2015 NCAA Wrestling Championships: Isaiah Martinez advances to semifinals

Illinois redshirt freshman Isaiah Martinez will continue his run to perfection during Friday night's semifinals.

Martinez earned a 10-4 victory over Nick Brascetta (Virginia Tech) in the quarterfinals. He controlled the entire match with with well over a minute of riding time and several quick takedowns.

He will wrestle No. 3 James Green (Nebraska), who he beat in their previous meeting this season, 2-0. The margin of victory was the closest this season for Martinez.

The No. 9 seed Jackson Morse fell 18-6 to No. 1 seed and 2014 157-pound national champion Alex Dieringer, who controlled the match from the start. Morse will wrestle Mike England (Missouri) with All-American accolades up for grabs. Morse beat England, 4-3, at the NWCA National Duals.

The No. 11 seed Zac Brunson capped the third session with a 2-0 mark, advancing to the evening session where he will wrestle for All-America honors. Brunson opened with a 6-2 decision over Jadaen Bernstein (Navy) and was handed a win after No. 4 John Eblen (Missouri) was disqualified for unsportsmanlike conduct when he slammed Brunson to the mat. Brunson will face top-seeded Robert Kokesh (Nebraska) for All-American accolades. Kokesh beat Brunson beat Brunson, 5-3, in dual season.

After three sessions, the Illini are tied for 10th with Michigan at 26.5 points. Martinez, Morse and Brunson will return to action at 7 p.m. Martinez's match will be televised on ESPN.

Three-time All-American and two-time national champion Jesse Delgado suffered a knee injury that forced him to default to Nike Hermann (Virginia). Delgado was attempting to become the Illini's first-ever three-time national champion and four-time All-American.

No. 5 Zane Richards (133), Steven Rodrigues (141), Kyle Langenderfer (149), Nikko Reyes (184) and Brooks Black (HWT) were all eliminated with losses in the opening consolation round. Richards fell to Eric Montoya (Nebraska), 10-1, Rodrigues dropped a 12-3 match to to No. 12 Joseph Ward (North Carolina), Langenderfer was pinned by Cody Rugglirello (Hofstra), Reyes fell to No. 3 Blake Stauffer (Arizona State), 4-2, and Black battled back before falling to No. 9 Michael Kroells (Minnesota), 5-1.

Follow The Champaign Room on Twitter at @Champaign_Room and Like us on Facebook. You can follow Brandon Cain on Twitter at @BrandonMCain