Little Rock Returns to Dual Season with Four Duals Over Two Days

LITTLE ROCK – Dual season continues for the Little Rock wrestling team, as the Trojans head east to compete in another multi-day event: this time, the Davidson Duals in North Carolina. 
 
On Thursday, Little Rock will wrestle hosts Davidson at 11 a.m. EST before taking on Cleveland State at 2 p.m. EST. Friday has the Trojans matched up with Lock Haven at 10 a.m. EST before ending the event against Presbyterian at 12 p.m. EST. All matches will be streamed on FloWrestling.
 
Coach's Corner
"This is a great week to kick off our second semester, going back-to-back duals on back-to-back days," said head coach Neil Erisman. "It's important because it sets our guys up for a multi-day tournament, which is ultimately what we're training for."

"We'll have some matches where if we go out and compete the way we're capable, we'll do really well, and if we don't, we could find ourselves in tough situations. But we're going to have to respond either way. We need to just focus on scoring points and the process of winning."
 
Formidable Foes
The Trojans will be facing four teams that, though unranked in the NWCA Coaches Poll, will provide some tough matchups each day of the Davidson Duals.

"It's nice to have a change of scenery and see some teams that we haven't seen before," added Coach Erisman. "We're gonna get different feels from guys from different places, and ultimately this week will help us prepare for the end of the year."
 
Some of those tough matchups will come Little Rock's way on Friday against Lock Haven, as the team boasts the current #1 lightweight in the country, Anthony Noto, as well as #13 Wyatt Henson at 141 pounds and #28 Isaac Reid at 285 pounds. As a whole, Lock Haven checks in at #20 in InterMat's Team Tournament rankings.
 
Meanwhile, Cleveland State has the #33 ranked wrestler at 197 pounds, Ben Smith, and #25 at heavyweight, Daniel Bucknavich.
 
Notably, Presbyterian is a new program that kicked off their first season in the fall of 2019 just like Little Rock. However, the Trojans have produced more success within the past five seasons as evidenced by the team's national recognition. Read more about Little Rock wrestling's rise here.
 
Ranked and Ready
Little Rock has five wrestlers currently ranked across various publications, while seven individuals have received national nods so far this season. Joseph Bianchi entered the rankings last week for the first time after a successful finish at the Southern Scuffle tournament.
 
Nasir Bailey and Stephen Little both boast the highest ranks on the team at #13 in each of their respective weight classes on InterMat. The former holds a 13-2 record with the most wins on the team, while the latter sits at 8-2.
 
Joseph Bianchi, Tyler Brennan, and Josiah Hill aren't far off with double-digit wins as well, 11 apiece. Also in the rankings, Matty Bianchi holds a record of 9-3.
 
 
Little Rock Probables
125: Jeremiah Reno or Reid Nelson
133: #13 Nasir Bailey or Josh Sarpy
141: Cael Keck
149: Kyle Dutton
157: #28 Matty Bianchi 
165: #27 Joseph Bianchi or Brendon Abdon
174: #16 Tyler Brennan 
184: Triston Wills 
197: #13 Stephen Little 
285: Josiah Hill 
 
Rankings via InterMat


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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