Arkansas Wrestle (All images via lrtrojans.com)
DAVIDSON, N.C. – Back-to-back dual wins at the Davidson Duals contributed to another record for Little Rock wrestling: this time, a new program-high dual wins in a single season as the Trojans move to 7-4 on the year.
Little Rock took out the host team 45-3 before downing Cleveland State 41-3 on day one of the Davidson Duals, with two more matches to go on Friday. The Trojans won 18 of the 20 bouts, piecing together 6 falls, 4 technical falls, and 3 major decisions.
That’s team win six this year, the most we’ve earned in a single season yet.#LittleRocksTeam | #ROCKedUp pic.twitter.com/wtdUkiRulO
— Little Rock Wrestling (@LittleRockWRES) January 11, 2024
“Today was a good day,” remarked head coach Neil Erisman. “I felt like the guys needed to be challenged after our first dual, because we were missing a good bit of our edge. I loved the way we responded to the challenge. We turned it up and wrestled great the second dual.”
Stephen Little collected the most team points at 197 pounds, turning in a first-period pin against Davidson before taking home a technical fall versus Cleveland State. Nasir Bailey also had a high-scoring day, earning two victories by tech fall in each of his matches. Meanwhile, Cael Keck put together a tech fall of his own in his first career dual start, stepping into the lineup at 141 pounds.
Notably, Tyler Brennan earned his seventh pin of the season, tying his own program-high record wins by fall (shared with Josiah Hill) that the pair set two years ago. Hill is not far off, picking up his sixth win by pin today as well.
The other wins by fall were secured by Triston Wills, Joseph Bianchi and Jeremiah Reno. Wills helped string together a trio of consecutive pins in the match against Davidson, while Bianchi and Reno each collected clutch second-period pins when they took advantage of their opponents’ missteps. It was Wills’ third fall of the season and the second this year for Bianchi and Reno.
Little Rock will finish day two of the Davidson Duals tomorrow, beginning at 10 a.m. EST with a match against Lock Haven before concluding the trip with a dual versus Presbyterian.
“Tomorrow is going to be a great test against a tough Lock Haven team,” added Coach Erisman. “They have built a great program and I look forward to seeing how we compete tomorrow. I believe if we focus on scoring points and staying laser focused on what we do, it should be a good day too.”
Little Rock fans should also mark their calendars for a homecoming. Following the road trip, the Trojans will return to the Jack Stephens Center next week for a 7 p.m. conference home opener against ranked Arizona State on Friday, January 19.
Little Rock 45, Davidson 3
125: Jeremiah Reno (Little Rock) win by forfeit
133: Nasir Bailey (Little Rock) TF John Hager (Davidson), 17-1 (3:28)
141: Cael Keck (Little Rock) TF Joshua Viarengo (Davidson), 16-1
149: Tyler-Xavier McKnight (Davidson) DEC Kyle Dutton (Little Rock), 9-3
157: Matty Bianchi (Little Rock) MD Tanner Peake (Davidson), 11-1
165: Joey Bianchi (Little Rock) DEC Marc Koch (Davidson), 5-1
174: Tyler Brennan (Little Rock) F Brett Sanderlin (Davidson) (5:36)
184: Triston Wills (Little Rock) F Wyatt Ferguson (Davidson) (6:55)
197: Stephen Little (Little Rock) F Cameo Blankenship (Davidson) (2:09)
285: Josiah Hill (Little Rock) MD Jake Fernicola (Davidson), 9-1
Little Rock 41, Cleveland State 3
125: Jeremiah Reno (Little Rock) F Ben Aranda (Cleveland State), 4:09
133: Nasir Bailey (Little Rock) TF Canyon Wells (Cleveland State), 17-0
141: Dylan Layton (Cleveland State) DEC Cael Keck (Little Rock), 5-2
149: Kyle Dutton (Little Rock) DEC Douglas Terry (Cleveland State), 10-6
157: Matty Bianchi (Little Rock) MD Shane Heil (Cleveland State), 14-2
165: Joseph Bianchi (Little Rock) F Tate Geiser (Cleveland State), 3:46
174: Tyler Brennan (Little Rock) DEC DeAndre Nassar (Cleveland State), 6-0
184: Triston Wills (Little Rock) DEC Joey Lyons (Cleveland State), 4-0
197: Stephen Little (Little Rock) TF Carson Smith (Cleveland State), 18-3
285: Josiah Hill (Little Rock) F Mason Cover (Cleveland State), 6:49
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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