When University of Arkansas at Little Rock wrestling Coach Neil Erisman halted practice March 9 to call a team huddle, senior Paul Bianchi figured he and his teammates were in trouble.
"I thought [Erisman] was going to yell at all of us for not warming up good enough," Bianchi said. "It's happened before."
Instead, Erisman sported a grin as he announced to his team that Bianchi -- who wrestles in the 133-pound weight class -- had received one of the 64 at-large bids to the NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships.
The selection etched Bianchi a place in history as the first UALR wrestler to qualify for the postseason event after the program began in 2019.