LITTLE ROCK - Five ranked wins. 16 ranked opponents. Only two losses to non-ranked foes on his challenging resume.
Triston Wills spent the entire season matching up against the some best of the best. His efforts led to two appearances in the esteemed NCAA Coaches Poll: #30 in the second rankings on February 11 and #32 in the final rankings on March 9.
The coaches ranking is one of several criteria that is evaluated by the NCAA Division I Wrestling Committee during the at-large selection and seeding process along with head-to-head competition, quality wins, Ratings Percentage Index (RPI), conference tournament placement, results versus common opponents and win percentage.
Despite the 174-pounder's tough yet successful season, it wasn't enough to qualify for an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament. Wills placed third at the Pac-12 Championships, one spot away from securing an automatic bid to Nationals. He ended his redshirt sophomore season with a record of 14-13.
"We are super proud of Triston," said head coach
Neil Erisman. "His tenacity and effort has elevated our entire team. I know he fell short, but we believe he will not let it happen again."
"He's matured and overcome a lot since stepping on our campus," added Coach Erisman. "Him not making Nationals will only propel him to greater things, and I believe he will be in the tournament next year. Not only be there, but competing to be an All-American. He's established himself as a leader on and off the mat in our program and we are grateful to have him."
If you're an avid fan of the Little Rock wrestling team, you know the team is on the verge of a breakout year. If you're Wills, this season was a breakout of his own, improving to a winning record as well as knocking off top-33 wrestlers from Wisconsin, Oregon State, Appalachian State, Northern Illinois and CSU-Bakersfield. His resume becomes even more impressive knowing that out of Little Rock's 14 duals this season, six were against ranked teams, while three were receiving votes in the NWCA Coaches Poll.
With just three years under its belt, it's clear that the program is inches away from closing the gap. For instance, just in Wills's case, eight of his 11 losses against ranked opponents were separated by five points or less. Of those eight, four were by a margin of just one point.
He's ready to take his momentum to the 2022-23 season.
"I'm proud of the improvement we've made as a team this year," said Wills. "Disappointed with how the season ended, but I'm excited to get back to work and make sure we reach our goals next season."
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.
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