FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Feb. 6, 2014

Athletic Communications Contact: Paige Thompson (630-779-6209 or thomps11@illinois.edu)

ILL vs. PUR/NU Match Notes | Coach Heffernan Interview | Tony Dallago Interview

FIGHTING ILLINI WRESTLING

#15 Illini Travel to Purdue, Host #9 Northwestern

Sunday's dual against Northwestern will serve as Illinois' Senior Day

#15 Illinois at Purdue

Friday, Feb. 7 //  6PM  //  West Lafayette, Ind.

#15 Illinois vs. #9 Northwestern

Sunday, Feb. 9 //  2 PM //  Champaign, Ill.

Illinois Probable Wrestlers

125 3/3 Jesse Delgado, 16-2, Jr.

133 9/11 Zane Richards, 15-2, r-Fr.

141 9/8 Steven Rodrigues, 7-2, r-So.

OR -/- John Fahy, 10-8, r-Fr.

149 17/- Caleb Ervin, 3-5, r-So.

157 15/13 Zac Brunson, 17-6, r-Fr.

165 10/13 Jackson Morse, 17-3, r-Jr.

174 -/- Tony Dallago, 14-6, r-Sr.

184 -/- Nikko Reyes, 13-8, r-Fr.

197 7/7 Mario Gonzalez, 8-0, r-Sr.

OR -/- Jeff Koepke, 7-8, r-So.

HWT -/- Chris Lopez, 10-12, r-So.

Rankings are listed in W.I.N., Intermat

Quick Hits

• Friday’s meeting between the Illini and the Boilermakers is the 81st in series history, with Illinois leading 51-27-2. The Illini have won 13 of the last 14 matchups against Purdue, including the most recent meeting, a 29-10 victory in Champaign on Jan. 11, 2013.
• Illinois has faced in-state rival Northwestern 77 times since 1922 and leads the series 43-32-2. The Illini have won four of the last five matchups, including a 24-10 victory in Evanston on Feb. 10, 2013.
• Redshirt-freshman Zane Richards is currently riding a five-match win streak and is ranked a career-high No. 9 by W.I.N. Magazine. In his first season as the 133-pound starter, Richards has tallied the third-most dual points on the team and holds a 15-2 record.
• Tony Dallago (174) recorded his 37th career pin in Illinois’ 29-6 victory over Michigan State. He is now tied with B.J. Futrell as Illinois’ all-time leader in the category. The redshirt-senior also leads the team in pins this season with five.

SENIOR DAY SUNDAY

Sunday’s dual against Northwestern will also serve as Illinois’ Senior Day. Seniors Adam Acheson, Tony Dallago, Mario Gonzalez and Brendan Mahaney will be honored prior to the dual. A special-edition poster featuring the four seniors will be available to fans free of charge.

-FightingIllini.com-