Chambana Sun

The Illinois wrestling team, ranked 12th nationally, is set to compete in the National Duals Invitational in Tulsa, Oklahoma. The event will be held at the BOK Center on November 15-16 and is sponsored by Paycom.

Illinois will face No. 25 Little Rock in its opening round at 9 a.m. Central Time. This marks the first meeting between the two programs. Little Rock enters the tournament with victories over Carl Albert State and Central Oklahoma earlier this month, while Illinois secured a win against Rider on November 8. Should Illinois advance, it will next wrestle either No. 17 Missouri or No. 4 Iowa later that day.

According to InterMat rankings, both teams are among the top NCAA Division I programs participating in this year's event.

"The premiere 16-team event will feature some of the top NCAA Division I teams, with a total purse of more than $1 million up for grabs," organizers stated. "The top eight teams will earn payouts, with the winning squad walking away with $200,000. The second- and third-place teams will earn $150,000, while fourth place will earn $75,000. Fifth- through eighth-place payouts will be, respectively: $50,000, $40,000, $25,000 and $20,000. All participating teams will receive $20,000 for attending."

In addition to traditional competition prizes, this year’s tournament includes an incentive program aimed at encouraging aggressive starts and intensity from all teams during opening matches. Organizers explained: "They are also adding another twist to its opening day with $50,000 of team takedown bonuses designed to reward aggressive starts and teamwide intensity. Teams will compete for five separate $10,000 bonuses, awarded during each first-day session to the squad with the fastest average takedown time. Each team's five fastest takedowns, recorded by five different wrestlers, will be averaged to determine each session's winner. Takedown times will only be measured from the beginning of the first period."

The National Duals Invitational is hosted by Oklahoma State and features 16 leading college wrestling programs competing for significant monetary awards.