DECATUR — Rochelle’s Nehemiah Andronic made history over the weekend, becoming only the second member of the Rochelle Wrestling Club to earn an IKWF state title. Andronic went 5-0 over five matches in the Bantam 70 Division during the 2024 IKWF Intermediate/Bantam State Championships, which were held at the Decatur Civic Center on Saturday and Sunday.

Andronic started the tournament with an opening-round win over Dragons Lair Wrestling Club’s Jackson Doherty on Saturday, scoring a 6-0 decision. Andronic cruised through the second round, using only 39 seconds to secure a fall over BTS-Chicago/Midway’s Julian Orozco. Andronic is the club’s first IKWF state champion since Kaiden Morris won a title in 2019.

“To be a state champion feels really good,” Andronic said. “I want to thank my coaches, my wrestling partners and my family. Some of the keys to my success were having quick feet, keeping my opponents at bay so that I could get to my moves and wrestling hard. I was super excited at the start and then on my way through the tournament, I would get more nervous, but then I just wrestled my hardest and won. Getting to be in the parade of finalists was pretty cool.”

Back-to-back major decisions enabled Andronic to reach the championship round on Sunday afternoon. Andronic faced Petersburg Wrestling Club’s Brody Crumly in the quarterfinals, locking down a 10-1 major decision before notching a 12-1 major decision against Belvidere Bandits Wrestling Club’s Jackson Moreno during the semifinal round. In the finals, Andronic held a 4-0 lead over Toss Em Up’s Alexander Cid before winning the match by injury concession.

Andronic was one of two local wrestlers who represented the club in the state tournament over the weekend. Wells Millard battled in the Bantam 55 Division, finishing 3-2 over five matches. Millard’s three wins included a 6-0 decision over Wheaton Wrestling Club’s Lucas Kavanagh as well as back-to-back falls over Dinamo’s Declan O’Malley and Suplex’s David Bugrimov.

“I’ve been wrestling for five years and what I really like about the sport is that it makes you better at everything and that it makes you physically and mentally stronger,” Andronic said. “In wrestling, I’m very good at my single leg takedown and not focusing on wins or losses but focusing on working my hardest. I know that I need to improve my pinning combinations because I want the option of being able to end a match quickly.”