LITTLE ROCK - The Little Rock wrestling team will travel to the state of Illinois for one more away dual before its final homestand next week. The Trojans go head-to-head with the SIUE Cougars in Edwardsville, Illinois this Thursday, January 30 with the first bout beginning at 6:00 p.m. The match will be streamed on ESPN+, while live results will be posted on both Little Rock's Twitter account (@LittleRockWRES) and on TrackWrestling.
LIVE VIDEO | LIVE STATS | LIVE TWITTER UPDATES | TICKETS
"We're looking forward to tomorrow because we have several good matchups, one being 157." said head coach Neil Erisman. "Jose will have some stiff competition in his opponent and we're excited for him to have the opportunity."
The SIUE Cougars (1-10 overall, 0-7 MAC) welcome the Little Rock Trojans to Edwardsville on a 9-match losing streak, having only won a dual against Division II West Liberty 17-15 in early November.
The Trojans did have chances to wrestle against them earlier this season at the SIUE-hosted Cougar Clash Invitational in early December, where Little Rock placed fourth out of six teams. The Cougars rounded out the tournament, but were only 9.5 points behind the Trojans. Of the dual probables that faced each other previously, Jayden Carson defeated their starter by technical fall, while Conner Ward, Tyler Brennan and Dylan Johnson were barely beaten by decision.
"Overall, we like that we'll have a lot of matchups that we saw at the tournament," added Erisman. "Some guys will have to widen the gap on opponents, while others will get to avenge their losses. It's a chance to see how we've improved."
The Cougars have two notable wrestlers, 157-pound Justin Ruffin and 149-pound Tyshawn Williams. Ruffin (8-2 dual record) is ranked 17th by FloWrestling at 157 pounds and 24th by The Open Mat. Meanwhile, Williams (5-2 dual record) is on a four-bout win streak, earning the 18th standing by The Open Mat, 20th by InterMat and 25th by FloWrestling.
Little Rock Probables
125 - Jayden Carson
133 - Paul Bianchi
141 - Conner Ward
149 - Tyler Brennan
157 - Jose Champagne
165 - Will Edgar
174 - Tristan Tadeo
184 - Matthew Muller
197 - Dylan Johnson OR Drake Barbee
HWT - Dylan Johnson OR Drake Barbee
SIUE Probables
125 - Gage Datlovsky
133 - Jake Blaha
141 - Saul Ervin
149 - #25 Tyshawn Williams
157 - #17 Justin Ruffin
165 - Chase Diehl
174 - Kevin Gschwendtner
184 - Austin Andres
197 - Jake McKiernan
285 - Colton McKiernan
For the latest information on Little Rock Wrestling, make sure to check out LRTrojans.com. You can also find the team on social media at @LittleRockWRES on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.
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