LITTLE ROCK, Ark. — The 14
th-ranked Trojan wrestling team notched a pair of dual victories Saturday at the Jack Stephens Center, setting the new season on a winning course on opening weekend. In front of almost 1,000 fans, Little Rock opened with a 46-3 demolition of Carl Albert State, then followed it with a 27-11 victory over Central Oklahoma.
Little Rock won 16 of 20 matches across the two duals, including nine of 10 against Carl Albert State and seven of 10 against UCO. The Trojans earned three wins by fall, six by tech fall, and two majority decisions. Three Trojans –
Brennan Van Hoecke,
Gunner Holland, and
Kaden Darwin – competed in both duals, and each went 2-0 for the day.
"We got a lot of people on the mat, there were some highs and lows, but we scored a lot of points and learned some things about some different people. We were sloppy in some areas and have to improve our finishes. We have some things we have to work on. We've got to figure out how to help our guys get better." – head coach
Neil Erisman
Among those scoring points to help Little Rock win today was
Brock Herman, wrestling with the Trojans for the first time after transferring from Ohio State. Herman dominated his match, earning a tech fall by a 20-4 count.
"It was great being on the mat for the first time as a Trojan … there were definitely some jitters, but I was pleased with the performance. My mindset was to keep scoring. There were some sloppy parts that I'll work on, but overall it went well." – transfer junior
Brock Herman
Little Rock will be in action again next Sunday at the Tiger Style Invitational, hosted by the University of Missouri.
DUAL RESULTS
Little Rock 48, Carl Albert State 3
125:
Jeremiah Reno (LR) over Hunter Jackson (CAS) (TF 17-1 3:36)
133:
Dillon Cooper (LR) over Giuseppe Minutillo (CAS) (TF 15-0 3:00)
141:
Brennan Van Hoecke (LR) over Sean-Michael Gonzalez (CAS) (TF 20-3 5:51)
149:
Kyle Lew (LR) over Kaiden Cue (CAS) (Dec 4-2)
157:
Marco Dalakishvili (LR) over Monty Hall (CAS) (SV-1 7-2)
165: Grayson Carpenter (CAS) over
Cody Wagner (LR) (Dec 11-4)
174:
Gunner Holland (LR) over Jory Garrett (CAS) (TF 17-0 3:45)
184:
Jake Stacey (LR) over Braxton Robertson (CAS) (Fall 4:48)
197:
Liam Daniels (LR) over Carmichael Gonzalez (CAS) (Fall 1:47)
285:
Kaden Darwin (LR) over Will Restine (CAS) (Fall 0:50)
Little Rock 27, Central Oklahoma 11
125:
Tyson Roach (LR) over Guy Clevenger (UCO) (TF 19-2 3:15)
133: Jason Henschel (UCO) over
Jackson Tucker (LR) (TF 22-6 7:00)
141:
Brennan Van Hoecke (LR) over Shaun Muse (UCO) (MD 16-6)
149:
Brock Herman (LR) over Bam West (UCO) (TF 20-4 5:22)
157: Gabe Johnson (UCO) over
Jaivon Jones (LR) (Dec 8-4)
165:
Matty Bianchi (LR) over Bryce Dauphin (UCO) (MD 10-2)
174:
Gunner Holland (LR) over Hunter Jump (UCO) (Dec 4-1)
184:
Brock DelSignore (LR) over
Branson Britten (UCO) (Dec 4-2)
197: Garrett Wells (UCO) over
Michael Gasper (LR) (Dec 5-0)
285:
Kaden Darwin (LR) over Ryan Nichols (UCO) (Dec 8-1)
