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ON THE MAT
The fourth-ranked University of Iowa wrestling team wrestles at No. 20 Illinois on Friday at 8 p.m. (CT) and at Northwestern on Sunday at 2 p.m. The Illini host the Hawkeyes at Huff Hall. The Wildcats host the Hawkeyes at Welsh-Ryan Arena.
WHERE TO WATCH
Friday’s dual at Illinois is televised by BTN. Shane Sparks and Ken Chertow call the action.
IOWA VS. ILLINOIS
The Hawkeyes own a 51-26-1 series advantage over the Illini and have won eight straight in the series, including the last three in Champaign. Iowa is 22-17 all-time in Champaign.
The Hawkeyes haven’t lost at Illinois since Jan. 28, 2005 (25-7). The Hawkeyes lost 21 of the first 22 meetings in the series that began in 1920, but have since won 50-of-56 with one tie (12-12 in 1952). Iowa’s largest win in the series was 52-0 in 1984. Illinois’ largest win of the series was 34-8 in 1922. Iowa head coach Tom Brands is 8-0 all-time against the Illini. Illinois head coach Jim Heffernan is a graduate of the University of Iowa. Heffernan was a four-time All-American from 1983-87 and won the 1986 NCAA title.
IOWA VS. NORTHWESTERN
Iowa leads the all-time series, 72-7-1. Iowa has won 12 straight against Northwestern and owns an all-time mark of 34-4-1 in Evanston. The Hawkeyes have won five straight road duals against the Wildcats. Northwestern’s last win in the series was a 22-19 victory in Evanston on Jan. 29, 2005. The Hawkeyes are 11-0 against Northwestern under head coach Tom Brands.
SPENCER LEE, 125, SOPHOMORE
Sophomore Spencer Lee is ranked No. 2 in the country. He is 11-1 overall with nine bonus-point victories. He leads the Hawkeyes with six technical falls.
Lee is scheduled to face Travis Piotrowski on Friday and Sebastian Rivera on Sunday. He has never met Piotrowski. He is 2-1 all-time against Rivera. Lee is 31 this year against ranked opponents.
Lee is 8-0 this year against unranked opponents, and has scored bonus points in each of those matches (one major decision, five technical falls, and two pins).
AUSTIN DESANTO, 133, SOPHOMORE
Sophomore Austin DeSanto is ranked No. 4 in the country with an overall record of 12-1. He has scored bonus points in seven matches this season and is riding an eight-match winning streak.
DeSanto has won two straight against top six opponents (Ethan Lizak 6-1, NIck Suriano 6-4) and is 5-1 this year against ranked opponents. He was named Big Ten co-Wrestler of the Week following his win against Suriano.
DeSanto faces No. 17 Dylan Duncan on Friday. He defeated Duncan in the semifinals of the 2018 Midlands Championships.
MAX MURIN, 141, R-FRESHMAN
Redshirt freshman Max Murin was the Midlands runner-up at 141. He is 10-3 overall with two of those losses to top 10 opponents: No. 9 Josh Alber (UNI), 5-2, in the Midlands finals; No. 6 Mitch McKee (MINN), 5-3, Jan. 13 at Minnesota.
Murin is ranked No. 15 in the country and is scheduled to face No. 4 Mike Carr on Friday and Alex McKenna on Sunday. He has never fade McKenna. He is 1-0 all-time against Carr, with a 3-2 win at the 2017 Midlands Championships.
Murin is 8-1 this season against unranked wrestlers, with three pins and three major decisions.
PAT LUGO, 149, JUNIOR
Junior Pat Lugo enters the weekend ranked No. 13 with an 8-6 record. He is scheduled to face Christian Kanzler on Friday and Shane Oster on Sunday. Neither wrestler is ranked.
KALEB YOUNG, 157, SOPHOMORE
Sophomore Kaleb Young opened the season ranked 15th in the country by Intermat and has climbed to No. 5 entering Friday’s dual.
