Northwestern University Athletics
Six Wildcats Among Nation's Best
1/23/2015 12:00:00 AM | Wrestling
NCAA Coaches' Panel Rankings
EVANSTON, Ill. - The NCAA released the first of four coaches' rankings on Thursday, and six Northwestern wrestlers were voted among the nation's top 25 in their respective weight classes.
Jason Tsirtsis received the top ranking from the coaches at 149 lbs. At 24-0 this year and in the midst of a 40-match winning streak, Tsirtsis has been recognized as the No. 1 wrestler in his weight class for the entirety of the 2014-15 season. He is scheduled to take on third-ranked Brandon Sorenson when Northwestern takes on Iowa Friday night in Iowa City.
The coaches voted Mike McMullan fourth at heavyweight. The senior is 17-2 overall with a 12-1 mark in dual matches. He has defeated three ranked wrestlers, including a win over then-No. 1 Nick Gwiazdowski of North Carolina State in the NWCA All-Star Classic. On Friday, McMullan will match up against the coaches' top choice, Bobby Telford.
Pierce Harger is ranked No. 7 at 165 lbs., giving the Wildcats three top-10 wrestlers. Harger is on a roll of late, winning by fall in just 54 seconds over Purdue's Patrick Robinson on Jan. 16 and beating then-No. 4 Taylor Walsh of Indiana in a 15-0 tech fall on Jan. 18. He has put together a 19-3 campaign with a 12-1 mark in duals.
Rounding out the rankings for the Wildcats are Alex Polizzi (11th - 197 lbs.), Dominick Malone (23rd - 133 lbs.) and Jameson Oster (24th - 141 lbs.). Polizzi is 20-5 with eight pins. Malone has 16 wins this season and reached 50 career victories against Indiana. Oster is 15-6 and riding a scoring hot-streak, winning his last three matches by major decision twice and fall once.
The coaches' rankings are one part of the selection process for the 2015 NCAA Wrestling Championships, which will take place March 19-21 at the Scottrade Center in St. Louis.
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