a pair of ranked upset wins over No. 11 Moran and No. 14 Goin. All in all, Friday night’s meet undoubtedly boosts the confidence of the Fighting Illini and supplies Indiana with another prime learning opportunity.
The Indiana Hoosiers are in action again next Saturday, as they prepare to challenge the No. 17 Wisconsin Badgers at 2 p.m. in Madison. The Illinois Fighting Illini will wrestle again a day later, at 1 p.m. next Sunday against the Purdue Boilermakers in West Lafayette.
