1/22- #7 Illini Wrestlers Head To #1 Iowa

#7 Illinois at #1 Iowa Sun., Jan. 25 // Iowa City, Iowa // Carver-Hawkeye Arena #7 Illinois (7-0 / 0-0) PROBABLE LINEUP 125: B.J. Futrell (19-5), Fr. 133: #3 Jimmy Kennedy (18-1), Jr. 141: Ryan Prater (8-7), So. 149: Eric Terrazas (12-9), Fr. 157: #2 Mike Poeta (2-0), Sr. 165: #18 Roger Smith-Bergsrud (13-3), Sr. 174: John Dergo (7-3), Jr. 184: #11 Jordan Blanton (19-5), Fr. 197: Patrick Bond (10-9), Jr. HWT: #9 John Wise (11-4), Sr. #1 Iowa (15-0 / 0-0) PROBABLE LINEUP 125: #5 Charlie Falck (12-1), Sr. or J.J. Krutsinger (4-5), r-Fr. 133: #5 Daniel Dennis (16-2), Jr. 141: #1 Alex Tsirtsis (16-1), Sr. 149: #1 Brent Metcalf (20-0), Jr. 157: Matt Ballweg (9-8), So. 165: #3 Ryan Morningstar (18-2), Jr. 174: #4 Jay Borschel (17-2), Jr. 184: #3 Phil Keddy (18-1), Jr. 197: #19 Chad Beatty (8-2), Jr. HWT: #11 Dan Erekson (14-5), Jr. Bonus Points * #2 Mike Poeta (157) and #3 Jimmy Kennedy (133) both rank in Illinois top 5 in career winning percentage, with Poeta holding down the No. 3 spot (90-13, .874) and Kennedy ranking fifth after his 18-1 start this season (79-15, .840). * #2 Jimmy Kennedy (133) has won 36 of his last 40 matches dating back to Jan. 20, 2008, and is 18-1 this season with a title at the Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational, a third-place finish at Midlands and a Big Ten Wrestler of the Week honor under his belt. He earned the honor after defeating #2 Jayson Ness (Minnesota) at the NWCA All-Star Classic by a 7-5 margin. * True-freshmen #15 Jordan Blanton (184) and B.J. Futrell (125) have been exceptional early in their collegiate careers, each currently holding a 19-5 record. Blanton finished fifth at Midlands, seventh at the Las Vegas Invitational and earned Co-Big Ten Wrestler of the Week honors on Nov. 18 after starting his career 3-0 at the ACC/Big Ten Clash. Meanwhile, Futrells three losses prior to going 3-2 at Midlands were by a combined six points. Blanton leads Illinois with six pins and Futrell is second on the squad with five. Futrell has scored bonus points 11 times and Blanton 10. Both wrestlers have scored bonus points in 10 of their 17 wins. * #11 Roger Smith-Bergsrud (165) is 13-3, which ties his best start to a season in his career, and started 12-0 before dropping a pair of matches at Midlands. Smith-Bergsrud won the Missouri Open and is 5-0 in dual meets. * #10 John Wise (HWT) has started strong in his senior season, holding an 11-4 record and is second on the team with five pins. He began the season 7-1, which was a career best and upset Pittsburghs #4 Zach Sheaffer, 6-2, on Jan. 10. * John Dergo (174) has been impressive, going 7-3 thus far and placing eighth at Midlands in just his second competition. Although he was ranked No. 11 by Intermat on Dec. 16, he has not been included in any rankings since. #7 Illini Square Off with #1 Iowa No. 7 Illinois opens the Big Ten dual season by traveling to Iowa City for a high-profile dual with top-ranked Iowa. The Fighting Illini pushed the Hawkeyes to the limit last season at Huff Hall, falling 21-12 as Iowa won two overtime bouts and a third just before the final horn to seal the victory. Currently, Illinois and Iowa are two of only three undefeated teams left in Division I wrestling. Illinois-Iowa Series History The Hawkeyes hold a 43-27-1 advantage in the all-time series. The Illini have won two of the last three duals, however, winning 24-13 in Iowa City in 2006 and 25-7 in Champaign in 2005. Iowa holds a 24-12-1 advantage in Iowa City and Illinois head coach Mark Johnson is 3-6 against the Hawkeyes, where he was an assistant coach for 10 years. Weekend Matchups to Watch Every dual has key matches that can set the tone or change the momentum, and this weekends Illinois-Iowa tilt is no different. Heres a look at a few bouts that could turn the tide of Sundays match: 133: #3 Jimmy Kennedy (ILL) vs. #5 Daniel Dennis (IOWA) Kennedy has an opportunity to avenge his 5-3 double-overtime loss to Dennis in the Midlands semifinals on Sunday when the pair square off once again. That bout was the first college match between the former high school teammates at Grant Community H.S. in Fox Lake, Ill. In high school, Kennedy won the 2004 IHSA title at 103 and 2006 title at 125. He finished second at 103 in 2003 and third at 119 in 2005. Dennis finished second at 130 in 2005, second at 125 in 2004 and fourth at 112 in 2003. 