ILLINOIS • There were several placewinners through the USA Wrestling sanctioned qualifying tournaments for the National Championships in Fargo, North Dakota, come July. And, in looking at the placewinners in not only the Team Illinois State Championships, a fair portion of wrestlers traveled and continued to compete and find ways to challenge themselves and qualify for […] More

AURORA • In the marathon of wrestling that was this past Saturday’s Freestyle State Championships, Team Illinois was able to wrestle itself through all the Junior division pools, crossovers, and final places in one day, but the 16U would have to comeback on Sunday to secure its national qualifiers. Once this was completed, Team Illinois, at […] More

AURORA • Team Illinois ran its annual Freestyle State Championships this past Saturday, and aside from the Fargo qualifiers in the 16U and Junior divisions, several future Team Illinois wrestlers were able to compete in the 8U, 10U, 12U, and 14U divisions.  Aside from the competitive nature of the kids who wrestled, there were a number […] More

BLOOMINGTON • On Wednesday, March 8, 2023, at 10:00 a.m., the IHSA Wrestling Advisory Committee held a meeting to discuss, approve, and hold a general discussion period that included recommendations for the 2023-24 wrestling season. The Advisory Committee’s recommendations have always been ways to help the sport of wrestling grow in Illinois, and the current recommendations […] More

LAS VEGAS, NV • Ben Davino is arguably the best pound-for-pound wrestler in Illinois, and after claiming the 60 kg U17 World Team Trials championship in a best two-of-three series over Jax Forrest, last’s years U17 World silver medalist at 55 kg, Davino has now proven he is the best wrestler in the land. But, for […] More

LAS VEGAS, NV • Coming in as perhaps the most underappreciated, or maybe just the most unassuming number-one seed at the US Open, Zane Richards, who was a US National Team member last year, proved all the naysayers wrong by accomplishing his only goal on the weekend: winning the 57 kg bracket.  Unfortunately, for Richards, whose […] More

DOWNERS GROVE • Sixteen clubs from three states will battle it out at Downers Grove South this Sunday, April 23, for the annual Club Cup.  All wrestling will be held in the DGS Field House with wrestling beginning at 9:30 a.m. There will be eight mats that cover five full rounds. All competitions will be in […] More

ILLINOIS • The IHSA “Success Factor” has elevated another very talented program into the 3A wrestling realm. However, what the IHSA’s “Success Factor,” and even the “Multiplier,” fail to take into consideration is the impact such a move will have on an already top-heavy classification, as well as the classifications those teams leave. These guidelines, in […] More

ILLINOIS • Since the IHSA State Championships have concluded, and enough time has passed to put away the emotions, while the hard numbers are now definitive, it is time to look at how each Individual Sectional fared at the championships, as well as the public school versus private school debate. More importantly, how the best teams […] More

TULSA, OKLAHOMA • Eleven wrestlers with Illinois ties brought home All-American honors, and one of those young men was a national champion. Illinois came into the tournament with the second largest contingent of national qualifiers, second only to Pennsylvania. Those thirty-four Illinoisians, combined with qualifiers from the four Division I programs located in Illinois, gave the […] More

TULSA, OKLAHOMA • After going 13-0 and winning a national championship at 149 pounds in 2021, Austin O’Connor (Chicago St. Rita) would jump up a weight class and have some setbacks that removed the once mighty king from his throne. Saturday night in Tulsa, the king recrowned himself after claiming his second title in three years, […] More