LITTLE ROCK - Building upon the foundation set in its exciting inaugural year, head coach Neil Erisman has finalized the addition of nine newcomers to join Little Rock wrestling for the upcoming 2020-21 season. Bringing a mixed bag of maturity and depth to support the nine that committed this past fall, this new batch of Trojans includes two transfers from Oklahoma State along with seven incoming freshmen.
Join the Little Rock Trojans in welcoming Zeke Beach (Liberty, Missouri), Jakob Beene (Maumelle, Arkansas), Gabe Beyer (Tallahassee, Florida), Khyler Brewer (Kansas City, Missouri), Zane Davis (Allen, Texas), Caz Grabowski (Half Moon Bay, California) and Robby Vaughn (Pasco, Washington), along with transfers Bear Hughes (Coweta, Oklahoma) and Triston Wills (Derby, Kansas).
Read more about the incoming Little Rock wrestlers below:
Zeke Beach (Liberty, Missouri)
Beach is a Missouri high school State placer, helping the Liberty High School Blue Jays to a first-place team finish this February. The Victory Wrestling club member finished third at 195 pounds at the high school championships, and will likely be competing at 197 once at Little Rock.
Coach Erisman on Beach - "Zeke has great size and the frame to be big. We are excited to see his growth and development as a wrestler. Most importantly Zeke has great character and discipline to our squad. He is someone we are excited to have here."
Jakob Beene (Maumelle, Arkansas)
The sole in-state addition to the Trojans for this class, Beene is a three-time Arkansas high school State champion for Maumelle High School that will look to appear at 141 for Little Rock. Beene has progressed with the club Arkansas Wrestling Academy after finishing as runner-up his freshman year.
Coach Erisman on Beene - "We are committed to bringing Arkansas's best here to Little Rock every year. Jakob is a great young man that will represent us and this state very well. We cannot wait to see where his potential takes him."
Gabe Beyer (Tallahassee, Florida)
Beyer will immediately make an impact on the heavyweight group at Little Rock, officially joining the Trojans after spending two years as a missionary right out of high school. A Florida high school State champion and runner-up in 2016 and 2015, respectively, he had previously committed to Arizona State before his sabbatical.
Coach Erisman on Beyer - "Gabe is a monster. He will be giving us a much needed boost at heavyweight. Along with his physical abilities he also brings a lot of life experience and great character. We expect him to grow into a leader on our squad."
Khyler Brewer (Kansas City, Missouri)
Improving the depth of the 125 weight class for the Trojans, Brewer has had increasing success with Staley High School during his prep career, finishing as the 2019 Missouri State runner-up at 120 pounds before charging back the following year to claim the 2020 Missouri State title as a senior at 126 pounds.
Coach Erisman on Brewer - "Khyler has been a lifelong winner on and off the mat. He is one of our nationally high ranked recruits coming. To say we are excited about his potential is understatement. We are getting a great young man in Khyler."
Zane Davis (Allen, Texas)
Davis comes to Little Rock with Lone Star state success under his belt. He finished his prep career as a 2020 Texas State champion at 195 pounds, helping Allen High School to a state title in the process. Also a member of the 2019 State championship team, Davis will appear at 197 pounds for the Trojans.
Coach Erisman on Davis - "Zane comes to us from a national powerhouse program. He has a great blue collar mentality about him that is a perfect match here at Little Rock. We are excited to see how he improves. He can be a great force for us at 197."
Caz Grabowski (Half Moon Bay, California)
Grabowski wrestled with Leviathan Wrestling, earning several accolades with his club team. He was a 2019 Beach Wrestling World bronze medalist as well as the fifth place finisher at the 2019 Cadet Greco Roman National Championship at 110 kg, showing experience that should translate well to a collegiate career.
Coach Erisman on Grabowski - "Caz is a great addition to our heavyweights. He is very agile and athletic for a big man. He has a great passion for wrestling and is fully committed to be the best he can be here at Little Rock."
Bear Hughes (Coweta, Oklahoma)
Hughes is an incoming transfer from Oklahoma State after spending three seasons in Stillwater. Aside from his time as a Cowboy, he was selected as a U23 Greco World team member and was a two-time Oklahoma State champion. While he was listed at 197 at his previous school, he may be able to cut to 184 to assist the Trojans as well.
Coach Erisman on Hughes - "Bear is a great addition because of his experience and background in wrestling. He has a great chance to step out in the light, grow and make a great name for himself. He is a dangerous wrestler that will definitely bring some fireworks to our matches."
Robby Vaughn (Pasco, Washington)
A 2018 and 2019 Fargo Greco All-American as well as a Reno Worlds champion, Vaughn comes to Little Rock after making a name for himself in the lower weights. Likely to wrestle at 149 for the Trojans, he also has multiple accolades from his high school career, which includes an individual Washington State 4A championship.
Coach Erisman on Vaughn - "Wild Thing is the best way to describe Robby. His style of wrestling is unique and really entertaining. There is no telling what you are going to get when he steps on the mat. We are excited to see how Robby progresses throughout his first season here with the Trojans."
Triston Wills (Derby, Kansas)
Wills is another transfer from Oklahoma State, using his redshirt year with the Cowboys. He was a four-time Kansas State champion for Derby High School along with placing all four years. Wills brings experience to Little Rock as a three-time Freestyle state champion, Folkstyle Nationals All-American, two-time Greco state champion and three-time kids club state champion.
Coach Erisman on Wills - "We cannot say enough of good things about Triston Wills. We believe he embodies what it takes to be a Little Rock Trojan. Very excited to see him compete and continue to improve. Expect him to be a force in the upper weights for us this year."
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
