The race is on for the NCAA wrestling team championship, and while some feel it is a three-team race between Iowa, Minnesota and Oklahoma State, many others feel that Iowa State, Illinois and Oklahoma will have a say in who comes home with the trophy at the end of this weekend.

It is no secret that Iowa needs at least three finalists for the Hawkeyes to have their best chance at winning. The Hawkeyes have three No. 1 seeds and one No. 2 seed. These four have to wrestle at least close to their seeds.

TEAM QUALIFIERS

Minnesota, Ohio State and Oklahoma State lead the way with 10 individual qualifiers for the NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships. A look at how many wrestlers some of the country's other top programs will be sending to Iowa City: 10: Minnesota, Ohio State, Oklahoma State 9: Edinboro, Illinois, Iowa State, Oklahoma 8: Arizona State, Iowa, Michigan, Northern Iowa 7: Boise State, George Mason, Hofstra, Lehigh, Lock Haven, Oregon, Oregon State 6: Harvard, Michigan State, Nebraska, Penn State, Pittsburgh 5: Appalachian State, Central Michigan, Clarion, Fresno State, Indiana, N.C. State, Penn, Purdue, Wisconsin

The unseeded wrestlers on the team, Mike Zadick at 149 and Ben Shirk at 165, must have solid tournaments, while 174-pound Gabe McMahan and 184-pound Jessman Smith must earn All-American status. McMahan is another potential finalist, but it would take a lot of work for him to get there.

Oklahoma State and Minnesota present the two most balanced teams in the tournament. Both teams qualified all 10 wrestlers for the tournament, and joined Ohio State as the only three teams to accomplish that feat. The ironic thing about these two teams is that neither was expected to compete for the title at the beginning of the season. Both are loaded with inexperienced youth who have excelled in starting roles.

Minnesota freshmen Jacob Volkman, 174, Damion Hahn, 184, and Garrett Lowney, 285, sparked this squad to a Big Ten team title two weeks ago. Up and down the lineup, the Gophers have good balance, but if they wrestle to their seeds only, they most likely would not have enough team points to win the title. Volkman, Brett Lawrence (133) and Chad Erikson (141) will be counted on heavily to provide the extra team points needed to jump to the top.

Oklahoma State has also been led by youth. Freshmen Johnny Thompson (seeded No. 2 at 133), Chris Pendleton (165) and Tyrone Lewis (seeded No. 4 at 174) have been stellar in developing into some of the top young talent in the nation. Thompson and Pendleton both joined the lineup in late January, which makes their development that much more impressive. Thompson, Lewis, 149-pound Reggie Wright, seeded No. 1, 184-pound Daniel Cormier, seeded No. 3, and 197-pound Mark Munoz, seeded No. 1, could all be finalists. If even three of these five make the finals, this tournament could be over before Saturday.

Iowa State boasts 165-pound Joe Heskett, 184-pound Cael Sanderson and 197-pound Zach Thompson, who were all finalists last year, as well, but the rest of the Cyclones' lineup must overcome some tough first-round draws and wrestle above their seeds to win the title.

Illinois is another very balanced team, but it will have a tough time competing for a title this year. Adam Tirapelle, seeded No. 2 at 149, is definitely one of the top wrestlers in the nation, but he is also in the toughest weight class in the nation. If he can return to the finals, it would be a big boost to this squad. Matt Lackey, 165, has surprised critics all season, especially since he is shorter than most at this weight, while 184-pound Nate Patrick, seeded No. 2, and heavyweight John Lockhart, seeded No. 4, are also threats to make the finals at their respective weight classes.

Oklahoma is not as powerful as last year, but 125-pound Matt Ridings, 141-pound Michael Lightner and 165-pound Robbie Waller have led the charge all season. This is definitely a top-five team if these three have big tournaments, and if 149-pound Jared Frayer can overcome what seems to be a bad seed for him (No. 8).

A closer look at each weight class:

125
Stephen Abas of Fresno State is the heavy favorite to win this weight class, and with good reason. Abas was the 1999 national champion before taking last year off the train for his Olympic goals. Though he did not make that team, he has more than proven he is still the best at the collegiate level. That was evidenced when he pounded No. 2 seed Jody Strittmatter of Iowa 14-1. Strittmatter and Minnesota's Leroy Vega are the second-tier wrestlers at this weight. Look for a heated semifinal matchup between them. Oklahoma's Matt Ridings, who has been hot the last two months, and Nebraska freshman Jason Powell are both threats to unseat either Strittmatter of Vega, but it would have to be in the consolation bracket as they are both on the same side of the bracket as Abas.

133
Possibly the best thing to happen to Iowa's Eric Juergens this season was lose early, which he did to Oklahoma State's Charles Walker. Ever since then, Juergens has been on top of his game, as he has been the most consistent Hawkeye all season. He has a dominating, aggressive style that allows him to control his opponents in any situation. Freshman Johnny Thompson of Oklahoma State possesses that same style, which would make for an interesting final. Thompson joined the lineup in January, and has lost twice, one of which came at 141 pounds. He is a pinner and could score bonus points for the Cowboys. He will have to go through a tough road to get to the finals, though. His toughest match may be with Iowa State's Matt Azevedo, who seems more comfortable right now than he was one month ago. If Pat McNamara from Michigan State can get his offensive attack heated up, he is dangerous for anyone. McNamara, seeded No. 4, has experience and knows he can defeat Juergens, but the question is not whether he can, but whether he will.

