SIGN OF THINGS TO COME?
Illinois, ISU ready for NCAAs after strong Midlands
EVANSTON, Ill. -- Before the 2003-04 season even began, Illinois wrestling coach Mark Johnson said it was time for his Illini to join the sport"s elite at this year"s NCAA tournament.
"We"ve been knocking on the door for some time now in hopes of winning an NCAA team championships," Johnson said in October.
Now it appears that the Illini could be a contender at March"s NCAA party in St. Louis after Johnson"s crew captured its first-ever Midlands team championship.
"This isn"t the national tournament but this is a step to being one of the elite teams," Johnson said after his Illini scored 107.5 points to edge Iowa State by 5.5 points for the Midlands 41st title. "It"s not the end of the year but it is a good accomplishment for us.
"There are a lot of our kids who believe they can win. We"ve set goals for our teams and we"re starting to accomplish them. We talked about competing hard and we did that. We finished strong."
Depth appears to be the Illini"s biggest improvement this season as seven of his wrestlers placed among the top eight individuals at their weight. Ironically, injuries did not allow Illinois to enter anyone at 125 and 197.
"It takes balance," said Johnson on the necessities to win an NCAA championship. "We"ve had some high-end kids in the past. (At the NCAAs) In Iowa City a couple years (2001) ago, we had two champs, a second and a third and we ended up fifth (as a team). Any other year we would have been second, third or fourth.
"So not only does it take high firepower " we"ve won individual championships " but we need balance. We need kids to come back through the wrestle-offs and we did that in this tournament."
Illinois featured two in the Midlands finals with Alex Tirapelle at 157 pounds and Mark Jayne at 133.
Tirapelle, a national runner-up last season and currently ranked No. 1, showed some fortitude in defeating former U.S. World team member Steve Bono, an Iowa State assistant representing the Sunkist Kids Wrestling Club, 2-1. The Illini sophomore rode Bono the entire second overtime and gained the win by holding off a takedown attempt by Bono after earning an escape in third overtime.
"(Riding Bono) was part of the plan going into the match," Tirapelle said. "I wanted to ride him tough. That was supposed to be his weakest point even though he wasn"t very weak there."
"Tirapelle gets the most out of himself almost every time," said Johnson, who also coached his brother, Adam, to a national championship and signed the younger Tirapelle (Troy) in November to a national letter of intent. "He"s a very smart wrestler. He is from a wrestling family that knows how to win."
Tirapelle also said the Midlands tournament was a good indicator to how the Illini might fair in March.
"It"s a long grind just like the NCAA tournament," he said. "You have to be able to compete every time you step on the mat because every guy is good. There is no one you are going to breeze past."
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