2015 MAC Championships Brackets 

COLUMBIA, Mo. - Redshirt sophomore Shawn Scott (Holly, Mich./Holly) earned a spot in the 2015 NCAA Championships Sunday, as the Northern Illinois University wrestling team put five individuals on the podium.

Scott's advancement to the NCAA tournament extends the Huskies' streak of consecutive nationals appearances to 44 years. NIU moved up one spot in the team standings by surpassing Eastern Michigan with 40 points.

"The field at 197 is a very talented field and a very deep field, but we feel like we can compete with anybody in the country," said NIU Head Coach Ryan Ludwig. "It's all about getting to the national tournament and we're doing our best to be 100 percent and ready when we get there and let the chips fall where they may. We want to compete well when we get to the national tournament."

Scott wrapped up his NCAA bid in the consolation semifinals against Anthony Abro of Eastern Michigan. After the two finished regulation and sudden victory tied at 1-1, the Huskie redshirt sophomore scored an escape in his half of the tiebreaker. Scott followed by riding out Abro to claim a 2-1 win and secure a spot in St. Louis. With his bid clinched, Scott gave up an injury default to Old Dominion's Kevin Beazley.

At 125, Derek Elmore (Loves Park, Ill./Harlem) ran roughshod through the consolation bracket. The senior opened the day with a 5-3 win over Kent State's Del Vinas, as Elmore picked up a takedown and three nearfall points in the first period to coast to victory.

In the third-place match against Brent Fleetwood of Central Michigan, the Loves Park, Illinois, native flipped the Chippewa and pinned him just a few seconds before the end of the period. Yet, Elmore's bid for an NCAA berth ended in the NCAA placement match, as Northern Iowa's Dylan Peters dealt him a 13-1 defeat.

Meanwhile, Shaun'Qae McMurtry (Lockport, Ill./Lockport Twp.) had a national tournament bid slip away. The redshirt sophomore put himself into the third-place match with a come-from-behind 5-4 win over CMU's Jordan Wohlfert, as McMurtry used an escape and a takedown in the third period to earn the victory. Harrison Hightower of Ohio topped McMurtry, 8-4, in the third-place match to set up an NCAA placement bout against Missouri's Mikey England. With a first-period takedown, England took an early lead to defeat McMurtry, 4-1.

Trace Engelkes (Winnebago, Ill./Winnebago) grabbed a fifth-place finish on the day after a pair of close decisions. Facing CMU's Jordan Ellingwood to start the day, the Winnebago, Illinois, native fell behind, 5-2 midway through the second period. Engelkes battled back, but it was not enough in a 6-4 loss. He came back in the placing match, though, scoring an escape and two takedowns in the third period to knock off Austin Coburn of ODU.

Arthur Bunce (Munith, Mich./Dansville) ended his tournament with a pair of losses. In the consolation semifinals, the redshirt junior lost a 3-1 decision to Kent State's Mimmo Lytle. His last bout of the day ended with a 13-5 major decision loss to Jesse Webb of Ohio.

"Those young guys battled extremely hard," Ludwig said. "We saw some things out of Arthur Bunce this weekend that we've been waiting to see, so that was encouraging. Trace Engelkes (had) very hard-fought matches today and he wrestled extremely tough and extremely well. Same with Shaun'Qae.

"We'll miss Derek on the back side coming off his senior year, but those young guys, the way they competed with fire and went out on the attack. I'm proud of them and we have a lot to build off of next year."

The Huskies close their season in two weeks at the NCAA Championships, which take place March 19-21 in St. Louis, Missouri.

125:Derek Elmore - Third Place
Derek Elmore (NIU) dec. Del Vinas (Kent State), 5-3
Derek Elmore (NIU) pins Brent Fleetwood (Central Michigan), 2:52
*Dylan Peters (Northern Iowa) maj. dec. Derek Elmore (NIU), 13-1

165:Shaun'Qae McMurtry - Fourth Place
Shaun'Qae McMurtry (NIU) dec. Jordan Wohlfert (Central Michigan), 5-4
Harrison Hightower (Ohio) dec. Shaun'Qae McMurtry (NIU), 8-4
*Mikey England (Missouri) dec. Shaun'Qae McMurtry (NIU), 4-1

174:Trace Engelkes - Fifth Place
Jordan Ellingwood (Central Michigan) dec. Trace Engelkes (NIU), 6-4
Trace Engelkes (NIU) dec. Austin Coburn (Old Dominion), 5-4

197:Shawn Scott - Fourth Place
Shawn Scott (NIU) dec. Anthony Abro (Eastern Michigan), 2-1 (OT)
Kevin Beazley (Old Dominion) wins by injury default over Shawn Scott (NIU)

285:Arthur Bunce - Sixth Place
Mimmo Lytle (Kent State) dec. Arthur Bunce (NIU), 3-1
Jesse Webb (Ohio) maj. dec. Arthur Bunce (NIU), 13-5

*NCAA placement match (does not affect team scoring)