LITTLE ROCK – The Trojan wrestling team collected three bout wins in their final home dual this season, holding #13 Arizona State to just 29 points to Little Rock's 12.
Conner Ward and
Triston Wills each picked up victories by decision, while
Tyler Brennan finished his weekend 2-0 thanks to a forfeit at 165 pounds.
Today was not only the last home match of the season for the Trojans, but also the final conference dual before the Pac-12 Championships, exactly a month away.
"We have a lot of tough teams in the Pac-12. Nobody has not had a bad season in the Pac-12 conference as a whole, and I'm proud to be a part of it," said head coach
Neil Erisman. "Going into the Pac-12 Championships, we've got to find some confidence knowing that it's our third one. Time to be a little difference. Time to be more confident, and know that we've probably wrestled one of the hardest schedules in the country. So we're battle-tested and we've put ourselves in a position to be ready for it."
Ward put himself in a good position today, notably going 2-0 at home against Arizona State. The redshirt junior helped change the energy in the Jack Stephens Center, going for the legs throughout the first period before his hard work paid off, landing the takedown within the last 30 seconds. He didn't allow the Sun Devil a single chance to get on top, hitting a single leg takedown on the mat edge to put him up 4-2 at the end of the second period, giving Ward a lead he didn't relinquish. With an escape from choosing bottom to start the third period, the Shawnee, Kansas native earned his fourth win by decision on the year, 5-2.
"I was proud of Conner because in the past, he's been in the same situation, but today he made the decision to not sit back," said Coach Erisman. "He kept going for the legs and kept finishing and it was big corner for him to turn and a big stride for him."
Wills returned to the mat this afternoon with justice on his mind. He controlled the pace for the first five minutes of the match, going into the final period up 1-0. His Sun Devil opponent chose bottom for an escape to tie it up, but the Derby, Kansas native turned up the heat, nailing his takedown and tilting for a four-point near fall. The riding time point gave Wills the 8-1 decision and moves him to 12-9 on the season to lead the team by winning percentage.
"Triston figured it out in the second period that this guy just wanted to stand still and hold onto him, and he decided to change and be different," added Coach Erisman. "That's a big milestone for him because in the past, he would let that happen and then leave it up to chance, and I'm proud of him today because he didn't do that."
Returning to the mat for the first time in nearly a month,
Tanner Mendoza was on the verge of claiming a home win as well. The sophomore was narrowly edged by his foe in the last seconds of the match for a 4-3 decision, despite hitting the first takedown in the second period and showing good movement throughout his bout.
Meanwhile,
Josiah Hill went head-to-head with the number two guy in the country to conclude the dual. Despite dropping his match 16-4, the redshirt freshman was able to earn a takedown and ride out the remainder of the second period, showing immense promise for the young heavyweight.
Little Rock has just two away duals left in the regular season, traveling to the Dakotas next weekend. The Trojans will face North Dakota State this Friday for a 7 p.m. matchup before heading to South Dakota State on Sunday for one last chance to prepare for postseason before the Pac-12 Championships on March 6 in Tempe, Arizona.
RESULTS vs. #13 Arizona State
125: #4 Brandon Courtney (ASU) MD
Jayden Carson, 17-4
133: #4 Michael McGee (ASU) TF
Jaylen Carson, 18-2 (5:24)
141:
Conner Ward DEC Mykey Ramos (ASU), 5-2
149: #9 Kyle Parco (ASU) MD
Joseph Bianchi, 17-3
157: #3 Jacori Teemer (ASU) MD
Austin Keal, 18-6
165:
Tyler Brennan win by forfeit
174:
Triston Wills DEC Zane Coleman (ASU), 8-1
184: Josh Nummer (ASU) DEC
Tanner Mendoza, 4-3
197: #11 Kordell Norfleet (ASU) TF
Brooks Sacharczyk, 20-3 (3:47)
HWT: #2 Cohlton Schultz (ASU) MD
Josiah Hill, 16-4
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