THE ILLINI WRESTLING BLOG AND FORUM

  WHAT: ILLINI vs. Ohio State Wrestling Dual WHEN: Friday, January 10 at 7:00 pm (Central) WHERE:  Huff Hall, Champaign, ILLINOIS TV/STREAMING: BTN+ (subscription service) SPECIAL: It is an "Orange Out." Wear Orange. TICKETS:  Admission is FREE! Question: Who is this? Answer: ESIW NHOJ NACIREMA LLA A DAY IN HISTORY It is February 18, 2007.  Beyoncé and Nelly Furtado are #1 and #2 on the Hot 100 Billboard charts. Ghost Rider is raking in the dough as the #1 box office hit, but theater audiences are leaving unimpressed. It has a 28% on the Tomatometer at Rotten Tomatoes.  The folks at home aren't doing much better. Your stupid little sister just got a video game called Karaoke Revolution: American Idol. That's right, a guitar hero for bad voices and terrible songs.  It is worse than you thought imaginable.  Have no fear! The entertainment and drama are happening right now in Huff Hall, as the 6th-ranked ILLINI seek to add another victory to their n...

The ILLINI Wrestling team broke up into two teams for dueling tournaments that started on Sunday. Most of the team went to the Midlands.  That crew included Dylan Connell, Jake Harrier, Caden Ernd, Charlie Fifield, Caelan Riley, Brian Beers, Kole Brower, William Baysingar and true Freshmen Anthony Ruzic, Jayden Colon, Ryan Bennett and redshirt Freshman Antonio Alvarado.  A second team consisting of Chris Moore, Logan Swaw and Danny Nini headed over to the Soldier Salute. What follows is a short recap of how the ILLINI did.  THE MIDLANDS The leading scorers for the team that went to the Midlands were: Dylan Connell                          4.5 Jake Harrier                              2.0 Jayden Colon                            2.0 Charlie Fi...

  WHAT:   Midlands Championships WHERE:   NOW Arena, Hoffman Estates, ILLINOIS WHEN: Sunday, December 29 at 9:30 Central all day, then Monday, December 30 at 10:30 Central WHO:  20 full teams (see list below) TV/STREAMING: BTN+ (subscription service) WHO'S GOING? We've now heard and seen multiple sources which indicate that the ILLINI will send a contingent to the Midlands. We've also heard that it will not consist of the starters except for Caelan Riley. That's too bad because the Orange and Blue would win it again this year.  Still, the team has a lot of wrestlers who have been with the program for a number of years, and it's best to keep them healthy and then peak them in March.  Apparently, the Midlands is an Invitational, so wrestlers can't show up as unattached. They have to represent the team. That means folks who might not want to use up a red shirt right now will need to stay off the bus. Still, there could be as many as 16 ILLINI who could show...

  LUCAS BYRD If Lucas Byrd drank a glass of milk every time he's won the Prairie Farms Scholar-Athlete of the Week award, he'd weigh 300 pounds and be able to produce his own milk. The webpage at FightingILLINI.com that provides this recognition is here . It reads as follows: Graduate student  Lucas Byrd  helped the No. 11-ranked Fighting Illini wrestling team to a 34-3 win over No. 28 Indiana in the inaugural Big Ten Takedown in Indianapolis on Dec. 6. Ranked No. 2 at 133 pounds, Byrd improved to 9-0 this season with his 3-0 decision over Indiana's No. 24-ranked Angelo Rini. After earning an undergraduate degree in recreation, sport, and tourism in the fall of 2023, Byrd is now pursuing a master's degree in management. We like to recognize the Poet-Warriors who represent the ILLINI so well on the mat and in the classroom. Cheers to you, Byrd is the Wyrd!  THE KENT STATE OPEN The ILLINI sent another powerful squad to the Kent State Open. This squad consisted entirely...

Brian Glynn is our featured guest on Episode 2 of Season 2 of the podcast. There are surprise guests, including a member of the 2012 ILLINI Wrestling team to debate Glynn as to whether the 2012 team was better than his 2005 team. The Great Debate begins! Credit to the legendary Rolling Stones for their song Gimme Shelter . The outro credit goes to Monday Night Football on ABC. Video credits to the Big Ten Conference, ESPN, Poeta Training Center, CIStv and Earl Smith. Image credit to the University of ILLINOIS Athletic Department and the individual wrestlers and coaches. This video is not to be monetized. LOOK WHAT JUST HAPPENED! During the interview of Brian Glynn, I asked him about my all-time favorite ILLINI dual . It was the #8 ILLINI versus a great #6 Michigan State team back in 2003 in Huff Hall. Glynn wrestled none other than Rashad Evans, the guy who would later become UFC champ. He won! And that win helped to seal the dual victory for the ILLINI by the score of 17-16. After o...