Young faces No. 12 Eric Barone on Friday and No. 3 Ryan Deakin on Sunday. No. 14 John Van Brill on Friday. It is his fourth and fifth straight match against a ranked opponent. He has won two straight against ranked opponents and is 5-1 this season against ranked opponents. His only loss is to Deakin (6-2) in the Midlands finals.
Young has wins over No. 14 Griffin Parriott (Pin 3:37), No. 15 Josh Humphreys (4-1), No. 16 Luke Weiland (15-0), No. 9 Steve Bleise (7-1), and No. 14 John Van Brill. He was named Big Ten Wrestler of the Week following his win over Parriott. Young is 13-1 with three pins, three technical falls, and a major decision.
ALEX MARINELLI, 165, SOPHOMORE
Sophomore Alex Marinelli is 11-0 in his career in Big Ten duals. Marinelli will face former teammate Joey Gunther on Friday. It is the first career meeting between the two. Gunther transferred to Illinois after three years at Iowa. Marinelli faces Tyler Morland on Sunday. It is the first meeting between the two. Neither wrestler is ranked. Marinelli is 10-0 against with 10 bonus point victories against unranked wrestlers this season.
Marinelli has climbed to No. 2 in the national rankings following his Midlands Championship on Dec. 30. Marinelli defeated Evan Wick, 4-3, in the 165-pound Midlands finals. It was his second straight Midlands title. He was 5-0 in the tournament with wins over Wick, No. 5 Joshua Shields (4-1), and No. 19 Jonathan Viruet (8-6 SV1). The No. 2 ranking matches his career best. He was ranked No. 2 the final two weeks of the 2018 regular season.
174, SENIOR MITCH BOWMAN // JUNIOR JEREMIAH MOODY
Senior Mitch Bowman, a national qualifier at 184 last season, has wrestled at 197 (2-0) and 174 (2-3) this season. Moody has made one dual appearance at 174, a 12-3 loss to Lehigh’s sixth-ranked Jordan Kutler. Moody is 6-3 this season at 157, 2-2 at 165, and 0-1 at 174. The competition this weekend includes Illinois’ Carver James and Northwestern’s Johnny Sebastian. There is no history between any of the four wrestlers.
CASH WILCKE, 184, JUNIOR
Junior Cash Wilcke is 12-2 this season and ranked No. 13 in the country. He is scheduled to face No. 2 Emery Parker of Illinois on Friday, and Northwestern’s Brendan Devine on Sunday. He has never faced either competitor. His teammate, Mitch Bowman, lost a 5-3 decision to Parker in the dual last season. Wilcke is 0-1 this year against ranked opponents. He fell to No. 7 Drew Foster, 3-2, in the 184-pound finals of the Midlands Championships.
JACOB WARNER, 197, R-FRESHMAN
Redshirt freshman Jacob Warner is a three-time Illinois high school state champion for Washington HS. He is 2-0 in his brief Big Ten dual career. He is scheduled to face Andre Lee on Friday and Zach Chakonis on Sunday. He has never faced either wrestler. His teammate, Cash Wilcke, had two overtime wins against Lee last season.
Warner has climbed to No. 5 in the country following an 8-2 start to the season. He opened the year ranked No. 13 by Intermat.
285, SENIOR SAM STOLL // R-FRESHMAN AARON COSTELLO
Senior Sam Stoll is 4-0 in limited action this season. He could potential face Illinois’ Deuce Rachal on Friday, and No. 15 Canan Jennings on Sunday. Stoll pinned Rachal in their only meeting. The fall gave Iowa a walk-off 18-17 win in the dual meet last season. Stoll is 4-0 all-time, with two pins, against Jennings. Redshirt freshman Aaron Costello is 6-4 overall. He has not wrestled in a dual since Dec. 8 against Lehigh. He has no history with either opponent
RETURNING HOME
The fourth-ranked Hawkeyes return to the mat Friday at No. 20 Illinois. Iowa’s next home match is Friday, February 8. Tickets are available at hawkeyesports.com, over the phone at 1-800-IAHAWKS, or in person at the UI Athletics Ticket Office.