197: Patrick Bond (ILL) vs. #19 Chad Beatty (IOWA) Bond is 1-0 against Beatty in his career, defeating the Iowa junior, 7-5 in the first tiebreak, at the teams dual last season. Bond has won four of his last five bouts after starting the season 6-8, while Beatty also has won four of his last five and is 8-2 on the season. Oddly enough, Beatty has only wrestled in duals so far this season, but did not wrestle at Oklahoma State last weekend. HWT: #9 John Wise (ILL) vs. #11 Dan Erekson (IOWA) Wise can claim consecutive victories over ranked opponents with a win over Erekson after the Illini heavyweight upset Pittsburghs No. 4 Zach Sheaffer, 6-2, on Jan. 10. In that bout, Wise registered two takedowns, the first two of the season against Sheaffer, and claimed his fifth career win over a higher-ranked opponent. Wise and Erekson have never met, but Patrick Bond beat Erekson twice at 197 in 2006-07. Poeta Fires Out Strong in Debut Former No. 1 Mike Poeta (157) stepped onto the mat for the first time in 2008-09 during Illinois trip to West Virginia and Pittsburgh two weeks ago, earning a technical fall and a major decision in the two duals. He now has won 13 of his last 14 bouts dating back to Feb. 15, 2008 and ranks third on Illinois career winning percentage list (90-13, .874). Illini Start Season in Pinning Mood Heading into the Big Ten dual season, Fighting Illini wrestlers have won 31 bouts by fall, already surpassing the 29 pins racked up by the 2007-08 squad and ranking 10th in school history. True-freshman Jordan Blanton leads the team with six falls, while John Wise and B.J. Futrell each have five. Blanton, Kennedy Earn Big Ten Honors True-freshman Jordan Blanton (184) was named Big Ten Co-Wrestler of the Week on Nov. 18 after he dominated the ACC/Big Ten Clash on Illinois opening weekend. Blanton started his college career by pinning his first two foes, then wrapped up the weekend by taking an injury default win in a match he led by a comfortable margin. Blantons honor is the first by a true-freshman in school history. Two weeks later, on Dec. 2, No. 4 Jimmy Kennedy (133) earned Wrestler of the Week honors after toppling No. 2 Jayson Ness (Minnesota), 7-5, at the NWCA All-Star Classic. It was Kennedys first career weekly honor. Kennedy currently is ranked No. 3 in the NWCA/Intermat rankings. Kennedy Sees Familiar Faces at 133 The 133-pound weight class has a pair of familiar faces for returning All-American and third-ranked Jimmy Kennedy. No. 5 Daniel Dennis - who topped Kennedy, 5-3 in the second sudden-victory period, in their Midlands semifinal - went to Grant Community High School and is a year older than Kennedy. And No. 4 Jayson Ness (Minnesota) is a childhood friend of Kennedys after the two got to know each other at various youth wrestling tournaments. Kennedy defeated Ness, 7-5, at the NWCA All-Star Classic earlier this season. Poeta Reenters Rankings at #2 Two-time All-American Mike Poeta returned to the NWCA/Intermat rankings on Jan. 13 at the No. 2 slot after his first competition weekend of the season at West Virginia and No. 25 Pittsburgh. Earlier this season, he ascended to the top spot in the NWCA/Intermat rankings at 157 pounds on Nov. 18 despite not wrestling at the ACC/Big Ten Clash. Poeta was ranked No. 2 heading into the weekend behind Cornells Jordan Leen, but was elevated to the top spot despite neither wrestler stepping on a mat. Poeta has been ranked No. 1 for 22 weeks in his career. Three True-Freshmen in Illini Lineup For the third-straight year, Illinois coach Mark Johnson has at least a pair of true-freshmen in his starting lineup. Rookies B.J. Futrell (125) and Jordan Blanton (184) have proved their mettle so far as each has racked up a 19-5 record. Lately, they have been joined by fellow true-freshman Eric Terrazas (149) in the lineup, who is 12-9 thus far. Blanton finished fifth at Midlands and seventh at the Las Vegas Invitational, while Futrell was one win from placing in both tournaments. Last year, Ryan Prater and Grant Paswall competed at 141 and 149, respectively, as rookies, while Jimmy Kennedy (133) and John Dergo (174) were freshmen starters in 2006-07.