DeKALB – Sigma Nu swept Phi Sigma Kappa 2-0 to win back-to-back Tugs championship. In addition to Sigma Nu taking first place and Phi Sigma Kappa finishing in second place, Phi Kappa Psi defeated Alpha Sigma Phi 2-0 to clinch the third place trophy.

To playback the livestreams of Saturday’s matchups, go to the Northern Star’s YouTube channel.

CHAMPIONSHIP MATCH: SIGMA NU VS PHI SIGMA KAPPA

Sigma Nu dominated Phi Sigma Kappa 2-0 to capture the 2023 Tugs championship. 

Sigma Nu won the first rope of the championship in close fashion, having the center rope marker slightly on their side at the end of the 15 minutes.

“It feels great,” Sigma Nu sophomore marketing major Zack Althoff said. “We knew that first rope was going to be a battle, we came out there, battled hard and got the advantage. Our second rope brought it home.”

The second rope was not nearly as close as the first rope, as Sigma Nu took the advantage early and kept the knot in their bunker for nearly the entire round. Phi Sigma Kappa had two tuggers drop out before the second round ended to help Sigma Nu clinch the victory.

“It’s just the heart of our guys,” Althoff said. “We came out here last year after COVID and put everything into the sport. We lost a few key tuggers that ran the Tugs program for us. We lost those guys, but we got a few new guys that put their heart and soul into it and battled hard for 14 weeks.” 

THIRD PLACE MATCH: PHI KAPPA PSI VS ALPHA SIGMA PHI

Phi Kappa Psi cruised to the third place trophy with a 2-0 sweep of Alpha Sigma Phi. 

Phi Kappa Psi dominated rope one, as three players from Alpha Sigma Phi dropped out of the round. Phi Kappa Psi had the rope for nearly the entire first round. 

“We were here coming for first place and after we lost our semi-final match, it definitely bit us in the ass,” Phi Psi senior history education major Payton Allers said. “But we were also excited to come back and get some hardware, and these guys fought like some f- dogs to get it today.”

The second rope was more of the same, as Phi Kappa Psi once again dominated Alpha Sigma Phi. Alpha Sigma Phi stepped on the rope with less than five minutes left in round two, securing third place for Phi Kappa Psi. 

“Team bonding, these guys are all bonded,” Allers said. “I’ve never seen a Tugs team bonded so well together. These guys f- have each other’s backs, I got their backs, they got mine.”

FIFTH PLACE MATCH: DELTA CHI VS. SIGMA ALPHA EPSILON

Delta Chi broke an early deadlock and dominated its way to victory over Sigma Alpha Epsilon to earn fifth place in Tugs. 

The teams spent the first two minutes feeling out the match, with the center rope indicator only moving a few inches in either direction. 

After the early stalemate, Delta Chi went on the offensive with multiple hits back to back.  Delta Chi got the center rope indicator into the first trench before the 10-minute call. 

Just after the 10-minute call, Delta Chi kept up the pressure and took control of the match. They pulled the center rope indicator into the second trench quickly after the call.

The round fell apart for Sigma Alpha Epsilon before the five-minute call. Delta Chi pulled the twine into the fourth trench, prompting SAE’s caller to step on the rope and hand Delta Chi round one. 

Despite the early advantage, SAE couldn’t push the match to a third rope and gave Delta Chi the fifth-place finish at Tugs. 

SAE was aggressive early, taking a few inches of thread in the first two minutes. 

Delta Chi stayed patient and kept the rope close to the center. Just before the 10-minute call, Delta Chi got aggressive and got the rope to its side of the center. At the call, Delta Chi held a slight advantage. 

The floodgates opened for Delta Chi after the 10-minute call. They got the center rope indicator to the first trench two minutes after the 10-minute call. 

Despite the domination by Delta Chi, SAE’s caller refused to step on the rope. The final push from SAE in the last five minutes went nowhere, and Delta Chi ran out the clock to win fifth place. 

SEVENTH PLACE MATCH: PHI KAPPA THETA VS TAU KAPPA EPSILON

Early aggression from TKE wasn’t enough to break PKT, allowing PKT to snag seventh place at Tugs. 

ROUND ONE

TKE started round one with heavy aggression, throwing multiple hits at PKT. 

PKT’s defense held strong, keeping the rope near the center. They turned the early push from TKE around and got the center rope indicator to trench one before the 10-minute call. 

The center rope indicator reached the second trench at the 10-minute call, and PKT didn’t let up the pressure. The indicator reached all the way to the back of PKT’s trench, forcing TKE to step and hand round one to PKE.

ROUND TWO

Round two was more of the same, with TKE’s early aggression failing. PKT held off all of TKE’s hits without losing more than a foot of twine. 

The round was even at the 10-minute call with the center line indicator right in the middle. 

PKT went on the offensive just after the 10-minute call, pulling the rope closer to its first trench. 

At the five-minute call, PKT pulled the center line indicator to the second trench and didn’t relinquish any more rope. TKE desperately pulled for more rope, but PKT’s defense held strong as they ran out the clock to earn seventh place at Tugs.