The University of Illinois wrestling team, ranked No. 10 nationally, secured victories over No. 18 Cornell and No. 20 Lehigh at the 2025 Journeymen Collegiate Wrestling Duals in Nashville, Tennessee on Sunday.
Against Cornell, Illinois started strong with Spencer Moore winning at 125 pounds and Lucas Byrd earning a decision at 133 pounds to take an early lead. Cornell responded by taking the next three matches before Braeden Scoles and Colin Kelly helped Illinois regain momentum. The dual was tied after eight bouts, but Dylan Connell and Luke Luffman won their matches to secure a final score of 21-14 for Illinois.
In the matchup with Lehigh, Illinois won seven out of ten bouts. Byrd claimed his second win of the day while Danny Pucino and Will Baysingar added victories in their respective weight classes. Kannon Webster’s technical fall widened the gap before Scoles notched an upset over a higher-ranked opponent at 165 pounds. Kelly continued his success with another win, helping push Illinois past 20 points in the dual. Despite an injury default loss for Luffman in the heavyweight bout, Illinois finished ahead with a score of 24-12.
Illinois concludes its nonconference schedule with a record of seven wins and two losses this season.
The team will compete next at the Midlands Championships scheduled for December 29-30 in Evanston, Illinois.
