Illinois Hang close, falls short at No. 2 Iowa

IOWA CITY, Iowa The Fighting Illini wrestling program wrapped up its first Big Ten dual meet of the season at Iowa on Friday, January 6th. Illinois tied the contest going into the final game at 7 p.m., but ended up trailing 19-25.

“The guys battled hard tonight,” the head coach said Mike Poeta. “It’s the toughest arena in the country to compete in, and I can’t say everybody, but almost every guy went to the mat hard and won. Lucas Byrd and Danny Puccino really got the momentum going. Byrd is just tough, and Pucino had highlight reel takedowns.”

Redshirt sophomore Lucas Byrd (133 lbs.) earned his first win of 2023 when he pinned Cullan Schriever (Iowa) in 2:58 to tie the singles game with six. Second year student Danny Puccino (141 lbs.) then scored a major decision over Iowa’s Drew Bennett to give the Illini their first lead at 10-6.

“What a wonderful way to start the year Mike Carr got a ranked win in his first match in years. Mike will continue to get better and the sky is the limit for him. Edmond Ruth is doing a good job picking up wins, but he knows he needs to attack more. He’s as tough as anyone in the country, but you can’t keep playing with fire. He is good enough to put away matches early and build a lead. It’s up to me to get it out of him.”

Sixth year Mike Carr returned to work for the Illini, this time at 157 pounds. He defeated Cobe Siebrecht (Iowa) by a 12-7 decision to give Illinois another lead at the break, 13-12. Redshirt sophomore Edmond Ruth extended his winning streak to 19 when he beat Nelson Brands (Iowa) in a first round tiebreaker 2-1; this tied Dual for the second time at 16.

“Dylan Connell begins to realize that he belongs. He has had a great 4-5 weeks of wrestling. He didn’t win tonight, but I think as the match goes on he will believe in himself more. Zac Braunagel baby! What a month he’s had: The Midland champion and top five beat the country tonight at that guy’s house. I can’t say enough good things about him right now. His shots look amazing. His defense is scrappy. I’m really impressed with him right now.”

Redshirt junior Zac Braunagel was another intense match that came down to the wire. He secured a takedown in the final five seconds to beat Iowa’s Jacob Werner 3-1 to tie the singles match for the third and final time at 19. In the end, the encounter came down to a heavyweight match that ended in a stalemate. a rejection that conceded a six-point win to Iowa.

FULL RESULTS:

125: Spencer Lee (Iowa) def Maximo Renteria (Fall 2:24)
133: Lucas Byrd over Cullan Schriever (Iowa) (Fall 2:58)
141: Danny Puccino defeated Drew Bennett (Iowa) (12/20-8)
149: Max Murin (Iowa) def Kevo Davenport (Autumn 3:37)
157: Mike Carr defeated Cobe Siebrecht (Iowa) (December 12-7)
165: Patrick Kennedy (Iowa) def Danny Brown (Majors 15.12.-4.)
174: Edmond Ruth beat Nelson Brands (Iowa) (TB-1, 3-1)
184: Abe Assad (Iowa) def Dylan Connell (December 3-1)
197: Zac Braunagel beat Jacob Warner (Iowa) (12/3)
285: Tony Cassioppi (Iowa) def Matt Wroblewski (DQ, stop)

“We’ll enjoy the guys that performed well tonight, and then we’ll focus on Wisconsin when I wake up tomorrow morning.”

NEXT

The Fighting Illini return to action on Sunday, January 8 at home at the State Farm Center for Alumni night. They welcome Big Ten opponent Wisconsin at 3pm CT.