Wrestling

Jim Heffernan was named Illinois wrestling head coach Tuesday afternoon. As an assistant at Illinois, Heffernan won the National Wrestling Coaches Association Assistant Coach of the Year in 1995 and 2001 and also won the AFLAC Assistant Coach of the Year in 2003.

The winningest coach in Illinois wrestling history has retired after 17 years at the helm.

When he arrived at the team's hotel in St. Louis on Tuesday for the NCAA Championships, senior heavyweight John Wise did not share the same excitement of his teammates and opponents. "It's scary to go back, to tell you the truth," Wise said. The team's hotel is located mere blocks from an intersection that nearly took the life of his father. The day before Wise's first match at last year's NCAA Championships, the car carrying Wise's father, Joe, and younger brother, Jamie, was struck by an oncoming truck. Jamie escaped without any major injuries, but Joe was immediately hospitalized after sustaining 13 broken ribs, a fractured pelvis, and a serious brain injury.

Eight of the Illini's 10 starting grapplers are headed to the Palace at Auburn Hills in Auburn Hills, Mich., today to compete in the NCAA Championships.

The eight qualified for the event after placing at least seventh place or better in their individual weight classes at the Big Ten Championships two weeks ago.

In the U.S. miracle against the Soviet Union in the 1980 Winter Olympics, forward Mark Johnson scored game-tying goals in the first and third periods in an eventual 4-2 U.S. win.

Five months later, a different American with the same name qualified for the U.

Senior Matt Winterhalter stepped into the Huff Hall ring for the last time in his career Sunday afternoon knowing he needed to score at least a major decision to earn the Illini's seventh Big Ten dual victory.

Winterhalter's match was the final and decisive match of the dual between the No.

The ninth-ranked Illini wrestlers won dual matches against Purdue and No. 7 Wisconsin on their final road trip of the Big Ten season.

The wins came without top-ranked 157-pound Mike Poeta and 16th-ranked Troy Tirapelle (149). They both missed the weekend dual matches because of injuries.

The top-ranked Minnesota Gophers proved to be too much for the 11th-ranked Illini wrestlers Sunday at Huff Hall.

The grappling Gophers dominated the dual match from the start and won seven of the 10 matches for a 28-12 victory.

Minnesota's third-ranked Jayson Ness scored six quick team points when he pinned the Illini's sixth-ranked Gabe Flores in the opening match of the dual.

The 2005 Chicago Sun-Times and Chicago Tribune football player of the year awards were not won by Juice Williams. But they were awarded to an Illini.

John Dergo won the prestigious award as a senior at Morris High School, but he does not play football for Ron Zook - he wrestles and starts in the 184-pound weight class for head coach Mark Johnson and the 11th ranked Illini.

Before the season began, Illini wrestling head coach Mark Johnson said he doesn't put too much stock in Top 25 polls.

This weekend his Illini wrestlers showed why.

Friday night, the No. 16-ranked Illini defeated 8th ranked Northwestern 21-13 and less than 48 hours later toppled the 13th-ranked Indiana Hoosiers 22-9.