Trojans Take Out Cal Poly in First of Final Three Duals in California

SAN LUIS OBISPO, Calif. – Little Rock is one step closer to becoming back-to-back Pac-12 dual meet champions after taking out Cal Poly 25-14 in enemy territory. The Trojans collected six of the ten bouts with two ranked upsets coming from Nasir Bailey and Joseph Bianchi.

"Overall, I feel really good about tonight," remarked head coach Neil Erisman. "We had a real scrap against them at National Duals, but tonight we separated ourselves. This time of year, that's what you're looking for. It was a great start to our last weekend of dual competition."

In a rematch from the aforementioned matchup earlier this year, #2 Zeth Romney from Cal Poly and #9 Nasir Bailey toed the line in a top-10 matchup. Trailing 2-1 going into the final 30 seconds of the final period, a roll through cradle gave Bailey the takedown and back points to get ahead. Riding time topped him off for an 8-2 decision to get the Trojans rolling.

"I loved the way Nasir went after him and made it happen," said Coach Erisman. "He found himself down in a tough situation and had to come back. Pumped for him."

Fresh off the first win, Brennan Van Hoecke pinned his opponent in the second period of the 141-pound bout, completely dominating the match. If it weren't for the fall, it would've likely been a second period tech fall for the redshirt sophomore, who had a 14-0 lead before he stuck the Cal Poly wrestler.

Coach Erisman wasn't surprised, adding, "We've always known BVH was capable of that type of performance. We've been very happy with his consistency and toughness. It's really starting to pay off."

Perhaps the most meaningful upset of the night went to Joseph Bianchi at 165 pounds, taking down #25 Luka Wick in overtime with a clutch finish. Despite a mishap in the third period tying the match at 7-7, the older of the two Bianchi brothers on the roster proved steady to earn the final takedown and end it in sudden victory.

"Joey had a tough start to the year and lost that match at the National Duals," explained Coach Erisman. "Glad to see him get the match back. He wrestled really tough and we're extremely happy for him."

Two other Trojans collected big bonus points: Matty Bianchi and Stephen Little. Both came away with finishes in the second period, while the former shut out his opponent 16-0 and the latter took care of business with his usual commanding routine for a 19-4 win.

Wrapping up the day's individual winners was Tyler Brennan, who took advantage of a sloppy shot by his foe to finish on top late in the third period and bring home a 4-0 decision.
 
The Trojans will close the dual season on Sunday, heading over to CSU-Bakersfield to face the hosts around 4 p.m. CT after wrestling North Dakota State onsite at 1 p.m. CT. Defeating the Roadrunners will give Little Rock a perfect sweep in conference duals to end the regular season on a high note.


Box Score: #15 Little Rock 25, Cal Poly 14
125: #30 Koda Holeman (Cal Poly) over Jayden Carson (Little Rock) (Dec 1-0)
133: #9 Nasir Bailey (Little Rock) over #2 Zeth Romney (Cal Poly) (Dec 8-2)
141: Brennan Van Hoecke (Little Rock) over Caleb Park (Cal Poly) (Fall 3:36)
149: #9 Chance Lamer (Cal Poly) over #13 Jordan Williams (Little Rock) (Dec 7-2)
157: #12 Matty Bianchi (Little Rock) over Gavin Fernandez (Cal Poly) (TF 16-0 4:06)
165: #33 Joseph Bianchi (Little Rock) over #25 Luka Wick (Cal Poly) (SV-1 10-7)
174: Tyler Brennan (Little Rock) over Kendall La Rosa (Cal Poly) (Dec 4-0)
184: Daschle Lamer (Cal Poly) over Triston Wills (Little Rock) (MD 14-6)
197: #7 Stephen Little (Little Rock) over Joshua Harkey (Cal Poly) (TF 19-4 4:26)
285: #22 Trevor Tinker (Cal Poly) over Branson Britten (Little Rock) (MD 11-3)

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