LITTLE ROCK - Eight Trojans placed between the Greco-Roman and Freestyle competitions this weekend at the UWW U23 and Junior Nationals, the first time that the state of Arkansas was represented at the tournament. Freshman Josiah Hill was a two-time medalist for Little Rock's team, earning second place in the championship finals of the Junior Greco-Roman event and placing in the Junior Freestyle competition as well.
"We are very proud of our guys," said head coach Neil Erisman. "We had eight placers and a few others falling short in the placing rounds. We competed to win and we were in almost every match that we lost. This past weekend was a great snapshot into the improvements we have made and the future of our program. There's a lot to be excited about in Little Rock."
All seven Trojans that wrestled in the Greco-Roman style medaled, while every placer in the Junior competition is notably just a freshman on Little Rock's roster. Hill took the highest spot at second place in the Junior competition at 130 kg. He was joined by fellow placers and classmates Keegan Slyter, Zane Davis, Austin Keal, and Caz Grabowski.
Slyter finished with an 8-6 victory to take third place at 60 kg. He compiled a 4-1 record in his weight class, falling by just a single point in the semifinal round of the championship bracket. Davis placed 87 kg after a solid 10-4 victory in the 5th place match. Keal earned 6th at 63 kg, climbing his way up through the consolation bracket through two decisive wins. Meanwhile, Grabowski won the 7th place match at 130 kg 8-3.
In the U23 Greco-Roman event, Bear Hughes finished 4th at 87 kg while Thomas Lisher placed 6th at 67 kg. All of Hughes's matches were extremely tight, with the new Trojan gutting out his wins. Meanwhile, Lisher opened up the weekend for Little Rock with a technical fall and ended his day of competition with a 3-3 record.
In the Freestyle events, Paul Bianchi was the highest-finishing Trojan with a third place finish in the U23 57 kg bracket. Bianchi collected a 7-1 record, with four of his victories coming by way of tech fall. Hughes and Conner Ward also made runs in their respective U23 brackets, advancing to the second day of Freestyle competition.
Hill repeated as a finalist in the Junior Freestyle event, taking sixth overall in the 125 kg weight class. Marcus Castillo, Kyle Prewitt, and Tanner Mendoza also had a good showing for the Trojans, all moving on to the second day of the Freestyle tournament. Castillo and Prewitt finished with 4-2 records while Mendoza's three wins were all tech falls.
The Trojans are anticipated to begin collegiate competition in January. Be on the lookout for Little Rock's 2020-21 schedule, expected to be released within the next month.
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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