Little Rock Wrestling continues to make waves thanks to junior
Brennan Van Hoecke bringing home a bronze medal Wednesday after reaching the podium at the 2025 Junior Pan American Games in Asuncion, Paraguay.
The Fort Myers, Fla. native needed just 21 seconds to pin his opponent from Brazil in the bronze medal match after wrestling to an 11-11 draw in the opening round of the 67 kg Greco-Roman bracket, a match Van Hoecke would ultimately lose on criteria. With his opening round opponent advancing to the final round, that allowed Van Hoecke to claim a spot in the bronze medal match.
"Being able to compete at the Pan American games was one of the coolest experiences I've ever had. Being able to represent Team USA and Little Rock at the games was very exciting. I may have come back with gold – which was my goal – but I still was able to come back with some hardware," Van Hoecke said. "Going on this trip was a huge learning experience. Being able to learn from my mistakes and improve gets me excited for the next year at Little Rock. I can't wait to compete for Little Rock this next season."
Van Hoecke turned in his best year as a Trojan during the 2024-25 season, finishing 14-8 with five wins by fall in the 141- and 149-pound divisions. Entering his fourth year, Van Hoecke has compiled a career record of 31-23 with 11 wins by fall. He is also a 2025 NWCA Scholar All-American.
"We are very proud of Brennan … he worked hard all summer to be ready for this," Little Rock head wrestling coach Neil Erisman said. "He started with a tough loss but fought back to win the bronze, showing a lot of grit and heart. We're excited to get him back to Little Rock."
