Chambana Sun

The Fighting Illini wrestling team participated in the first day of the Big Ten Championships at Welsh-Ryan Arena in Evanston, Illinois. Two of their wrestlers, Lucas Byrd and Kannon Webster, advanced to the finals in their respective weight classes.

Kannon Webster reached the final after a significant victory over Shayne Van Ness from Penn State. "He's the first Illinois redshirt freshman to wrestle in the finals since Mike Carr in 2018," noted the release. Before this match, Webster defeated Clayton Jones of Michigan State and Dylan D'Emilio of Ohio State.

Lucas Byrd also secured his spot in a title bout by winning against Zan Fugitt from Wisconsin and Braxton Brown from Maryland. This marks his first appearance in a Big Ten Championship title match.

Four other Illinois wrestlers competed in semifinal matches: Braeden Scoles, Danny Braunagel, Edmond Ruth, and Zac Braunagel. Each wrestler showed strong performances but did not advance past their semifinal bouts.

Scoles managed an upset over Chris Minto of Nebraska before losing to Mike Caliendo of Iowa. Danny Braunagel had a close match against Lenny Pinto from Nebraska but ultimately lost after an initial call was overturned upon review.

Edmond Ruth started with victories over Jon Halvorsen from Northwestern and Silas Allred from Nebraska before being defeated by Max McEnelly of Minnesota. Zac Braunagel began with a shutout win over Chase Mielnik of Maryland but fell short against Stephen Buchanan from Iowa.

These six Illini wrestlers have qualified for the NCAA Championships along with Luke Luffman who qualified through consolation rounds. Caelan Riley and Jason Kraisser are competing for remaining spots.

The current team standings place Penn State at the top followed by Nebraska and Iowa. Illinois is currently fifth overall.

The tournament will continue on March 9th with further sessions available for viewing on B1G+ and BTN platforms.