True freshman Dominick Malone got things started for the ’Cats with a 2-1 victory over MSU’s Brendan Lyon at 125. Each wrestler traded escapes in the second and third period and 19th-ranked Malone won with 1:25 of riding time.
Fellow true freshman Garrison White kept things rolling for NU and picked up his first Big Ten victory with the 6-1 decision over Brandon Fifield at 133. White stormed out to a 5-0 lead in the first with a takedown and three nearfall points and accumulated 1:24 of riding time. White started the second period down but was unable to escape as Fifield took over the riding time advantage. The MSU wrestler assumed the top position to start the third and White escaped in the closing seconds to secure the 6-1 win.
Sophomore Pat Greco extended NU’s lead to 9-0 after an 8-2 decision over Nick Trimble at 141. Greco had a 5-0 shutout after two periods with two takedowns and an escape. Trimble started the third period down and scored his first point off an escape but Greco tabbed his third takedown of the match to lead 7-1. Working for the major decision, Greco let Trimble escape shortly after but he was unable to score another takedown and took the 8-2 decision with riding time.
A close decision at 149 lbs. put MSU on the board as Roger Wildmo edged NU sophomore Dylan Marriott, 4-3. Marriott scored the first takedown of the match and had the 3-1 lead in the second, but Wildmo scored a takedown in the closing seconds of the second to tie things up and then the winning escape in the third.
Senior Jason Welch helped NU take the 12-3 lead into the break after his 5-1 decision over Ryan Watts at 157. The senior, who is ranked second in the country, took the 3-0 lead after two periods with a second-period escape and takedown in the closing seconds. Welch then extended his lead to 5-0 with another takedown and Watts scored his lone point of the match off an escape late in the third. The victory was the 20th of the season for Welch.
At 165 lbs., sophomore Pierce Harger won his fifth straight match, shutting out Nick Proctor, 7-0. Harger had a strong first period with a takedown and two nearfall points to go up 4-0. He then escaped early in the second, was awarded a point for two MSU stalling calls in the second and had the riding time advantage in the victory. Harger has won his last five matches in dominating fashion with three shutouts and two first-period falls. The Loveland, Ohio, native has only been taken down once in the last five bouts.
No. 9 Lee Munster picked up another decision, giving NU the 18-3 cushion. Munster scored the lone takedown in his 4-2 victory against Jordan Wohlfert at 174.
True freshman Jacob Berkowitz wrestled a hard-fought match against MSU’s No. 18 John Rizqallah at 184 lbs. Berkowitz nearly had a takedown at the edge of the mat with time winding down in the first but no points were awarded. After a scoreless first, Berkowitz started the second period down and was unable to escape. Rizqallah then scored a reversal in the third period to capture the narrow 3-0 decision.
MSU won another close decision at 197 as Nick McDiarmid edged No. 16 Alex Polizzi. The NU sophomore tallied two escapes but it wasn’t enough as McDiarmid’s first-period takedown and third-period escape gave him the win.
That was the final match of the evening with no bout contested at heavyweight and Northwestern captured the 18-15 dual win.
The Wildcats continue their road trip through the state of Michigan, taking on the 18th-ranked Wolverines Sunday. Match time is set for 1 p.m. CT in Ann Arbor.
Results:
125: #19 Dominick Malone (NU) dec Brendan Lyon (MSU), 2-1 (3-0 NU)
133: Garrison White (NU) dec Brandon Fifield (MSU), 6-1 (6-0 NU)
141: Pat Greco (NU) dec Nick Trimble (MSU), 8-2 (9-0 NU)
149: Roger Wildmo (MSU) dec Dylan Marriott (NU), 4-3 (9-3 NU)
157: #2 Jason Welch (NU) dec Ryan Watts (MSU), 5-1 (12-3 NU)
165: #16 Pierce Harger (NU) dec Nick Proctor (MSU), 7-0 (15-3 NU)
174: #9 Lee Munster (NU) dec Jordan Wohlfert (MSU), 4-2 (18-3 NU)
184: #18 John Rizqallah (MSU) dec Jacob Berkowitz (NU), 3-0 (18-6 NU)
197: Nick McDiarmid (MSU) dec #16 Alex Polizzi (NU), 3-2 (18-9 NU)
Hwt: #7 Michael McClure (MSU) wins by forfeit (18-15 NU)
Recommended Comments
There are no comments to display.
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now