Wildcats Continue Conference Action at Illinois

EVANSTON, Ill. – No. 21 Northwestern is set to travel downstate to Huff Hall to take on Illinois University on Sunday at 1 p.m. CT.

The Wildcats are up against another Big Ten opponent after challenging the University of Michigan last Friday. The dual featured particularly powerful performances from Shayne Oster and Tyler Morland, as they won by major decision without a single point scored against them.

In total, the Wildcats won five-consecutive bouts from 157 to 197 against the Fighting Illini. No. 1 Ryan Deakin started off the wins with a 4-1 decision. No. 21 Shayne Oster and Tyler Morland followed with back-to-back 14-0 major decision wins. Jack Jessen and No. 9 Lucas Davison were the final wins for Northwestern on the night with a 7-6 and a 4-1 decision, respectively.

When Northwestern faced Illinois last year, the Wildcats dominated the then-No.24 ranked Fighting Illini at Welsh-Ryan Arena, 25-12. The Fighting Illini are currently 5-3 with notable wins over No. 23 Michigan and Indiana this season.

Quick Notes:

No. 1 Ryan Deakin continued to dominate the competition with a decision win over No. 9 Will Lewan. This marks his fourth win over a top-10 opponent, pushing him to a perfect 12-0 record on the season.
Deakin's win streak over Top-10 opponents at 157 lbs dates back to the CKLV, where he defeated then-No. 2 ranked David Carr from Iowa State in the CKLV Semis and then No. 1-ranked Hayden Hidlay in the CKLV finals.
Of his seven dual victories this season, four have come by major decision, one by fall and two by decision.
Redshirt first-year, No. 9 Lucas Davison got his fourth-straight win in the Michigan dual to improve to 4-0 in Big Ten action. The Chesterton, Indiana native continued his streak with a 4-1 decision over #31 Jackson Striggow. He remains undefeated in duals this season with a 7-0 record.

Potential Bouts to Watch:

157 - No .1 Ryan Deakin vs Eric Barone
- Third would be the third-ever meeting between the two grappler, with Deakin 3-0 against Barone. Last season, Deakin defeated Barone by a 6-1 decision. In 2018, he earned a 13-0 major decision over Barone.
165 -No. 21 Shayne Oster vs. No. 15 Danny Braunagel
- This would be the second match between Oster and Braunagel, with Braunagel defeating Oster in a 10-6 decision earlier this season at Midlands.
184 -Jack Jessen vs No. 13 Zac Braunagel
- Last week, Jessen defeated #11 Jelani Embree (Michigan) in a 7-6 decision upset. He is now

*All team rankings come from the NWCA Coaches' Poll as of Jan. 27
*All individual rankings come from Track Wrestling as of Jan. 27

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