Recap URL: http://www.nusports.com/sports/m-wrestl/recaps/031612aaj.html 

McMullan Joins NU's List of All-Americans 

Redshirt freshman McMullan becomes 36th different NU All-American, joins Welch

March 16, 2012

Watch Video from Session I on Wildcats All Access!

Watch an Interview with Welch After Session III on Wildcats All Access!

2012 NCAA Wrestling Championships – Session IV
Site: Scottrade Center (St. Louis, Mo.)
NU Result: T-12/32.5
Championship Website: NCAA.com
Live Stats & Updated Brackets: TrackWrestling.com 
Twitter Updates: @NU_SportsLive / #d1wrestle / #NCAAWrestle

2012 NCAA Championship Bracket

Complete Schedule
Session V (Saturday, March 17, 10 a.m. CT): ESPNU / ESPN3.com
Session VI (Saturday, March 17, 6:30 p.m. CT): ESPN / ESPN3.com

ST. LOUIS, Mo.-- Northwestern can officially add another name to its list of All-Americans as redshirt freshman Mike McMullan won two bouts Friday night to assure he will place in the top six at heavyweight. No. 10 seed McMullan edged No. 11 seed Tucker Lane of Nebraska on riding time, 4-3, to become the 36th different NU All-American in school history and then beat BinghamtonÂ’s Nick Gwiazdowski to assure a top-six finish. Junior Jason Welch clinched his second top-six finish earlier Friday, winning his quarterfinal match and is NUÂ’s 15th two-time All-American. In total, the Wildcats now have 58 All-America honors won by 36 different wrestlers.

McMullan also is the first NU redshirt freshman to achieve All-America status since Jake Herbert began his string of four-straight honors (including two national titles) in 2005, placing third at 184.

After four sessions, Northwestern is tied with Edinboro and Oklahoma for 12th with 32.5 points.

McMullan won an exciting match to assure his placement in the top eight during his first trip to the NCAA championships. He scored the lone takedown of the match in impressive fashion as he kept his tiptoes in bounds at the edge of the mat to lead 2-0 at the 2:27 mark. Lane escaped at 1:56, giving McMullan the 2-1 lead going into the second. McMullan started the second period down and extended his lead to 3-1 with an escape. Things then got tight in the third period but McMullan assured the win as he reached over a minute of riding time (1:03) with Lane starting the third down. Lane eventually escaped at the 1:14 mark, giving McMullan the 3-2 lead. Lane would then tie it at 3-3 as McMullan was whistled for two stall calls, the second coming with 16 seconds left, but neither scored the rest of the way as McMullan hung on for the 4-3 win with 1:03 of riding time.

He then took in BinghamtonÂ’s Nick Gwiazdowski, who after dropping his first match, won five-straight bouts in the wrestlebacks before facing McMullan. After a scoreless first, McMullan jumped out to a 3-0 lead with an escape and takedown, again on the edge of the mat. Gwiazdowski got on the board with an escape to end the period. McMullan once again racked up a sizeable amount of riding time, starting the third on top before Gwiazdowski tied things up on a reversal. Aware of his riding time, McMullan managed to escape to preserve the point and win, 5-3. He now has the task of taking on top-seeded Ryan Flores of American in the consolation semifinals Saturday morning.

No. 3 Jason Welch met IowaÂ’s No. 2 seed Derek St. John in the semifinals, marking their fifth match in two years and second time in as many weeks. It was nearly a scoreless first period after Welch took a number of shots, but St. John was able to counter and scored a takedown, the first against Welch this tournament, in the closing seconds to lead 2-0. Welch chose down to start the second and was unable to escape as St. John racked up riding time. In the third, St. John scored off a reversal to lead 4-0. Welch managed an escape with 1:32 left on the bout but was unable to score anymore in St. JohnÂ’s 5-1 decision. Welch now faces No. 6 James Fleming of Clarion as he continues to fight for third place at 157.

The medal rounds of the 2012 NCAA Wrestling Championships begin tomorrow at 10 a.m. inside the Scottrade Center.

Session III - Semifinals
157: No. 2 Derek St. John (Iowa) dec No. 3 Jason Welch, 5-1
 
Wrestlebacks
Hwt: No. 10 Mike McMullan dec No. 11 Tucker Lane (Nebraska), 4-3
Hwt: No. 10 Mike McMullan dec Nick Gwiazdowski (Binghamton), 5-3
 
Session V Schedule
Consolation Semifinals
157: No. 3 Jason Welch vs. No. 6 James Fleming (Clarion)
Previous meeting: Welch dec Fleming, 5-0 at 2011 NCAA Championships – 3/17/11
 
Hwt: No. 10 Mike McMullan vs. No. 1 Ryan Flores (American)
First meeting

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