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 Land of Lincoln a combined forty-six wrestlers to cheer for this past weekend in Tulsa.
Austin O’Connor (Chicago St. Rita) was the only national champion crowned from the Prairie State—and he made sure to place the crown back on his head when he won what was his second title.
