Chambana Sun

The Illinois wrestling team secured a narrow victory over Purdue, winning 19-18 in a dual match held on February 16 in West Lafayette, Indiana. The match was highlighted by the performance of redshirt freshman Peter Marinopoulos, who clinched the win for Illinois with an 8-6 decision over Purdue's Hayden Filipovich.

Head coach Mike Poeta praised his team's effort and determination. "I thought our guys fought hard and showed a lot of grit out there on the mat tonight," Poeta stated. He specifically commended Marinopoulos, saying, "No one did this better tonight than Peter Marinopoulos."

The match began with graduate student Tony Madrigal putting points on the board for Illinois after defeating Dustin Norris of Purdue. Redshirt sophomore Danny Pucino followed up with a pin against Christian White, giving Illinois an early lead.

Edmond Ruth, ranked No. 8 at 174 lbs., contributed to Illinois' score with a major decision over Brody Baumann. Dylan Connell then reclaimed the lead for Illinois with his win against James Rowley.

Purdue responded when Ben Vanadia won against Isiah Pettigrew, setting up the decisive final bout between Marinopoulos and Filipovich. Despite being under pressure, Marinopoulos managed to secure the victory in the closing moments of the match.

This victory marks Illinois' first Big Ten dual win in over a year and ends their eight-match losing streak this season. The event was attended by 477 spectators.

Illinois will next compete at the Big Ten Championships scheduled for March 9-10 in College Park, Maryland.