NEW YORK — Illinois wrestling sent a quartet of athletes to the NCAA Championships quarterfinals Thursday following two rounds of matches.
Top-ranked 157-pounder Isaiah Martinez was among the four Illini to move on to the round of eight in his weight class. Martinez first won by technical fall over North Carolina’s Robert Henderson before upending Columbia’s Markus Scheidel by major decision.
Zane Richards, rated third at 133 pounds, defeated Oregon State’s Joey Palmer and Maryland’s Geoffrey Alexander, the latter of whom is ranked 14th in the nation, to earn a quarterfinal bid.
Sixth-ranked 165-pounder Steven Rodrigues picked up victories against Cornell’s George Pickett and Penn State’s Geno Morelli to move on.