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Little Rock has become anything but a little program during the 2023-24 season. Although Little Rock’s program is still taking baby steps, the program has been setting records each week. “There is a big gratitude for all the guys for believing in what we are doing and they have bought in so many different ways,” coach Neil Erisman said. “We always believed we could be this type of team and it’s fun to see it come together.” Little Rock’s achievements have come in various ways, including nine dual wins and counting, being ranked top 25 for the first time, finishing top 10 at multiple tournaments, and more. The Trojans have been able to create these records while competing in its fifth season. “It starts with the quality and character of the kids we are recruiting,” Erisman said. “We get the right guys who love what we talk about, what we believe in, and jump wholeheartedly into it.” Even though Little Rock continues to rise, it was not always smooth sailing for the Trojans. First, Erisman and the squad had to celebrate the small victories. “It started with celebrating that we didn’t get tech falled in a match,” Erisman said. “Through that, it gave the guys a real sense of gratefulness.” In addition, Erisman and his staff had to make sure to keep confidence flowing high despite tough times. Lastly, Erisman stated the toughest thing about building Little Rock is having no mentors for the wrestlers. “In the end, the culture of your team is who they are when the coaches are not around,” Erisman said. “When you have a group of young kids coming in and buying into a dream, they don’t know it and haven’t been through it. Everything they were doing, they were learning for the first time.” Luckily, Joseph Bianchi, Tyler Brennan, and a couple of other Trojans have continued to build a culture since the first day on campus. “They didn’t quit, which goes a long way,” Erisman said. “I have some guys who stayed the course when it looked like it wasn’t possible and now they are showing these young guys. I can’t be grateful enough for the old guys who were mentally and physically strong enough to survive what we had gone through.” In addition, Little Rock’s underclassmen have provided a spark. “It’s not a greater feeling than a young guy helping change the culture towards a higher level of success,” Erisman said. “Nasir Bailey and Stephen Little have elevated the mentality and expectations. They bet on themselves and it gave some of the other guys confidence.” Bailey currently ranks 13th at 133 pounds with a 16-2 record. He is the first Little Rock freshman to win Pac-12 Wrestler of the Week, to be ranked and upset a ranked wrestler. Little ranks 11th with a record of 11-2. The redshirt freshman defeated a top 5 ranked wrestler and was the first Trojan to be ranked top 10. “You can get hyped up that Nasir and Stephen will be in a match they can win,” Erisman said. “Last year, we got our first-ranked wins. It shows things are possible.” As the postseason is arriving, Little Rock’s final goal is to finish in the top 25 in the country. In addition, they have the confidence to shock their rivals and win a Pac-12 title. Although Erisman is still looking to build Little Rock into the next powerhouse, he is grateful for the first five years at Little Rock. “I have enjoyed doing this journey with all these guys, especially seeing the older guys mature,” Erisman said. “I saw some pictures and videos and they were babies when they got here. I am grateful for them because we have been through a lot together.”

We're officially in the second half of the collegiate wrestling season and have a full schedule of DI duals this week. A total of 50 duals will be contested. Since it can be difficult to figure out where and when to watch all of these events, InterMat has put together a list of all of the live-streamed events occurring this week. Below are the dates/times and how to watch each match (with links). At this time there is no link for the Cal Poly/Oregon State match on Friday night. We'll monitor and update this if will be on the Pac-12 Network. All times listed are Eastern. Friday, January 19: Chattanooga at Duke 6:00 PM ACC Network Extra Penn State at Michigan 6:00 PM Big Ten Network Rutgers at Michigan State 6:00 PM B1G+ Presbyterian at Bellarmine 7:00 PM ESPN+ Morgan State at Bucknell 7:00 PM ESPN+ Northern Illinois at Cleveland State 7:00 PM FloWrestling Penn at Lehigh 7:00 PM FloWrestling Buffalo at Lock Haven 7:00 PM PSAC Digital Network George Mason at Ohio 7:00 PM ESPN+ Maryland at Ohio State 7:00 PM B1G+ Drexel at Princeton 7:00 PM ESPN+ Purdue at Iowa 8:00 PM Big Ten Network Arizona State at Little Rock 8:00 PM Little Rock Sports Network Northern Colorado at South Dakota State 8:00 PM FloWrestling Cal Poly at Oregon State 9:00 PM Pac-12 Network (Digital??) Nebraska at Minnesota 10:00 PM Big Ten Network Saturday, January 20: Sacred Heart at Harvard 2:00 PM ESPN+ Navy at Lehigh 2:00 PM FloWrestling Northwestern at Illinois 3:00 PM B1G+ California Baptist at North Dakota State 8:00 PM NDSU All-Access Wyoming at Utah Valley 8:00 PM UVU Live YouTube Sunday, January 21: Kent State at Clarion 12:00 PM FloWrestling LIU vs. Morgan State at Clarion 12:00 PM Stanford at Penn 12:00 PM ESPN+ Edinboro at Central Michigan 12:00 PM ESPN+ Lock Haven at Bloomsburg 1:00 PM PSAC Digital Network Rutgers at Michigan 1:00 PM B1G+ Penn State at Michigan State 1:00 PM B1G+ Chattanooga at VMI 1:00 PM ESPN+ The Citadel at Appalachian State 2:00 PM AppStateSports YouTube Navy at Binghamton 2:00 PM ESPN+ American at Bucknell 2:00 PM ESPN+ LIU at Clarion 2:00 PM FloWrestling Kent State vs. Morgan State at Clarion 2:00 PM Maryland at Indiana 2:00 PM B1G+ Purdue at Nebraska 2:00 PM B1G+ Northern Colorado at North Dakota State 2:00 PM NDSU All-Access Arizona State at Pittsburgh 2:00 PM ACC Network Extra Hofstra at Franklin & Marshall 3:00 PM Centennial Conference TV Oregon State at Oklahoma State 3:00 PM ESPN+ Queens at Presbyterian 3:00 PM ESPN+ California Baptist at South Dakota State 3:00 PM FloWrestling Ohio State at Wisconsin 3:00 PM Big Ten Network Greensboro at Appalachian State 3:30 PM AppStateSports YouTube Army West Point at Binghamton 4:00 PM ESPN+ Morgan State at Clarion 4:00 PM FloWrestling Kent State vs. LIU at Clarion 4:00 PM Stanford at Drexel 4:30 PM FloWrestling CSU Bakersfield at Cal Poly 6:00 PM FloWrestling Campbell at Davidson 6:00 PM FloWrestling

