Welcome to the inaugural Northern Illinois Wrestling NIC-10 Awards! These awards aim to celebrate and acknowledge the outstanding performances by local wrestlers and teams in the 2023 season. You can learn more about our award selection criteria at the bottom of this post.
Now, here’s a look at this year’s Award Winners!
2023 Coach of the Year
Danny Martinez of Belvidere (Co-op)
Season Highlights – 3A Regional Team Champions, NIC-10 Conference Tournament Champions, 3-IHSA State Qualifiers, 2-IHSA State Place-winners, 1-IHSA State Finalist
2023 Wrestler of the Year (Boys)
Brayden Teunissen of Belvidere – IHSA State Runner-up
Weight Class – 106 lbs.
Win Percentage – 94%
Season Highlights – 2nd at IHSA State, Sectional Champion, Regional Champion, Conference Champion, Geneseo Champion, Sycamore Champion, & East Invite Champion.
2023 Wrestler(s) of the Year (Girls)
Angelina Cassioppi of Hononegah – IHSA State Champion
Weight Class – 120 lbs.
Win Percentage – 81%
2 x IHSA State Champion
Cadence Diduch of Freeport – IHSA State Champion
Weight Class – 125 lbs.
Win Percentage – 100% (Undefeated)
2 x IHSA State Champion
Netavia Wickson of Boylan – IHSA State Champion
Weight Class – 135 lbs.
Win Percentage – 79%
2023 NIC-10 All-Conference Team
2023 NIC-10 All-Conference Team
106– Brayden Teunissen of Belvidere (Co-op), SO.
113– Bryson Teunissen of Belvidere (Co-op), FR.
120– Javier Escobedo of Rockton (Hononegah), SR.
126– Robert Darling of Rockton (Hononegah), FR.
132– Jacob Redington of Freeport, SR.
Myles Babcock of Machesney Park (Harlem), SR.
138– Dominic Girardin of Belvidere (Co-op), SO.
145– Antonio Alvarado of Belvidere (Co-op), SR.
152– Colin Young of Belvidere (Co-op), JR.
160– Ben Larsen of Machesney Park (Harlem), SR.
170– Elliot Diemel of Rockton (Hononegah), SR.
182– TJ Mitchell of Belvidere (Co-op), SR.
195– Karlondo Duboise of Rockford (Jefferson), JR.
220– Isaak Smith of Rockton (Hononegah), JR.
Lee Smith Jr of Rockford (East), JR.
285– Gannon Buckner of Rockford (Guilford), SR.
Learn About The Selection Criteria
Individual Selection Criteria
- Conference Champion.
- State Qualifier.
- Medical Hardship – if an athlete demonstrates conference superiority but suffers an injury prior to the conference tournament and is unable to compete in conference or state series.
Wrestler of the Year Selection Criteria
- Highest performing athlete at the IHSA state tournament – (*If multiple athletes get 1st place they can share the award.)
- Winning Percentage
- Most wins.
- Most pins.
Coach of The Year Selection Criteria
*Point system – The coach with the highest point total wins.
- Team State Championship (12pts)
- Team State Place-winner (10pts)
- Team State Qualifier (9pts)
- Regional Team Champions (8pts)
- Conference Team Champions (7pts)
- Conference Dual Champions (5pts)
- Individual State Champions (4pts)
- Individual State Place-winners (3pts)
- Individual State Qualifiers (2pt)
- Individual Conference Champs (1pt)
