EDWARDSVILLE, Ill. – The Little Rock Trojans finished their January road schedule with the highest team points accumulated against a Division I opponent in the team's young history. The SIUE Cougars pulled off the 26-12 win, but the Trojans showed grit throughout the match.
Jayden Carson and Paul Bianchi started off the evening with strong back-to-back victories to earn the Trojans nine points immediately out of the gates, while Tyler Brennan also contributed valuable team points. The three bout wins are also Little Rock's most match wins within a D1 dual.
"We know it's a process," said assistant coach Javier Maldonado. "We continue to get better. A good example is Tyler, who identified what he needed to work on after losing to his opponent at the Cougar Clash and flipped the script on him."
Carson completed a technical fall victory to end the match at 20-2 before the halfway mark of the second period. The true freshman picked up three four-point near falls in the process to highlight the night.
"My mindset going in was that I knew I had to at least repeat what I did when I was here last time," said Carson. "I was fueled by my family, who were able to come out and watch, and of course my teammates."
Bianchi came away with his second-straight matchup in which he did not let his opponent earn a single takedown, taking the major decision 13-4. This win improves the junior's dual record to 4-1 overall and 3-1 against D1 teams, the best on the Trojan squad.
Brennan gave a gutsy performance, fighting his opponent in every second of the bout. Although a challenged call on a reversal didn't go his way in the second period, the freshman still came out on top with the 4-2 decision.
Several Trojans showed guts and improvement this evening despite losses. Matthew Muller only gave up a 8-4 decision, showing more initiative and grit than ever. Meanwhile, Jose Champagne suffered a painful blow early on in his bout but pushed through to only allow a major decision. Finally, Tristan Tadeo secured his first takedown in a dual setting after moving up a weight class just last month to fill the 174 position.
Little Rock begins its final homestand this upcoming week with matches on Sunday, Feb. 2 at 2:00 p.m. and Friday, Feb. 7 at 6:30 p.m. With a quick three-day turnaround, the Trojans will take on South Dakota State on Sunday before welcoming its most formidable opponent of the year, fellow PAC-12 members and top-10 ranked Arizona State, on the following Friday.
Results
125: Jayden Carson (Little Rock) TF Matt Malavsky (SIUE), 20-2 at 3:58
133: Paul Bianchi (Little Rock) MD Jake Blaha (SIUE), 13-4
141: Saul Ervin (SIUE) DEC Conner Ward (Little Rock), 4-1
149: Tyler Brennan (Little Rock) DEC Max Kristoff (SIUE), 4-2
157: #17 Justin Ruffin (SIUE) MD Jose Champagne (Little Rock), 15-2
165: Chase Deihl (SIUE) DEC Will Edgar (Little Rock), 4-2
174: Nate Higgins (SIUE) MD Tristan Tadeo (Little Rock), 11-2
184: Austin Andres (SIUE) DEC Matthew Muller (Little Rock), 8-4
197: Aric Bohn (SIUE) DEC Dylan Johnson (Little Rock), 10-3
285: Colton McKiernan (SIUE) won by forfeit
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.
#LittleRocksTeam
