In the biggest of situations, Northwestern turned to its biggest man.
Heavyweight Dustin Fox stepped into the hero role for the No. 16 Wildcats in its 19-16 upset of No. 3 Illinois by pulling an escape late in the second tiebreaker period to earn a thrilling 2-1 decision in the day’s final match. Fox, an eighth-ranked sophomore, sent the Cats into a jubilant frenzy with his victory over junior Matt Weight.
NU improved to 8-4 overall and 3-2 in the Big Ten with its upset of Illinois (3-2, 8-2) in front of a large, boisterous crowd that packed the gym at Rolling Hills High School in Rolling Hills, Ill., on Sunday.
“That was a big win for us,” coach Tim Cysewski said. “We knew it would be a tough match. But it just shows you anyone can beat anyone on any given day.”
Even though NU’s biggest wrestler stole the show at the end, it was perhaps the squad’s smallest guy who made the most substantial impact.
In a shocking turn of events, eighth-ranked senior John Velez got the Cats off to a fast start by pinning third-ranked senior Kyle Ott late in their match at 125 pounds. Velez beat Ott 5-3 last season, but had difficulty getting anything going against his opponent early in their rematch. However, things changed with in the third period with the score tied at one when Ott took a shot at Velez’s legs. Employing his lightning-quick reflexes, Velez avoided the shot, then reversed it, grabbing Ott and flipping him onto his back before pinning him for a 6-0 NU lead.
“Every wrestler has a couple tricks up his sleeve,” Velez said. “If the guy tries to come in on my legs, I like to throw a little magic his way. The move is funky, but it works well for me.”
Illinois was unfazed by Velez’s monumental victory and took four of the next five weight classes to grab a 13-9 lead. Only sixth-ranked sophomore Ryan Lang’s tough 2-1 decision over Illinois junior Cassio Pero at 141 pounds interrupted the streak.
The Cats didn’t panic after losing the lead and came back on the shoulders of 174-pound sophomore Jake Herbert. The second-ranked All-American earned the major decision NU needed with a 15-6 victory against 16th-ranked junior Donny Reynolds.
With the momentum shifted back to NU, 11th-ranked sophomore Mike Tamillow took the mat at 184 pounds. Coming off a demoralizing loss on Friday against Ohio State junior Alex Picazo and facing Illinois’ fourth-ranked senior Pete Friedl, Tamillow was faced with an arduous task.
After falling behind 4-3 with just 45 seconds left on a Friedl takedown, Tamillow picked up a key escape to tie the match. Once riding time was factored in, Tamillow was awarded the 5-4 decision to put NU ahead, 16-13.
“You have to give Mike credit, he’s a competitor,” Cysewski said. “It was a situation where you say the past is in the past. He put Friday out of his mind, went out there and beat a better wrestler.”
After NU’s 12th-ranked senior Matt Delguyd fell to ninth-ranked senior Tyrone Byrd at 197 pounds, tying the dual at 16, the pressure was on Fox to snap NU’s ten-match losing streak against Illinois.
“I was kind of happy because (being in the deciding match) puts the spotlight on you,” Fox said. “It’s what you wrestle for and why you train hard.”
From the beginning, the heavyweight battle was hotly contested, with neither wrestler able to land any shots. After each notched an escape in regulation, the match went into overtime in a 1-1 tie. Finally, in the second extra period, with the crowd screaming words of encouragement, Fox started down and broke away from Weight to cap the rousing upset.
“That Foxy is a stud,” Velez said. “I looked into his eyes and could tell it was his situation. He loves it; he loves the pressure. He’s a big guy and he’s got a big heart. It was great having him to bring us home.”
Reach Andrew Simon at [email protected].
