Final push

Back at 184 pounds after two seasons at 174, senior John Dergo is wrestling the way the Illinois coaches always hoped he would. He is 20-2 and ranked second in the nation. "Dergo is leading by example," Heffernan said. "He's wrestling like we've seen him in practice for a lot of years. He's now doing that in the match. That's a positive thing. He's wrestling full speed all of the time." Dergo is enjoying the success. "It all started bumping back up to 184," Dergo said. "I feel good up there. I feel solid. I feel like I've got a lot of energy out on the mat. I'm training hard, and it's paying off right now." Dergo saw it coming together when he lost to Missouri star Max Askren in an early match. "I was winning most of the match and he's one of the top guys," Dergo said. "I knew this could be a good season."

Missing pieces

The Illini will go the rest of the season without 125-pounder B.J. Futrell, who had shoulder surgery last week. "The good news is that we have B.J. for three more years, and he will be able to redshirt medically," Heffernan said. "The bad news is that he was a guy we were hoping to be a mainstay in our lineup the next three years. It sounds like the surgery went well. I think he'll handle it well." The Illini are also without 141-pounder Jimmy Kennedy, who is redshirting this season.

Key class

To compete at a high level in the Big Ten, the Illini need to have major contributions from the junior class. The team's 141-pounder, Ryan Prater, is nationally ranked. It seems like Prater just arrived on campus after a standout career at Plainfield Central. "Personally, I'm not really where I want to be right now," Prater said. "I feel like I'm on pace. The strength of schedule that we wrestle, I'll definitely be ready by the end of the season." Prater is excited to compete against the other Big Ten teams. The Illini have four consecutive road matches before returning home for four. "The Big Ten is the most important part of the season," Prater said. "That's where you get your seedings for the NCAAs."