CHAMPAIGN, IL – Three Broncs earned individual victories, but it wasn't enough as No. 12 Illinois topped the Rider wrestling team, 24-12, on Saturday night.

The dual opened at 285 lbs, where Steyn De Lange faced returning NCAA Qualifier and No. 8 Luke Luffman. Trailing 1-0 in the third period, De Lange nearly finished a deep single-leg, but Luffman's defense held strong. Luffman secured the lone takedown of the match via a merkle to take a 4-0 decision and give the Illini an early lead.

At 125 lbs, a top-25 showdown featured No. 26/24 Tyler Klinsky against No. 13/15 Spencer Moore. After a scoreless first period filled with scrambles, Moore escaped early in the second for a 1-0 advantage. Klinsky quickly countered with a takedown to take a 3-1 lead before Moore's escape made it 3-2 after two. Starting the third on bottom, Klinsky reversed Moore and later added a locked-hands point to go up 6-2. Moore escaped late, but Klinsky held on for the 6-3 upset over a top-15 opponent, tying the team score at 3-3.

At 133 lbs, Will Betancourt met reigning national champion and No. 1-ranked Lucas Byrd. Betancourt showed solid defense early but trailed 1-0 after two stall calls in the first period. Byrd controlled the second period with a full ride out and added an escape to start the third. With riding time secured, Byrd extended his lead to 3-0. Betancourt fired off a strong reattack late in the match, nearly finishing a takedown, but Byrd held on for the 3-0 decision.

At 141 lbs, No. 19/24 Elijah Griffin battled No. 16/15 and returning NCAA Qualifier Danny Pucino. After a scoreless first period, Griffin earned the escape in the second to take a 1-0 lead. Pucino started the third on bottom and used a late granby roll to reverse Griffin and add three near-fall points in the final seconds, securing a 5-1 victory.

Rider quickly responded at 149 lbs, where Dylan Layton took on Will Baysingar. After an early Baysingar takedown, Layton escaped and threw a headlock for a dramatic first-period fall, tying the dual at 9-9. However, a team point deduction for loss of mat control made it 9-8 at break.

Illinois then swept the next three bouts from 157 through 184 lbs to extend its lead to 24-9.

In the final match of the night, No. 19/22 Brock Zurawski closed strong at 197 lbs against Dylan Connell. Zurawski struck early with two takedowns and built a 7-3 lead after one. He continued to push the pace, earning a 13-5 major decision to cap the night for the Broncs.

Quotes and Notes
"I'm proud of our effort and fight tonight, but I feel like we let one get away.  We need to grow and learn from this experience as individuals and as a team.  Our guys need to see and embrace the opportunities in front of them moving forward." – Rider Head Coach John Hangey

- Illinois won seven of the 10 bouts in the dual.
- The Fighting Illini secured bonus points in matches at 157 and 165 lbs.
- This marked just the second all-time meeting between the programs, with Rider now 0-2 against Illinois.

Match Results 
125: No. 26/24 Tyler Klinsky (RID) over No. 13/15 Spencer Moore (ILL) (Dec 6-3)
133: No. 1/1 Lucas Byrd (ILL) over Will Betancourt (RID) (Dec 3-0)
141: No. 16/15 Danny Pucino (ILL) over No. 19/24) Elijah Griffin (RID) (Dec 5-1)
149: Dylan Layton (RID) over Will Baysingar (ILL) (Fall 2:43)
157: No. 8/10 Kannon Webster (ILL) over Liam Scrivanich (RID) (MD 9-1)
165: No. 9/8 Braeden Scoles (ILL) over No. 31/32 Brendon Abdon (RID) (TF 23-8 7:00)
174: Colin Kelly (ILL) over Enrique Munguia (RID) (Dec 4-2)
184: No. 25 Chris Moore (ILL) over JP Hangey (RID) (Dec 10-3)
197: No. 19/22 Brock Zurawski (RID) over Dylan Connell (ILL) (MD 13-5)
285: No. 7/8 Luke Luffman (ILL) over Steyn De Lange (RID) (Dec 4-0)
(RID -1 Team Point on Rider Coaches for Control of Mat -1.0)

*All rankings are according to FloWrestling / InterMat*

Up Next
The Broncs return to action on Nov. 16 when they host Michigan State for their home opener.