The family history of Mundelein senior Dane Durlacher kept steering him toward the orange and navy blue.
After placing third at 106 pounds in the Class 3A state meet, Durlacher soon will be wrestling in Champaign on a regular basis. He committed Friday to Illinois.
Durlacher said he fielded offers from numerous schools, but the allure of wrestling at Illinois was simply too big to pass up. His uncle, Lindsey, was a two-time All-American for the Illini and is widely considered one of the best in program history. Durlacher’s dad also wrestled at Illinois.
Durlacher selected Illinois over Wisconsin.
“Illinois is a great campus, close to home, and I have family history there,” Durlacher said. “It’s a great academic school and also has a great wrestling program, where I think I can accomplish my goals and dreams.
“There’s a lot of family tradition with the Illini. My uncle was a huge role model to me, so it would be awesome to follow in my uncle’s footsteps and achieve the success he had.”
Durlacher is already on his way to adding his name to his family’s legacy in the sport. He finished with a 46-1 record this past season, becoming only the third Mundelein wrestler to earn two state medals. Durlacher also placed fourth at 106 as a junior.
His brother Reese, a junior, is a standout at 126.
Mundelein coach Craig Stocker said Durlacher has the potential to become to a regular contributor for Illniois.
Stocker said Durlacher’s relationship with Illini assistant coach Mike Poeta also is a plus. Durlacher trained with Poeta, a three-time All-American at Illinois, for years at the Poeta Training Center in Lake Forest.
“Dane has been going to camps at Illinois for years,” Stocker said. “He’s never been somebody to really go into the weight room, so when he gets a good strength coach to force him to do things, he will get so much better.
“Also, to have Mike Poeta be there will help. He knows his strengths and weaknesses.”
Bob Narang is a freelance reporter for the News-Sun.