LITTLE ROCK – After a year and a half of waiting and preparation, the inaugural schedule for Little Rock wrestling has been released by head coach
Neil Erisman. The inaugural slate includes nine dual meets, including five at the Jack Stephens Center, and three open tournaments, all leading up to the Pac 12 Conference Championships in March.
2019-20 Little Rock Wrestling Schedule
"We are very excited to announce our inaugural schedule," Erisman said. "Coach Maldonado and I feel we have a solid line up of competitions. Our team will see some great competitors across the country that will hopefully help prepare them for the NCAA Championships, which is the ultimate goal."
The 2019-20 season for Little Rock begins November 9 when the Trojans compete in their first open tournament of the year, participating in the Oklahoma City Open. That leads into Little Rock's historic first home dual, which will be a Natural State showdown as the Trojans welcome University of the Ozarks to the Jack Stephens Center on Sunday, November 24.
Another open tournament awaits Little Rock as the calendar turns to December, making the first of two trips to Edwardsville, Illinois on the year. The Trojans will compete in the SIU Edwardsville Cougar Clash on Saturday, December 7.
The Trojans then return home for a pair of competitive home duals, beginning with the first "Sun Belt Championship" match against Appalachian State on Wednesday, December 18, pitting the two Sun Belt programs that sponsor wrestling against each other. Erisman then welcomes some familiar faces to Little Rock as the Trojans will host North Carolina on Friday, December 20th. Erisman spent four seasons as an assistant with the Tar Heels, who finished the 2018-19 season ranked 12th nationally.
After the new year, Little Rock opens 2020 with the Southern Scuffle January 1-2 in Chattanooga, Tennessee, an event that draws some of the nation's top teams every year. Little Rock then remains on the road for the remainder of January, heading north to Illinois for a pair of dual meets. The Trojans begin their trip to the Land of Lincoln in DeKalb, facing Northern Illinois on Friday, January 17, before traveling south to Edwardsville to meet Southern Illinois Edwardsville on Sunday, January 19.
February begins with Little Rock's final two home duals of its inaugural season, beginning with South Dakota State on Sunday, February 2. The Trojans then compete in their first-ever Pac 12 Conference dual on February 7 when it welcomes Arizona State to the Jack Stephens Center, including two-time NCAA champion Zahid Valencia at 174.
Little Rock closes out the regular season with its first west coast road trip, competing in a pair of Pac 12 dual meets. The Trojans begin the trip at Stanford on Thursday, February 13, facing a Cardinal team that finished 24th in the final team rankings last season, before heading north to Corvallis, Oregon for a showdown with Oregon State on Saturday, February 15.
The inaugural season then comes to a culmination at the 2020 Pac 12 Wrestling Championships, being held Saturday, March 7 at Stanford. Erisman and the squad are hoping history will then be made with Little Rock qualifying its first-ever participants to the 2020 NCAA Wrestling Championships, being held March 19-21 in Minneapolis, Minnesota.
Season tickets for the historic inaugural season of Little Rock wrestling are on sale, with general admission tickets for all five home duals costing just $30 for a season pass. There are also a very limited number of mat side seats remaining for the 2019-20 season as Trojan wrestling tickets can be purchased by calling the Trojan ticket office at (501) 565-8257.
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