Northwestern
Rutgers
Five Wildcats Win in First Ever Meeting with Rutgers
2/8/2015 12:00:00 AM | Wrestling
| #24 Rutgers 22, #23 Northwestern 19 Welsh-Ryan Arena • Evanston, Ill. |
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EVANSTON, Ill. - Five Wildcats picked up wins in a close dual against Rutgers Sunday night. Pierce Harger (165), Alex Polizzi (197), Mike McMullan (285), Garrison White (125), and Jason Tsirtsis (149) all put Northwestern on the board, but the 23rd-ranked Wildcats fell to No. 24 Rutgers, 22-19.
Harger won career match number 99 with a 4-0 decision over Nick Visicaro at 165 lbs.
Harger started off the match with a takedown in the opening seconds. He rode Visicaro out for the entire second period, and after an escape in the third, he picked up a second takedown and rode out Visicaro for the rest of the match, picking up almost five minutes in riding time. The eighth-ranked wrestler will look to pick up his 100th career win in his last match at Welsh-Ryan Arena next Friday.
16th-ranked Polizzi kicked off a three match win streak for Northwestern with a fall of Hayden Hrymack at 197 lbs. Polizzi started the first period off with a bang, getting a takedown and riding out Hrymack the rest of the period. He held Hrymack down for the entire second period and picked up two near fall points with just seconds remaining on the clock. In the third period, Polizzi earned an escape, a takedown and a fall in just 32 seconds.
Polizzi ranks among the best in the nation in falls. The pin was his ninth of the season and places him sixth on the list of all Division I wrestlers. Polizzi is tied for second in the Big Ten.
McMullan dominated at 285 lbs., besting No. 14 Billy Smith 8-2 for his sixth win over a ranked opponent this season. The fourth-ranked McMullan picked up a takedown in the first period and rode Smith out for the entire second period. McMullan added a couple takedowns in the third to clinch the victory.
The win was number 20 on the season for the Northwestern heavyweight and his 91st career.
White made it three in a row for Northwestern, beating Sean McCabe in a close 7-5 match at 125 lbs. White struck first with a takedown and two near fall points in the first period. After riding McCabe for much of the second, White held on in a frantic third period to win the match and snap a three-match skid.
The dual ended with a strong performance by Tsirtsis at 149 lbs. The third-ranked wrestler took control of the match on his way to a 12-2 major decision over No. 17 Ken Theobold. He took Theobold down in the opening seconds of the match and rode him out for the remainder of the first period. Tsirtsis extended his lead in the second period with a takedown and nearfall points and then continued to pull away in the third with two more takedowns for his second straight win by major decision.
Northwestern will honor its four seniors in their last match at Welsh-Ryan Arena on Friday, Feb. 13. The Wildcats take on Maryland in the first conference meeting between the teams. The match is scheduled to begin at 7 p.m.
Results
157: #16 Anthony Perrotti (RU) Win by Forfeit
165: #8 Pierce Harger (NU) dec. Nick Visicaro (RU), 4-0
174: Phil Bakuckas (RU) Win by Forfeit
184: Anthony Pafumi (RU) dec. Mitch Sliga (NU), 6-2
197: #16 Alex Polizzi (NU) fall Hayden Hrymack (RU), 5:32
285: #4 Mike McMullan (NU) dec. #14 Billy Smith (RU), 8-2
125: Garrison White (NU) dec. Sean McCabe (RU), 7-5
133: #18 Scott DelVecchio (RU) maj. dec. Dominick Malone (NU), 10-1
141: #9 Anthony Ashnault (RU) dec. Jameson Oster (NU), 4-2
149: #3 Jason Tsirtsis (NU) maj. dec. #17 Ken Theobold (RU), 12-2
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