Rutgers University
No. 13 Illinois
No. 13 Illinois Outlasts No. 23 WRES
Jan 10 | Wrestling
CHAMPAIGN, Ill.- A 5-2 decision from 149-pounder Ken Theobold (Toms River, N.J.) tied things at 9-9 with No. 13 Illinois, but four-straight wins thereafter by the Fighting Illini put the match out of reach, giving No. 23 Rutgers a 24-9 loss Friday Night at Huff Hall.
The Big Ten Conference dual was the first on the road for the Scarlet Knights (9-2, 0-2 Big Ten), who dropped a trio of close decisions at 133, 141 and 197 pounds that proved to be the difference in the dual.
Illinois' Jeff Koepke started things off with a 2-0 win over No. NR/9/NR 197-pounder Andrew Campolattano (Bound Brook, N.J.). Following a scoreless first, Koepke escaped in the second and rode Campolattano out in the third to secure riding time and the 2-0 win. The loss was the first for Campolattano as a Scarlet Knight.
Heavyweight Billy Smith (Wantage, N.J.) grinded out a tough 2-1 tiebreaker win against Brooks Black in the following match to even the score at 3-3. The No. 9/11/10-ranked Smith escaped from bottom in the second and Black followed suit in the third, but the difference came in the first set of tiebreakers after a scoreless sudden victory.
Smith escaped six seconds into the period and responded by riding Black out in the next 30-second stanza for a 2-1 TB-2 win. The victory improved Smith to 9-1 on the year and tied him for 42nd all-time (62-20) on RU's all-time wins list.
Redshirt sophomore 125-pounder Sean McCabe (Ronkonkoma, N.Y.) gave the Scarlet Knights a 6-3 lead with a thrilling, 5-4, win a match later. Trailing by a point with time winding down, McCabe gained control as the final horn sounded to complete the victory.
Illinois (7-1, 1-0 Big Ten) reestablished the lead with decisions in the next two bouts. Sophomore 133-pounder Scott DelVecchio (South Plainfield, N.J.) lost, 11-8, to No. 6/6/3 Zane Richards, but did not go down without a fight.
Down 10-3 in the first period, DelVecchio went on to outscore Richards 5-1 in the final two periods, running out of time down the stretch.
At 141 pounds, No. 19/19/16 Steven Rodrigues needed only a takedown in the first period for the 2-0 win against No. 7/6/8 Anthony Ashnault (South Plainfield, N.J.). Ashnault rode Rodrigues out from the top position in the second, but could not escape from bottom in the third to take control.
RU's last win of the night came at 149 pounds, courtesy of Theobold. The junior sealed the win with a takedown with 19 seconds left in the match, bumping his record up to 14-4 this season.
Three major decisions and a decision in the final four matches from four of Illinois' ranked grapplers shifted the score in favor of the Fighting Illini.
No. 4/4/4 Isaiah Martinez scored the first of consecutive majors in a win over No. 17/18/18 157-pounder Anthony Perrotti (Roseland, N.J.), before No. 8/8/7 Jackson Morse topped Nicholas Gravina (Allendale, N.J.), 10-2.
Sophomore 174-pounder Phil Bakuckas (Hammonton, N.J.) trailed, 5-0, early on in his match and was unable to rebound, losing by a final of 8-2. The night was capped at 184 pounds by No. 20/14/14 Nikko Reyes, who handed redshirt sophomore Anthony Pafumi (Westfield, N.J.) a 12-4 loss to make it a 24-9 final team score.
Rutgers returns home to the RAC on Sunday to face No. 2 Minnesota (7-0, 3-0 Big Ten) in its third consecutive ranked matchup. The dual will be streamed live on BTN2Go and watchable with a BTN Plus subscription. Danny Breslauer and Sean Dedeyn will have the call.
Doors for the match open at 11 a.m., and the first 500 fans to arrive at the RAC will receive a foam "takedown" finger. The team's post-match autograph session originally scheduled for Sunday has been moved to post-Penn State next Friday, Jan. 16.
No. 13 Illinois 24, No. 23 Rutgers 9
Dual started at 197 pounds
197: Jeff Koepke (UI) dec. over No. NR/9/NR Andrew Campolattano (RU), 2-0; Illinois leads, 3-0
285: No. 9/11/10 Billy Smith (RU) dec. over Brooks Black (UI), 2-1 (TB-2); Match tied, 3-3
125: Sean McCabe (RU) dec. over Dominic Olivieri (UI), 5-4; Rutgers leads, 6-3
133: No. 6/6/3 Zane Richards (UI) dec. over Scott DelVecchio (RU), 11-8; Match tied, 6-6
141: No. 19/19/16 Steven Rodrigues (UI) dec. over No. 7/6/8 Anthony Ashnault (RU), 2-0; Illinois leads, 9-6
149: No. NR/NR/17 Ken Theobold (RU) dec. over Kyle Langenderfer (UI), 5-2; Match tied, 9-9
157: No. 4/4/4 Isaiah Martinez (UI) major dec. over No. 17/18/18 Anthony Perrotti (RU), 19-6; Illinois leads, 13-9
165: No. 8/8/7 Jackson Morse (UI) major dec. over Nicholas Gravina (RU), 10-2; Illinois leads, 17-9
174: No. 6/8/6 Zac Brunson (UI) dec. over No. NR/15/20 Phillip Bakuckas (RU), 8-2; Illinois leads, 20-9
184: No. 20/14/14 Nikko Reyes (UI) major dec. over Anthony Pafumi (RU), 12-4; Illinois wins, 24-9
Rankings (-/-/-): InterMat / The Open Mat / WIN Magazine (Jan. 6)
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