Indiana wrestler Tyler Lillard has dealt with challenges throughout his life. That includes being diagnosed with epilepsy and having a brain tumor at a young age.

“When I first had it (epilepsy), I was having 50, 60 seizures a day,” Lillard said. “I found out I had a brain tumor.”

Lillard did not want to continue wrestling after his fifth brain surgery. But his coach and mom convinced him to give it one more shot.

“It was the greatest feeling in the world,” Lillard said.

Lillard not only loved wrestling but was an excellent wrestler at a very young age. He got recruited for wrestling and graduated from Aurora High School in Aurora, Ohio. For Tyler, he got an offer to wrestle at Indiana, and he didn’t even field any other offers. His heart was set on the cream and crimson.

A big part of Lillard wanting to come to Indiana was head coach Angel Escobedo. Escobedo was a 2008 national champion at Indiana and is in his seventh year as head coach for the Hoosiers.

The recruitment process was not normal for Lillard since it was during Covid-19. Escobedo didn’t meet Lillard at first but had the chance to meet and talk to his Mom, Tina Lillard. Tyler brought this energy about him on and off the mat that Escobedo loved.

“His innocence, his personality,” Escobedo said. “I knew he would be really vibrant for the team. He’s a great guy to have around. He’s energetic. You are always going to get Tyler.”

Escobedo didn’t know much about epilepsy until he started recruiting Lillard. He read stories and heard things about Lillard and his mental toughness.

“Once he committed we understood that it was going to have to be an ongoing process of me and my staff constantly learning,” Escobedo said. “(We had to learn) If he has an episode what do we do? We (staff) have taken trainings and learned a lot about it.”

You could never tell all the challenges Lillard has faced on the inside by his infectious energy.

“It’s great (seeing Lillard’s energy),” Escobedo said. “I love it. The guys love it. We will play a song in the wrestling room and next thing you know everybody is looking at Tyler and he’s dancing.”

That includes at Wilkinson Hall where Tyler is usually seen dancing before matches. Now always on his mind is his brother, Jeffrey “JJ” Lillard, who passed away in a bike accident last September.

“Normally what people don’t see outside of competition is just what I’ve had to deal with personally,” Lillard said. “It’s not been fun but competition has definitely been a helpful thing for me.”

On the mat, Tyler has excelled, posting a 19-10 record on the season and being ranked #24 in the 165-pound weight class in the nation. As of the Big Ten Tournament last week, Tyler also qualified for the NCAA Tournament for the second straight year.

“He is continuing to shine and get better,” Escobedo said. “I am excited for the postseason for him. I know he’s better in tournaments. I think the best is yet to come for Tyler.”

Tyler Lillard will be the 27th seed for the NCAA Tournament at 165 pounds. He will wrestle on March 20 against 6th seed Beau Mantanona from Michigan.