LITTLE ROCK - The Little Rock wrestling team is prepped and ready to compete at the 2022 Pac-12 Championship, taking place this Sunday, March 6 on the campus of Arizona State in Tempe, Arizona. The first round of the Pac-12 Championships will begin at 12 p.m. CT. The first two sessions will be streamed through ASU's platform while the championship rounds will be broadcast on the Pac-12 Network.
Make sure to follow the Trojans on social media throughout the weekend. You can find the team on social media at @LittleRockWRES on
Facebook,
Instagram, and
Twitter.
"It's all about starting fast and finishing strong," said head coach
Neil Erisman. "Believing and doing better than what the bracket says. We have shown a lot of glimpses of high ceilings."
"We are good enough. We are strong enough. We have more than enough skill. We have competed against top competition all year. Everything we have done has prepared us for the end of the year. Time to believe in what we have done, our training and know we are ready. I am confident if we do that, this will be a great weekend."
WATCH LINKS & SCHEDULE
Session 1: Round 1 and Semifinals, 12 - 4 p.m. CT
Watch Mat 1* |
Watch Mat 2*
Session 2: Consolation Finals, 6:45-7:45 p.m. CT
Watch Mat 1 |
Watch Mat 2
Session 3: Championship Rounds, 7:45 p.m. CT
Watch Championship Rounds
*Two mats will be utilized throughout the tournament. Opening rounds will commence on the mats as they become available.
Top Trojans
Several Little Rock wrestlers have placed themselves in strong positions to make a statement this weekend at the conference tournament, including headliner
Triston Wills, who has appeared in back-to-back
NCAA Coaches Rankings, currently checking in as No. 33 at 174 pounds. The redshirt sophomore took down three ranked opponents this season, the most in both a single season and in a single career in the Trojans' young history. Wills sits at a record of 12-11, while all but two losses were against top-33 foes. Last season, the Derby, Kansas native placed third at the Pac-12 Championships, while this year he enters the weekend with the No. 4 seed.
Also entering the tournament with winning records are
Joseph Bianchi and
Josiah Hill. Bianchi leads the team in winning percentage with a 14-11 report, while Hill has posted a record of 12-11. The middle Bianchi has upheld his family name well in his breakout season,
collecting the program's first-ever weekly Pac-12 honor. This year he has solidified his spot at 149 pounds, after sharing the position last season and wrestling up a weight class at the Pac-12 Championship. Meanwhile, Hill has emerged as a leader as well, coming into the tournament as the No. 4 seed at heavyweight after a strong first season in the starting lineup.
Tough Trials in Season Three
Little Rock is no stranger to top competition in the nation, showcasing arguably one of the toughest dual schedules in the Pac-12: out of Little Rock's 14 duals this season, six were against ranked teams, while three were receiving votes in the
NWCA Coaches Poll. Every Trojan has wrestled against at least two ranked foes in matches this season, including a team-high 12 tough bouts from Wills. In addition, out of the 187 DI matches that the starting lineup has competed in, 63 were against ranked wrestlers, which is just over a third of all bouts.
Now in year three, Little Rock has put together its most experienced lineup yet as the young program continues to grow. Out of the 10 wrestling representing the Trojans this weekend, four are returning for back-to-back Pac-12 Championship appearances:
Conner Ward, Bianchi, Wills and
Tanner Mendoza, at 141, 149, 174 and 184 pounds, respectively. Ward is the sole Trojan that has represented the team in his weight class all three years.
Meanwhile, a pair of Little Rock wrestlers have made their way back into the lineup after also competing in the inaugural season:
Jayden Carson and
Tyler Brennan, each of which have reached double-digit wins this year. Just four are attending their first Pac-12 Championships:
Jaylen Carson,
Chase Tebbets,
Brooks Sacharczyk and
Josiah Hill, and for the first time in program history not a single Trojan is competing as a true freshman.
Breaking Out the Bracket
The strength of the conference has been elevated this season, as three teams appear in the final
NWCA Coaches Poll. Arizona State leads the way, sitting at 12th in the country, while both Oregon State and Cal Poly are receiving votes. This year's field also includes a number of high-profile names, including the No. 1 wrestler in the 165 weight class, Cal Poly's Evan Wick. The No. 3 wrestler and reigning national champion in that same class, Stanford's Shane Griffith. enters this weekend as a No. 2 seed. Also in the weight class is the No. 3 seed and reigning Pac-12 champion, Anthony Valencia of Arizona State.
The Pac-12 conference has a total of 23 automatic qualifying spots for the NCAA tournament out of the 60 competing wrestlers at all 10 positions. Four weight classes will send three wrestlers to Nationals automatically: 125, 133, 149 and 165, while the top two finishes will qualify for every other class with the exception of 197 pounds, which will only send the champion.
Headed into the conference championships, the Sun Devils boast six top seeds (125, 133, 149, 157, 197 and 285), Cal Poly claims three (165, 174 and 184), while Oregon State has the No. 1 wrestler at 141 pounds. Wills and Hill share the highest seed for the Trojans, sitting at No.4 at 174 and heavyweight, respectively.
As Little Rock did not dual CSU-Bakersfield this season, just four first-round bouts will be rematches from earlier this season: Ward vs. Saenz (Cal Poly) at 141, Bianchi vs. Lamer (Cal Poly) at 149, Brennan vs. Olguin (Oregon State) at 165, and Sacharczyk vs. Reyes (Oregon State) at 197. Notably, all four of these matches were separated by only decisions during the regular season, giving the Trojans ample chance at revenge as the dark horse team in the tournament.
Little Rock Lineup
125:
Jayden Carson, R-So. (10-15)
133:
Jaylen Carson, R-So. (11-14)
141:
Conner Ward, R-Jr. (4-16)
149:
Joseph Bianchi, R-So. (14-11)
157:
Chase Tebbets, Jr. (6-8)
165:
Tyler Brennan, R-So. (12-13)
174:
Triston Wills, R-So. (12-11)
184:
Tanner Mendoza, So. (6-8)
197:
Brooks Sacharczyk, R-Fr. (5-20)
HWT:
Josiah Hill, R-Fr. (12-11)
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
