LITTLE ROCK – After a long road swing, including trips to both the West and East coasts, the Trojans return home to the Jack Stephens Center Sunday to host a tri-dual, beginning at 10 a.m. Little Rock wrestling hosts Pac-12 opponents Cal Poly and MAC rivals Northern Illinois, as the visiting teams will compete first at 10 a.m. followed by the Trojans taking on the Mustangs and finally the Huskies.
"Should be a great day of wrestling," said head coach
Neil Erisman. "Excited for another conference match with Cal Poly. It's going to take a full team effort tomorrow. And NIU is a tough, gritty team, and we have an opportunity to get some re-matches from earlier this year."
Fans will be able to watch the Trojans online via Little Rock All-Access, follow results on TrackWrestling, and stay up to date with the team's official Twitter account
@LittleRockWRES.
WATCH Little Rock vs. Cal Poly vs. Northern Illinois
Last Time Out
Last weekend, the Trojans took on App State and VMI in Boone, picking up their first team win of the season in a solid win over VMI, 33-7, but dropping their dual to App State, 3-28. The Little Rock wrestling team concluded their road trip in Chapel Hill, falling to the ranked team 6-37. Tomorrow marks dual number nine and ten on the season for the Trojans, as well as their third conference dual.
Five members of the team have hit double-digit wins going into this weekend. At 149 pounds,
Joseph Bianchi leads the team with a record of 12-7, followed by heavyweight
Josiah Hill at 11-8.
Triston Wills,
Tyler Brennan, and
Jaylen Carson, wrestling at 174, 165, and 133, respectively, each sit at 10 wins on the season, with Wills having the best win percentage of the three at 10-7.
Cal Poly Competitors
The Pac-12 Mustangs (0-1, 0-1 Pac-12) visit Little Rock for the first time, as the teams' first meeting last year was at Cal Poly. The Trojans dropped their dual in San Luis Obispo 8-33, with
Paul Bianchi and
Tanner Mendoza picking up wins at 133 and 184, respectively.
This season, Cal Poly is receiving votes in the
NWCA Coaches Poll, helped by the transfer addition of current no. 1 ranked wrestler at 165, Evan Wick. However, the Mustangs boast five other ranked wrestlers: at 125, 141, 149, 174, and 184. An upset would be just what the Trojans need going into the last half of the season, as after this weekend only four duals remain on the schedule.
Northern Illinois Notes
This will also be the second time that the Huskies (4-7, 1-3 MAC) meet the Trojans, but the first at the Jack Stephens Center. The teams met in Little Rock's inaugural season, where Northern Illinois claimed the 4-38 win, rolling through the upper weights after a major decision by the eldest Bianchi.
The Trojans today are a vastly different team, so expect challenges from the Trojans, despite the three ranked Huskies at 165, 174, and 184. Little Rock saw a few matchups with NIU at the Cougar Clash tournament, so they have a taste of what's to come tomorrow.
View all probable starters below (rankings via
Intermat):
Little Rock Probables
125:
Jayden Carson, R-So. (9-10)
133:
Jaylen Carson, R-So. (10-9)
141:
Conner Ward, R-Jr. (3-11)
149:
Joseph Bianchi, R-So. (12-7)
157:
Austin Keal, R-Fr. (5-6)
165:
Tyler Brennan, R-So. (10-9)
174:
Triston Wills, R-So. (10-7)
184:
Brayden Dillow, Fr. (4-4)
197:
Brooks Sacharczyk, R-Fr. (5-13)
285:
Josiah Hill, R-Fr. (11-8)
Cal Poly Probables
125: #30 Antonio Lorenzo
133: Abe Hinrichsen
141: #30 Lawrence Saenz
149: #18 Legend Lamer
157: Brawley Lamer
165: #1 Evan Wick
174: #9 Adam Kemp
184: #5 Bernie Truax
197: Trent Tracy
285: Samuel Aguilar
Northern Illinois Probables
125: Bryce West
133: Mikey Kaminski
141: Jaivon Jones
149: Anthony Cheloni
157: Anthony Gibson
165: #16 Izzak Olejnik
174: #23 Mason Kauffman
184: #19 Brit Wilson
197: Tristan Guaman
285: Terrese Aaron
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
