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Link: http://www.fightingillini.com/sports/m-wrestl/spec-rel/012413aac.html
FIGHTING ILLINI WRESTLING
#6 Illini Host Indiana Sunday for Great Escape
Orange and Blue hold a three match all-time advantage over Hoosiers
Quick Hits
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The Fighting Illini are coming off a tough weekend, dropping tight duals to No. 14 Nebraska and No. 4 Minnesota. The squad showed improvements in different weight classes, including huge wins from Daryl Thomas (133) and Caleb Ervin (149). Thomas went 2-0 over the weekend, defeating Shawn Nagel of Nebraska and No. 6 Chris Dardanes of Minnesota while Ervin major decisioned 2012 NCAA runner-up Dylan Ness (No. 7) of Minnesota.
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Sophomore Jesse Delgado returns as the starter at 125 after having a standout 2011-12 season. The Gilroy, Calif., native has begun the conference play undefeated, moving past opponents from Nebraska and Minnesota. He also advanced to the finals of the 2012 Midlands Championships and placed second, a career-best finish.
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Senior Conrad Polz is off to a great final season, with a overall record of 11-3 and stayed undefeated in Big Ten play. Polz is currently riding his second best start in conference duals, after the junior started the season last year winning his first six matches.
Sunday, Jan. 27 // Huff Hall // 1 PM // Champaign, Ill.
SundayÂ’s meeting between the two schools will be the 80th in the all-time series. Illinois holds the three-match advantage, 41-38-1. The Illini defeated the Hoosiers last season 29-10.
As they have all season, Illinois fans will receive free admission and the first 800 people through the Huff Hall doors will receive free pizza. Fans will also be able to win menÂ’s basketball tickets for an upcoming conference game. A pair will be raffled off for students while another to the general public. Sunday will serve as Civil Service night. Members from the Champaign, Urbana and Savoy EMT, Fire and Police departments will attend the dual.
165: #7 Conrad Polz (ILL) vs. #17 Ryan LeBlanc (IND)
Polz will wrestle LeBlanc for the second time in their careers. The two met in 2011 where Polz won the 7-3 decision over the Hoosier. LeBlanc is currently ranked No. 17 by W.I.N. and currently holds a 16-5 record.
157: Matt Nora (ILL) vs. #12 Taylor Walsh (IND)
Nora will compete against No. 12 Walsh for the first time in his career. The redshirt-freshman is currently 8-4 on the season and 1-2 in the Big Ten. Walsh holds a 23-6 record for the Hoosiers and most recently defeated No. 16 Josh Demas of Ohio State.
All-Session reserved school block tickets for the 2013 Big Ten Wrestling Championships are on sale now. The Illini will host the championships in Assembly Hall on March 9-10. Fans have until Friday, Feb. 8 to place their reserved All-Session tickets within their school block. For more information on tickets, contact the Illinois Ticket Office at 1-866-Illini-1.