Arkansas Wrestle (All images via lrtrojans.com)
LITTLE ROCK – Trojan wrestling returns to Little Rock this Saturday, February 3 at noon for their last dual against a ranked team this season, facing conference foes #23 Cal Poly. Little Rock will also be honoring nine seniors prior to the match.
Seniors Joseph Bianchi, Tyler Brennan, Jayden Carson, Jaylen Carson, Zane Davis, Brooks Sacharczyk, Josh Sarpy, Chase Tebbets, and Triston Wills will be celebrated at 11:45 a.m. before the dual kicks off, so make sure to get to the Jack Stephens Center early to honor some of the pillars of the program. Without their dedication, the team would not be where it is today – ranked number 20 in the nation.
Fans ordering online can receive a special discount. Use the promo code Trojans to purchase tickets online for only $5. Click here to get yours now. For any questions or concerns, please contact the Trojan Ticket Office at 501-916-3257, or email [email protected].
For those unable to make it, the dual will be streamed on the Little Rock Sports Network. Trojans fans can also follow live tweets via the team page @LittleRockWRES.
Coaches Corner
“Excited to be back in the Jack tomorrow,” said head coach Neil Erisman, adding, “Especially to honor those who have built the foundation of our program. We’re facing a tough, tough team in Cal Poly. We have to get back to what we do well, and if we do that we will be in great position. Should be some great match ups throughout the lineup to set us up for an exciting dual.”
Battle for the Pac-12
The race for the regular season title is still on the line. Little Rock is 2-1 in the Pac-12 this season, the first year that they have ever collected more than one win the conference. They took down #24 Arizona State two weeks ago 18-15, then hit the road to split duals. The Trojans bested #16 Oregon State 20-17 last Friday but fell to #17 Stanford, 15-24.
Cal Poly, ranked 23rd in the country, fell to Oregon State by just four points in their conference opener but demolished CSU-Bakersfield, who will be visiting Little Rock next weekend. The Trojans have faced the Mustangs of Cal Poly just three times and have been unable to secure a win just yet. While the Trojans were shut out at home two years ago, they brought it within 15 points last season while in California.
Who’s Hitting the Mat
The probables for this Saturday’s dual against Cal Poly features several Trojans that have had success this year, including a program-high six Little Rock wrestlers ranked simultaneously in the weekly rankings. The Trojans are ranked across various national publications going into the weekend are Nasir Bailey, Joseph Bianchi, Matty Bianchi, Tyler Brennan, Stephen Little and Josiah Hill.
Bailey currently ranks fourth in the nation with nine technical falls over D1 opponents. Both he and Little only have two losses on the season, respectively, as the pair both rank within the top 10 in the nation. Redshirt seniors Tyler Brennan and Joseph Bianchi are just outside the top 20, while Matty Bianchi and Josiah Hill check in within the top 33. 33 is the number of wrestlers per weight class that will advance to the NCAA Tournament.
Cal Poly boasts six ranked wrestlers in their roster, including three top-10 ranked wrestlers. Top ones to watch include #7 Bailey vs Cal Poly’s #9 Zeth Romney at 133 pounds, as well as a fun match at 157 pounds between #31 Bianchi and #32 Legend Lamer of the Mustangs. View the full probables below.
#20 Little Rock Probables
125: Jeremiah Reno or Reid Nelson
133: #7 Nasir Bailey
141: Brennan Van Hoecke or Cael Keck
149: Kyle Dutton
157: #31 Matty Bianchi
165: #25 Joseph Bianchi
174: #24 Tyler Brennan
184: Triston Wills
197: #9 Stephen Little
285: Josiah Hill
#23 Cal Poly Probables
125: #30 Dom Mendez
133: #9 Zeth Romney
141: Abe Hinrichsen
149: #5 Chance Lamer
157: #32 Legend Lamer
165: Michael Goldfeder
174: #10 Adam Kemp
184: Kendall La Rosa
197: Jarad Priest
285: #22 Trevor Tinker
*Rankings via InterMat
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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