The B1G Ten dual meet season is in full swing and things are heating up. Between new heavyweights making appearances, incredible atmospheres, and buzzer-beating takedowns, it’s already been an exciting time for fans. With that being said, let’s take a look at five moments from the past week that caught our eye. Turley and Blockhus Claim Big Upsets Later on in this article, you’ll hear about Iowa rolling to some dominating wins. But I want to draw some attention to the upset win at 157 when the Hawkeyes took on Minnesota. Michael Blockhus came back this season on a mission, and he’s had some missteps so far, but on Monday night he was ready to battle. Late in the bout as he trailed 4-2 to #2-ranked Jared Franek, the Bellator MMA fighter, collected the winning takedown and rideout to hand Franek his first loss of the season. On the East Coast, Rutgers All-American Jackson Turley brewed up his own upset du jour against undefeated Donnell Washington of Indiana, who came in ranked 9th at 174. But Turley went big as he defeated Washington by 15-0 technical. Turley threw a bag of tricks at Washington and everything hit. It was one of those moments we’ve seen from Turley where everything is clicking. If the same person shows up in March he will find himself on the podium once again. Penn State Flawlessly Flexes Even for a squad as deadly as Penn State, a team that epitomizes track 2 of Dj Khaled’s Victory album, flawlessness is rare. However, it was accomplished last weekend when the Nittany Lions shutout Indiana 46-0. But it wasn’t just the shutout that I’m talking about, PSU didn’t give up a takedown throughout the entire dual. This weekend they face off against a high-powered Michigan team in what will surely be a must-watch dual. Iowa continues to roll Admittedly, I didn’t know what to think of the Hawkeyes before the season began. I figured they’d be a strong team, but at the time there were pending suspensions, transfers in and out of the program, and speculations on who would step up in the lineup. Fast forward to now, and Iowa is 7-0 and has shown that they remain one of the toughest teams to beat in the country. Despite some fireworks from a few short weeks ago, from a competitive standpoint the team appears to have rallied and guys have stepped up. Patrick Kennedy has looked better in the lineup at 174, Zach Glazier has proven to be a real competitor at 197 after beating the returning B1G champ Silas Allred Friday night, and Drake Ayala appears to be a national championship threat at 125. Not to mention we got our first sighting of Ben Kueter at heavyweight Monday night against Minnesota. The Hawkeyes next dual is this Friday against Purdue at Carver Hawkeye Arena. Michigan with a strong weekend Michigan traveled to Maryland Friday before returning home to take on the Michigan State Spartans Sunday at the Crisler Center. These duals weren’t supposed to be huge challenges for the Wolverines, but in the B1G conference, anything can happen. To their credit, they took care of business in both duals. Against Maryland, Michigan only lost one match to #5-ranked Jason Smith at 197. They even got a win at 157 with Zack Mattin filling in for Will Lewan. Despite some travel issues, Michigan made it back in time to take on the Spartans in Ann Arbor. Caleb Fish got a win over #5 Cameron Amine in dramatic fashion, but that match was expected to be close, as it always is. Next up the Wolverines have their biggest test of the season as they welcome the Nittany Lions to Ann Arbor Friday night, followed by the Scarlet Knights of Rutgers Sunday. Maryland Bounces Back on Sunday Despite a tough dual against Michigan Friday night, the Terrapins bounced back against Northwestern on Sunday. After dropping the first match at 125, Maryland rattled off three straight technical falls at 133, 141, and 149, followed by an upset win for Michael North by fall over #13 Trevor Chumbley. That stretch led to 21 of their eventual 29 dual meet points. Their next two wins came in come-from-behind fashion by Dominic Solis at 174 and eventually a technical fall at 197 from Jaxon Smith. Six wins is typically enough to win a dual meet, but especially when five of those six are technical falls, or pins. Maryland wrestles Ohio State in Columbus next on Friday. It’ll be interesting to see how this dual ends up with Ohio State dealing with a slew of injuries to their starting lineup. They remain very tough though, so this should end up being a fun dual to watch. Bonus Points Check out this week’s conference crossover conversation. Holmes, Claunch, and Wendell discuss Nebraska vs Iowa, Andonian’s injury and some of Cornell’s studs looking gassed against Lehigh.

This week on the Conference Crossover Conversation, the guys recap some of the highlights from the last week, such as the Iowa/Nebraska dual, Lehigh/Cornell, notable happenings in the ACC and Big Ten, along with the injury woes of Ohio State. They also look ahead to another busy week of quality events and much more. For the full show: Click Here