The NCAA released the 2016 NCAA Wrestling Championships brackets this evening ahead of next week’s competition at Madison Square Garden, March 17-19. Across the ten weight classes, the Illini are featured in six of them, led by the top seed at 157-pound, and defending national champion, Isaiah Martinez. Zane Richards (#3), Zac Brunson (#5) and Steven Rodrigues (#6) all garnered a top-six seed in their respective weight class.
Isaiah Martinez leads the 157-pound field as he looks to defend his 157-pound national title. Last weekend Isaiah Martinez won his second Big Ten title in as many years when he took down then #1 Jason Nolf (Penn State) in the title bout. The 4-3 double-overtime victory avenged a January 23 pin against the Nittany Lion that snapped the Illini grapplers’ 54-match winning streak. Of his 27 victories, 21 have come by technical fall or greater and has a 62-1 overall record in college.
At 133 pounds, Zane Richards will mark his path through the bracket from the third seed line. After going 23-0 before dropping the hard-fought Big Ten title match to Cory Clark (Iowa), #3 Zane Richards will seek another shot a championship next week in New York. With a team-best seven victories over top-15 opponents, the Carbondale, Illinois junior has proven he can compete and win against the nation’s best grapplers. He was second on the team in dual points scored (71) and tied for second in pins (5). Richards will be making his third trip to NCAA Championships, not placing in either of his first two appearances.
Zac Brunson is the third Illini seeded in the top-six, coming in at number five at 174-pounds. A red-shirt junior, Brunson placed runner-up to #1 Bo Nickal of Penn State at Big Ten Championships two weeks ago. Brunson began the season with 13 straight wins, including a Reno Tournament title, but missed the first half of Big Ten play due to injury. Sine returning, Brunson has lost just three times, two of which came against Nicakl. With his pin of #6 Alex Meyer in the 174-pound semifinals at Big Ten Championships, Brunson moves into a five-way tie for 9th on Illinois’ single season pins list and the most since B.J. Futrell racked up 13 in 2011-2012.
Concluding the four seeded Illini is Steven Rodrigues, who enters his last national championships as the sixth seed at 165-pounds. Not only is the seed the best of his career, but the NCAA Championships will be a homecoming of sorts for the red-shirt senior who is originally from Mount Kisco, an hour north of Madison Square Garden. Since transferring to Illinois from Rutgers after his freshman year, Rodrigues has compiled 83 wins as an Illini. This season, the senior made the jump up from 141-pounds to 165-pounds. Rodrigues has shined in the new role, winning 24 matches, the most since his first year at Illinois when he primarily wrestled outside of team competition. This year he has eight wins over Big Ten foes, the most in his career, and three wins over ranked opponents.
The Illini representative at heavyweight for the second straight year is sophomore Brooks Black. The grappler saved his best wrestling for Big Ten Championships this past weekend, placing fifth. Entering the weekend, Black lacked a win over a ranked opponent this season. All of that changed at Big Ten Championships when the Dover, Pennsylvania native racked up three victories over top-20 foes. After dropping his quarterfinal match to #1 Kyle Snyder of Ohio State, Black responded with wins over #17 Nick Nevills (Penn State), #7 Sam Stoll (Iowa) and #19 Colin Jensen. The fifth-place finish was two spots higher than his seventh seed and three spots better than his eighth-place finish at last season’s Big Ten Championships.
Rounding out the Illini grapplers in the field is senior Jeff Koepke at 184-pounds. Like Black, Koepke exceeded his seventh-seed at Big Ten Championships this past weekend, placing sixth at the meet with key wins over Chris Pfarr (Minnesota) and Kenny Courts (Ohio State). The senior is 21-8, his next win setting a career-high. Koepke will be making his second NCAA Championships appearance and owns victories over ranked grapplers Abram Ayala (Princeton) and Matt McCutcheon (Penn State).
The Fighting Illini went 13-5 during the regular season and were continually ranked amongst the top-15 in dual rankings and top-10 in tournament power indexes. The team has combined for 26 individual victories over ranked opponents, including nine against individuals ranked higher than the Illini grappler at the time of the match. The Orange & Blue wrapped up conference play with a seventh-place finish at Big Ten Championships, placing six individuals on the podium. The six Illini will look to make it four straight seasons of Illinois winning an individual NCAA title, dating back to Jesse Delgado in 2012-13.
