Northwestern University Athletics
Tsirtsis, McMullan Wrestle for Third on Saturday
3/20/2015 12:00:00 AM | Wrestling
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NCAA Championships • Northwestern: 24.5 points, 18th place Scottrade Center • St. Louis, Mo. Watch the Medal Round | 2015 NCAA Championships Bracket  |
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2015 NCAA Championships Session IV Results
Northwestern Championship Notes
2015 NCAA Championships Home
ST. LOUIS, Mo. - Northwestern suffered a pair of heartbreaking losses in the semifinals of the 2015 NCAA Championships Friday night.
Jason Tsirtsis (149) and Mike McMullan (285) each lost one-point decisions that came down to the wire. Both will try to advance to the third-place match at their respective weight classes tomorrow.
Tsirtsis and McMullan have each earned 2015 All-American status. McMullan is an All-American for the fourth time in his Northwestern career. He is just the third Wildcat wrestler all-time to be named an All-American four times and the first to do it at the same weight class. Tsirtsis receives the honor for the second time in as many years.
Tsirtsis suffered a controversial loss in the semifinals after an apparent takedown was not awarded after video review late in the third period. The No. 3 seed David Habat upset second-seeded Tsirtsis, 3-2, to advance to the 149 lb. finals.
Habat jumped out to a 3-0 lead with an escape and a takedown in the second period, but Tsirtsis battled his way back with a pair of escapes to make it 3-2 midway through the third. With both wrestlers battling for position, Tsirtsis appeared to have the go-ahead takedown near the edge of the mat, but the officials ruled him out of bounds. After a lengthy video review, the call was upheld. Tsirtsis took several shots as the clock wound down, but Habat held him at bay to win the match.
Tsirtsis will wrestle Bryant Clagon from Rider on Saturday morning with a spot in the third-place match on the line. Tsirtsis already boasts a win over Clagon in the NCAA Championships, besting him 2-1 in the second round.
McMullan suffered an excruciating 3-1 loss in sudden victory to Michigan's Adam Coon. McMullan started things off with an escape in the second period to grab a 1-0 lead, but it was countered by Coon's escape in the third.
The last 20 seconds of sudden victory saw a crazy scramble with both wrestlers seemingly in control several times. With just two seconds left, McMullan slipped in the scramble and Coon landed on top for the match-winning takedown.
McMullan will square off against James Lawson of Penn State Saturday morning. The winner advances to the third place match at 285 lbs.
The Wildcats sit in 18th place in the team standings with 24.5 points.
The medal round begins at 10 a.m. Saturday and will be televised live by ESPNU. The finals can be seen on ESPN at 7 p.m.
Semifinal Matches
149: #3 David Habat (EDIN) dec. #2 Jason Tsirtsis (NU), 3-2
285: #6 Adam Coon (MICH) dec. #2 Mike McMullan (NU), 3-1 (SV1)
Wrestlebacks
149: #2 Jason Tsirtsis (NU) vs. #15 Bryant Clagon (RID)
285: #2 Mike McMullan (NU) vs. #8 James Lawson (PSU)
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