STILLWATER, Okla. – It was a tough end to the regular season for the Little Rock wrestling program this evening, as the Trojans fell 45-0 at the Gallagher-Iba Arena. In the fifth dual against a ranked team for Little Rock this year, the final of twelve matches total held over the past five weeks, #5 Oklahoma State took every bout.
"Even though it was a tough night, we had some individuals that I thought did pretty well," said head coach
Neil Erisman. "Guys like Triston closed the gap and learned a lot about what they can and can't do. It was a good experience, it was a tough experience, and it was hard, but it was much needed."
Triston Wills,
Conner Ward, and
Gabe Beyer only allowed decisions at the 174, 141, and heavyweight matches, respectively. Ward kept his opponent close, the only points permitted by one escape and riding time. Meanwhile, Beyer also had a tight match, dropping a 4-1 decision after a single takedown in the second period.
Wills showed improvement from when Little Rock wrestled Oklahoma State last month. When the Trojans hosted the Cowboys on Jan. 17, the redshirt freshman was pinned by Dustin Plott. This time around, Wills was able to eliminate riding time against #11 Plott in the third period and hold the ranked opponent to a tight 3-1 decision.
The Trojans did come away with one individual victory tonight: in extra matches,
Joseph Bianchi went home with a major decision under his belt at 149 pounds after securing four takedowns and denying his opponent any. Bianchi also defeated the same Oklahoma State wrestler last month, but this time around extended his win from a 7-2 decision to a 10-2 major.
The Trojans now have three weeks before their final competition of the season: the 2021 Pac-12 Championships. This year, the conference tournament will take place in Corvallis, hosted by Oregon State.
"We've got three weeks here where we can really train and get a lot better," added Coach Erisman. "What we do in these next few weeks is going to be vital for our success at the Pac-12 Championships."
DUAL RESULTS
125: #15 Trevor Mastrogiovanni (OSU) F
Khyler Brewer, 1:40
133: Reece Witcraft (OSU) MD
Jaylen Carson, 11-3
141: Dusty Hone (OSU) DEC
Conner Ward, 2-0
149: #4 Boo Lewallen (OSU) TF
Kyle Prewitt, 19-4 (4:16)
157: #13 Wyatt Sheets (OSU) TF
Noah Aziere, 18-0 (2:11)
165: #4 Travis Wittlake (OSU) TF
Zeke Beach, 18-2 (2:36)
174: #12 Dustin Plott (OSU) DEC
Triston Wills, 3-1
184: #13 Dakota Geer (OSU) TF
Zane Davis, 24-9 (3:58)
197: #11 AJ Ferrari (OSU) F
Dylan Johnson, 3:15
285: Austin Harris (OSU) DEC
Gabe Beyer, 4-1
EXTRA MATCHES
125: Jakason Burks (OSU) DEC
Josh Sarpy, 4-1
149:
Joseph Bianchi MD Bennett Sherrer (OSU), 10-2
174: Gabin Stika (OSU) TF
Will Edgar, 17-2 (5:41)
174: Christian Bahl (OSU) MD
Will Edgar, 16-6
197: Luke Surber (OSU) TF
Brooks Sacharczyk, 22-6 (2:49)
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