Isaiah Martinez leads the 157-pound field as he looks to defend his 157-pound national title. Last weekend Isaiah Martinez won his second Big Ten title in as many years when he took down then #1 Jason Nolf (Penn State) in the title bout. The 4-3 double-overtime victory avenged a January 23 pin against the Nittany Lion that snapped the Illini grapplers’ 54-match winning streak. Of his 27 victories, 21 have come by technical fall or greater and has a 62-1 overall record in college.
At 133 pounds, Zane Richards will mark his path through the bracket from the third seed line. After going 23-0 before dropping the hard-fought Big Ten title match to Cory Clark (Iowa), #3 Zane Richards will seek another shot a championship next week in New York. With a team-best seven victories over top-15 opponents, the Carbondale, Illinois junior has proven he can compete and win against the nation’s best grapplers. He was second on the team in dual points scored (71) and tied for second in pins (5). Richards will be making his third trip to NCAA Championships, not placing in either of his first two appearances.
Zac Brunson is the third Illini seeded in the top-six, coming in at number five at 174-pounds. A red-shirt junior, Brunson placed runner-up to #1 Bo Nickal of Penn State at Big Ten Championships two weeks ago. Brunson began the season with 13 straight wins, including a Reno Tournament title, but missed the first half of Big Ten play due to injury. Sine returning, Brunson has lost just three times, two of which came against Nicakl. With his pin of #6 Alex Meyer in the 174-pound semifinals at Big Ten Championships, Brunson moves into a five-way tie for 9th on Illinois’ single season pins list and the most since B.J. Futrell racked up 13 in 2011-2012.
Concluding the four seeded Illini is Steven Rodrigues, who enters his last national championships as the sixth seed at 165-pounds. Not only is the seed the best of his career, but the NCAA Championships will be a homecoming of sorts for the red-shirt senior who is originally from Mount Kisco, an hour north of Madison Square Garden. Since transferring to Illinois from Rutgers after his freshman year, Rodrigues has compiled 83 wins as an Illini. This season, the senior made the jump up from 141-pounds to 165-pounds. Rodrigues has shined in the new role, winning 24 matches, the most since his first year at Illinois when he primarily wrestled outside of team competition. This year he has eight wins over Big Ten foes, the most in his career, and three wins over ranked opponents.
The Illini representative at heavyweight for the second straight year is sophomore Brooks Black. The grappler saved his best wrestling for Big Ten Championships this past weekend, placing fifth. Entering the weekend, Black lacked a win over a ranked opponent this season. All of that changed at Big Ten Championships when the Dover, Pennsylvania native racked up three victories over top-20 foes. After dropping his quarterfinal match to #1 Kyle Snyder of Ohio State, Black responded with wins over #17 Nick Nevills (Penn State), #7 Sam Stoll (Iowa) and #19 Colin Jensen. The fifth-place finish was two spots higher than his seventh seed and three spots better than his eighth-place finish at last season’s Big Ten Championships.
Rounding out the Illini grapplers in the field is senior Jeff Koepke at 184-pounds. Like Black, Koepke exceeded his seventh-seed at Big Ten Championships this past weekend, placing sixth at the meet with key wins over Chris Pfarr (Minnesota) and Kenny Courts (Ohio State). The senior is 21-8, his next win setting a career-high. Koepke will be making his second NCAA Championships appearance and owns victories over ranked grapplers Abram Ayala (Princeton) and Matt McCutcheon (Penn State).
The Fighting Illini went 13-5 during the regular season and were continually ranked amongst the top-15 in dual rankings and top-10 in tournament power indexes. The team has combined for 26 individual victories over ranked opponents, including nine against individuals ranked higher than the Illini grappler at the time of the match. The Orange & Blue wrapped up conference play with a seventh-place finish at Big Ten Championships, placing six individuals on the podium. The six Illini will look to make it four straight seasons of Illinois winning an individual NCAA title, dating back to Jesse Delgado in 2012-13.
