Arkansas Wrestle (All images via lrtrojans.com)
CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. — Little Rock’s Matty Bianchi maintained his unbeaten record with a perfect run to the 165-pound title at the 2026 Southern Scuffle, helping the Trojans finish third in the 28-team field at the prestigious event hosted by Chattanooga.
Bianchi (12-0) scored all five of his points in the third period of the gold medal match against Army’s Gunner Filipowicz, including a late takedown to secure a 5-1 victory and the top spot on the podium.
Three other Trojans finished as runners-up in their respective weight classes, while another placed seventh, giving Little Rock 106 total points. The Trojans finished behind only Penn State (143.5) and Penn (123.5).
“We had a great weekend — overall a really good job,” head coach Neil Erisman said. “I like the improvement from our team, and we had a lot of moments to be proud of. This is always the toughest month of the year, and we have to stay focused. I’m excited for a good few days of training before we get back to competition.”
Stephen Little suffered his first loss of the season in the 197-pound championship match, falling by a 9-1 decision to top-ranked Josh Barr of Penn State. At 285 pounds, Michael Gasper dropped a 9-5 decision to 12th-ranked Jimmy Mullen of Virginia Tech in the title bout.
Brock Herman was outpointed 13-7 by Penn State’s Connor Pierce in the 149-pound final. At 157 pounds, 19th-ranked Jaivon Jones won his opening consolation match Sunday before securing seventh place with a sudden-victory takedown against Davidson’s Tanner Peake.
Little Rock returns to action Saturday with duals against SIUE and Edinboro in Edwardsville, Ill.
