LITTLE ROCK – Paul Bianchi highlighted the first-ever PAC-12 Championships for the Little Rock wrestling team, making history as the first Trojan conference finalist and runner-up at 133 pounds. Little Rock wrapped up their inaugural season by rounding out the conference with 62.5 team points, but more importantly, laying the groundwork for the future of the program.
RESULTS | PHOTO GALLERY
Bianchi was awarded a bye in the first round of his bracket, earning a 7-4 decision in semifinals after a strong first and second period to stay ahead of his Cal Poly opponent. In the championship match, facing #17 Devan Turner of Oregon State, the junior succeeded three escapes but was unable to get the takedown he needed to pull ahead. The 5-3 decision made it the second time Bianchi has lost to Turner within a two-point margin.
Conner Ward also stood out as the next highest finishing Trojan, standing atop the podium at fourth place after dropping a tight 4-1 decision in the third-place match. Ward was not shut out, getting on the board with an escape in the second period after holding his opponent from Arizona State 0-0 in the first three minutes.
The redshirt freshman dropped a first-round decision but qualified for the third-place match during consolation semifinals after an electric win in overtime. After the CSUB wrestler took his shot, Ward grabbed his opponent's ankle from below to take control and earn sudden victory.
A quartet of Trojans notched fifth-place match wins:
Jose Champagne,
Dylan Johnson,
Jayden Carson, and
Matthew Muller.
Champagne put his Oregon State opponent on his head then slammed his shoulders to the mat, earning a pin in just one minute and twenty-six seconds to take fifth at 157 pounds. This came after a controversial consolation semifinal match, in which the redshirt junior was not awarded sudden victory in overtime.
Johnson put together a commanding 16-1 technical fall win, piecing together a trio of four-point near falls. He claimed his fifth-place match in the second period, stopping the bout at 4:49. Meanwhile, Carson finished his true freshman season with a 15-3 major decision, jumping to an early lead in the first period and not looking back. Muller made his way to fifth place at 184 pounds due to a forfeit.
For the majority of the team, the inaugural season has come to a close, but Bianchi may still have a chance as a wild card qualifier for the NCAA Championships, which will take place in Minneapolis from March 19-21. The selection will take place on Wednesday, March 11.
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
