Arkansas Wrestle
(All images via lrtrojans.com)
LITTLE ROCK – The 2023-24 Little Rock wrestling schedule has finally dropped, and the wait was well worth it. This year’s lineup features an exciting home lineup that Trojan fans won’t want to miss, plus a challenging away slate that will set the team up for a strong and productive season.
“Going into our fifth year, this is one of our most balanced and competitive schedules to date,” said head coach Neil Erisman. “We have a lot of great opportunities this year for a lot of guys to make their mark, and I believe our schedule matches our team’s ability.”
“This is the most excited and energized that myself, the staff, and the team has been for a season,” he added. “We are looking forward to what we believe is going to be a memorable year.”
HOME DUALS
Little Rock kicks off season four at home on Nov. 1, dueling Carl Albert State while simultaneously hosting a dual between Ouachita Baptist and Central Oklahoma in an Arkansas vs. Oklahoma showdown. To open the year, fans are encouraged to Pack the Jack while students will receive free pizza.
The first Division I dual will be a White Out match against the Oklahoma Sooners on Nov. 17. A limited amount of white Little Rock t-shirts will be handed to the first fans in the door.
The Trojans will return to the Jack Stephens Center on Jan. 19 for their first conference dual of the year against Arizona State. All military and first responders may get in free to the match with their ID.
Cal Poly will arrive in Little Rock for the second Pac-12 dual on Feb. 3. During the match, the Trojan senior class and alumni will be honored for their contributions to the program.
The final home match of the year is an exciting tri-dual on Feb.11 with Pac-12 opponents CSU-Bakersfield and friendly rivals SIUE. The three back-to-back duals will close out the home schedule and set the Trojans up for postseason.
AWAY COMPETITION
Following the first home dual, Little Rock will head to the Tiger Style Invitational hosted by Mizzou on Nov. 11. It will be the first of three tournaments during the fall semester, followed by the Lindenwood Open on Nov. 18 and the Cougar Clash on Dec. 3, both familiar events for returning Trojans. A full squad will travel to the renowned Southern Scuffle on Jan. 1-2, looking to improve on their top-10 team finish from last year.
The first away matches take place on Dec. 3 as Little Rock takes on Drexel and Clarion at the Dragon Duals. It won’t be the only time this season that the Trojans have back-to-back competitions on the road, as Little Rock’s next away matches will be against Chattanooga, Queens and Lock Haven on Dec. 16 in Chattanooga, Tennessee. Just two days later on Dec. 18, the team will wrestle at the Collegiate Duals in Memphis against heavy hitters Cornell, Pitt, and Iowa State.
The Trojans will be on the road for most of January, with another double dual on Jan. 11 at Davidson with Cleveland State, two teams that Little Rock has not gone head-to-head with yet in their short history. A trip to the West coast for conference duals against Oregon State on Jan. 26 and Stanford on Jan. 28 will close out the month. Finally, one last away dual on Feb. 25 will give the team a chance to polish their moves before the conference tournament.
The Pac-12 Tournament is hosted by Oregon State this year on March 10, where Little Rock will have their chance to qualify several wrestlers for the National Tournament. Postseason continues at the NCAA Championships taking place a week and a half later, from March 21 through March 23.
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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