The 'Cats (12-8, 2-7) head into the Big Ten Championships on a three meet winning streak.
Northwestern won 14 of 16 contested matches on Saturday. Six wrestlers won both of their bouts, including heavyweight Mike McMullan who pinned both of his opponents in the first period.
McMullan beat George Mason’s Andrew Thomas with a fall in just 55 seconds before getting another quick pin over American’s Chris McDermand in 2:27.
Alex Polizzi scored 11 points for the Wildcats at 197 lbs. over the course of both duals with a 17-0 tech fall of Derek Dwyer (George Mason) and a seond-period fall of Brett Dempsey (American). The Northwestern senior accumulated three takedowns and four near-falls on the way to both of his victories.
Polizzi continues to climb the ranks among all Division I wrestlers in wins by fall. He picked up his 10th such win of the year on Saturday, placing him in a tie for sixth. Polizzi is second in the Big Ten behind only Indiana’s Taylor Walsh (15).
Dominick Malone (133), Jameson Oster (141), Jason Tsirtsis (149) and Pierce Harger (165) also added a pair of wins to their season totals.
The Wildcats got off to a great start against George Mason when Garrison White (125) scored a pair of takedowns and three near-fall points en route to a 14-0 major decision over Ibrahim Banduka. Malone followed that with a 6-3 decision over Vince Rodriguez to put NU up 7-0.
Oster used two takedowns, a three-point near fall and a reversal to earn a 10-2 major decision over Sahid Kargbo, and the defending NCAA champion Tsirtsis followed with a 9-2 decision over Blake Roulo to give the ‘Cats a commanding 14-0 advantage.
Sandwiched between forfeits at 157 and 174, Harger rode out his opponent for the entire third period to take a 4-0 decision. Mitch Sliga (184) followed with an 8-2 win over Daniel Mika thanks to a pair of third-period takedowns.
The tech fall by Polizzi and fall by McMullan put the finishing touches on Northwestern’s 31-12 win over the Patriots.
Northwestern won three straight matches after American opened up to an early 5-0 lead. Malone jumped out to an early lead on Josh Terao and held on for a 5-2 decision. Oster followed with a thrilling match against Michael Sprague. The bout was tied at one with the clock winding down when Oster scored a takedown with 12 seconds remaining to secure the 3-1 win.
Tsirtsis picked up his 30th win of the season with a 19-4 tech fall of Tom Page. The red-shirt sophomore scored six takedowns and two near-falls in the match to give Northwestern an 11-5 lead.
Harger again helped negate two forfeits by beating Brad Mutchnik by tech fall. The senior won 21-5 with six takedowns, a reversal and two near-falls to win his sixth consecutive match.
American grabbed a 20-16 lead with two matches remaining, but Polizzi and McMullan pinned both of their respective opponents to give the Wildcats the 28-20 victory.
Northwestern will be back in action on March 7 and 8 at St. John Arena in Columbus, Ohio for the 2015 Big Ten Championships. The NCAA Championships will be held at the Scottrade Center in St. Louis from March 19-21.
Northwestern 31, George Mason 12
125: Garrison White maj. dec. Ibrahim Banduka, 14-0
133: #20 Dominick Malone dec. Vince Rodriguez, 6-3
141: Jameson Oster maj. dec. Sahid Kargbo, 10-2
149: #3 Jason Tsirtsis dec. Blake Roulo, 9-2
157: Gregory Flouner Win by Forfeit
165: #7 Pierce Harger dec. Patrick Davis, 4-0
174: Ryan Forrest Win by Forfeit
184: Mitch Sliga dec. Daniel Mika, 8-2
197: #18 Alex Polizzi tech fall Derek Dwyer, 17-0
285: #3 Mike McMullan fall Andrew Thomas, 0:55
Northwestern 28, American 20
125: #16 David Terao tech fall Garrison White, 20-5
133: #20 Dominick Malone dec. Josh Terao, 5-2
141: Jameson Oster dec. Michael Sprague, 3-1
149: #3 Jason Tsirtsis tech fall Tom Page, 19-4
157: John Boyle Win by Forfeit
165: #7 Pierce Harger tech fall Brad Mutchnik, 21-5
174: Jason Grimes Win by Forfeit
184: Jeric Kasunic dec. Mitch Sliga, 5-2
197: #18 Alex Polizzi fall Brett Dempsey, 4:00
285: #3 Mike McMullan fall Chris McDermand, 2:27
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