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Trojans draw Illinois for opening round of National Duals in November

LITTLE ROCK — The Trojan wrestling squad will step onto another bright national stage in mid-November as one of 16 programs chosen for the inaugural National Dual Invitational, sponsored by Paycom. The Bok Center in Tulsa, Oklahoma, will showcase Little Rock as it opens the tournament against the University of Illinois.

Illinois finished the 2024–25 season ranked No. 14 by the National Wrestling Coaches Association (NWCA). Little Rock was ranked No. 15 in the poll.

"We are excited for this great opportunity. This is a great event that will bolster our already demanding schedule. We get to showcase our hard work and our school on the national stage. There's nothing better than that," head coach Neil Erisman said.

Iowa, Nebraska, Ohio State, and Oklahoma State are the top four seeds, respectively. The Little Rock–Illinois winner is lined up to face the winner of Iowa–Missouri. All 27 duals in the competition will be broadcast on FloSports and ESPN.

Little Rock and Illinois will face off at 9 a.m. Saturday, Nov. 15. Session 2 is slated for 5 p.m. and 7 p.m., Session 3 begins Sunday, Nov. 16, at 10 a.m., and the finals begin that evening at 6 p.m.

The National Duals are seeded by national rankings for the first four teams, and then a random draw determines the remaining 12 teams. The full 16-team bracket is available here. This premier wrestling event features top teams from around the country competing for a total purse of more than $1 million, with the championship team earning $200,000.

The event is hosted by Oklahoma State University. For more information, visit nationaldualsinvitational.com.

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