Illini Wrestlers Fall to Iowa in Top 10 Showdown

(From Illinois Sports Information Office)

January 17, 2025

IOWA CITY, Iowa – The No. 10 Illinois (7-2, 2-2 B1G) wrestling team lost their dual to No. 2 Iowa (8-0, 2-0 B1G) on Friday (Jan. 17) from Carver-Hawkeye Arena.

No. 11 at 285 pounds Luke Luffman picked up a top-15 win over No. 12 Ben Kueter (IOWA) via decision 3-1. Luffman's pivotal moment came in the second period where he started the period on the bottom and secured a two-point reversal on Kueter 30 seconds into the period. He went on to accumulate riding time the rest of the period which gave him the 3-1 win after some stellar defense in the third period.

No. 12 at 141 pounds Danny Pucino also earned a ranked win over No. 30 Ryder Block (IOWA) in a 4-3 decision. Pucino entered the third period trailing by one but wasted no time tying it up in 14 seconds getting his escape. Around the halfway mark of the third period, he got in on a single leg to get the eventual winning takedown.

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