STANFORD, Calif. – The Trojans wrapped up their West Coast trip with a tight team loss to Stanford, falling 22-18 despite picking up four individual bout wins.
Josiah Hill,
Jayden Carson, and
Tyler Brennan each earned bonus point wins, highlighted by Hill's pin to end the dual, while
Joseph Bianchi picked up a victory by decision.
Though the match ended with a team loss, the overall performance was a nice bounce back for Little Rock, rebounding off a disappointing result at Oregon State less than 24 hours prior.
"We were in a tough situation," said head coach
Neil Erisman of the back-to-back duals. "We caught a flight this morning and got here with three hours before the dual started, so it wasn't the best situation. But even so, we did better and saw some improvement on things we talked about last night, so that was definitely a positive."
Carson kicked off the evening with a dominant performance over Stanford's lightweight, including two four-point near falls in the second period to pull ahead. The redshirt sophomore only allowed two escapes in the first period, collecting four takedowns and three tilts throughout the match.
"It's always good to start your dual with a win by tech fall," remarked Coach Erisman. "We expected him to do that, so we're glad he did what he was supposed to and filled his role."
Joseph Bianchi had more movement tonight, getting on the legs and preventing his opponent from scoring. A hard ride in the third period solidified his 2-0 decision.
"Joey looked better, had more attempts to create more action, and put himself in a position to not just win the match but break the kid, and that's one thing that we were struggling with last night," admitted Coach Erisman. "He gave himself a chance to win tonight by forcing the action."
Meanwhile,
Tyler Brennan steamrolled his opponent with a strong 11-0 major decision, showing his strength on top every time he earned a takedown.
"I'm proud of Tyler tonight," said Coach Erisman. "He went out and competed at the level he was capable of and the expectation that he trains at. When he does that, he's way more dangerous."
Finally, Hill continued his strong season with a first-period pin to top off the night, proving that he may be the deadliest force on the Trojan roster. Last year, that same Stanford opponent defeated Hill by fall; tonight, the redshirt freshman turned the tables.
"If he could win those matches like last night, he could be ranked top 15," added Coach Erisman, in reference to Hill's triple overtime battle with the #10 heavyweight in the country at Oregon State the night prior. "He's got the attitude, he puts in the work, and he's headed in the right direction. Josiah is taking on a big leadership role on our team, becoming more vocal with both his words and his actions, and I'm proud of where he's at."
Next on the slate, Little Rock will travel to North Carolina for a tri-dual with VMI and Appalachian State on January 21, followed by a match at ranked North Carolina on January 23. It will be another quick turnaround for the Trojans, but nothing that the team can't handle.
RESULTS vs. Stanford
125:
Jayden Carson TF Suhas Chundi (STAN), 20-2 (6:26)
133: #29 Jackson DiSario (STAN) DEC
Jaylen Carson, 8-5
141: Jason Miranda (STAN) DEC
Conner Ward, 6-1
149:
Joseph Bianchi DEC Elijah Cleaver (STAN), 2-0
157: Charlie Darracott (STAN) maj. dec.
Chase Tebbets, 12-3
165:
Tyler Brennan MD Tony Williams (STAN), 11-0
174: #4 Shane Griffith (STAN) DEC
Triston Wills (LR), 6-1
184: #29 Tyler Eischens (STAN) DEC
Will Edgar, 7-2
197: Nick Stemmet (STAN) F
Brooks Sacharczyk (1:36)
285:
Josiah Hill F Peter Ming (STAN), (2:40)
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