Arkansas Wrestle (All images via lrtrojans.com)
SAN FRANCISCO – For the second time in as many years, the Pac-12 Conference has named head coach Neil Erisman the Coach of the Year following the conclusion of the 2024-25 wrestling season. He is the first Pac-12 coach to earn back-to-back Coach of the Year awards since 2018.
Under the guidance of Coach Erisman and his coaching staff, the Trojans followed up their breakout year with yet another season of dominance both in their conference and nationally. Little Rock rose as high as #15 in the country out of all Division I wrestling schools and won their second consecutive Pac-12 Dual Meet title after handily taking down every other wrestling team in the conference.
Little Rock was tabbed #15 for the first time on February 11 officially, and stayed put for the remainder of the season. The Trojans began the year at #20 and steadily rose following a successful showing at several top duals in December and January. The program-high ranking was bolstered by the fact that the Trojans also tallied the most dual meet wins among all Division I teams over the last two years, collecting 32 wins total.
The team’s 17 dual wins this year, as well as their .850 winning percentage for the 2024-25 season, are both program-highs. Last year, Little Rock collected 15 wins, tripling their dual win total from year-to-year and besting three top-25 ranked teams as well.
At the NCAA Tournament, Coach Erisman led the team to a top 20 finish as a team for the second year in a row as well, coming in 17th overall – two spots higher than last year. The program crowned its newest All-American, Matty Bianchi, and came home with its first two-time All-American, Stephen Little. The Trojans also crowned a program-high number of conference champions at the Pac-12 Tournament before heading to the national championships.
Read the full Pac-12 Conference release here.
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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