141
This weight class started as a three-man race, but Virginia Tech's Sean Gray, seeded No. 4, added his name to the mix after he lost a tight match with top seed Doug Schwab of Iowa in the All-Star Classic. These two are set up to meet in the semifinals this year, in what could be another explosive match. Not to be outdone are Oklahoma's Michael Lightner, seeded No. 2, and Arizona State's Eric Larkin, seeded No. 3. Lightner defeated Larkin 7-3 in a dual earlier this season, and seems to be in the best shape of his career, which will help him in the long run. Both Schwab and Lightner are undefeated, and every fan in the nation has been waiting for a rematch of these two since last season at the Lone Star Duals, when Schwab mounted an impressive third-period comeback over Lightner. Schwab is not the best technical wrestler in the nation, so that is where he must be beat, but there is nobody in the country that can wrestle as hard for seven minutes as him. That is where Lightner lost the match last year. He has not seen as opponent as tough since, so it would be curious to see if he learned his lesson from last year.

149
This is the deepest weight class in the nation, one that seems there aren't enough All-American medals to hand out. Top seed Reggie Wright of Oklahoma State has been in control of this weight class all season long. He has defeated No. 2 seed Jared Lawrence of Minnesota twice, both in close matches. Adam Tirapelle of Illinois, seeded No. 3, was a national finalist in 2000. He has split in two matches with Lawrence this season, but has yet to see Wright. Lehigh's Dave Esposito is a very controlled wrestler, but has been somewhat inconsistent against top competition this season. Many fans are awaiting the return of 1999 All-American JaMarr Billman of Lock Haven. Billman is seeded No. 7, and is the most athletic wrestler in the country. He has not been on the main stage since before he transferred from Penn State, though, which could weigh heavily if he gets in a close match in front of a huge crowd. Many east coast fans feel that American's Marc Hoffer is one of the most underrated wrestlers in the nation, yet he has not seen any stiff competition outside of decision over Hofstra's Eric Schmiesing, seeded No. 6, and a victory over George Carter of Bloomsburg, who is unseeded, but a huge threat to take out one of the top seeds early. Oklahoma's Jared Frayer will also be looking to compete for a title, and it is not out of the question. He will know how deep he is going early as he faces a potential quarterfinal matchup with Wright, who has defeated Frayer three times this season.

157
Last year, Iowa's T.J. Williams was undefeated heading into the national tournament and most picked him to win the title. Instead, he lost in the semifinals and placed third. This year, Williams is undefeated heading into the national tournament, but he appears to be in a different mode. Williams blew through all competition at the Big Ten Tournament, something that is very uncharacteristic for him. Bryan Snyder of Nebraska was also disappointing in last year's tournament. He has been known to get over his head at times in his career. If he keeps his head on straight, he has the talent to defeat Williams, but it would have to be in the finals. Yoshi Nakamura of Penn has a very smooth style, and his name is still virtually unknown, though he may be the most consistent wrestler at this weight class. Look for him to have a say in who comes home with the title, and don't forget about No. 5 seed Kirk White of Boise State, who was a national champion in 1999.

165
The 165-pound weight class appears to be down to two wrestlers, though the seeding at this weight could allow for some upsets. 2000 champion Donny Pritzlaff of Wisconsin is more motivated than ever. He is one of the top wrestlers in the country from the neutral position, and it is nearly impossible to ride him. No. 2 seed Joe Heskett of Iowa State has split two matches with Pritzlaff this season, after losing in last year's national final to Pritzlaff. Heskett is excellent on top and loves to cradle. he likes to play defense and let his opponents make the mistakes. These contrasting styles always make for an exciting matchup. No. 3 seed Steve Blackford of Arizona State had one of the top matches of the year with Heskett in a February dual, but Heskett won then. Blackford has been cutting a lot of weight this season, and if he ran into Heskett, it would have to be in the semifinals, which means he will have made weight two days in a row and preparing for one more. That might not happen. On Pritzlaff's side, No. 4 seed Robbie Waller of Oklahoma has finally turned the corner. He has improved on his feet all season long, but still needs to work from the bottom position. He defeated Pritzlaff last year, and defeated Heskett this year, so he knows he can hang with the big boys, but can he do it on the same weekend?

174
Edinboro's Josh Koscheck emerged as a new star last season after making the national finals. Though he lost that match, his career has only gone up since. Koscheck is the most physically dominating wrestler in the country, and his head-banging style makes it hard to get close to him to score any points. Michigan's Otto Olson was the favorite at this weight last year until he got hurt in January. He has had some nagging injuries this season as well, which seem to have hampered him in certain matches. Though he has never been a strong technical wrestler, he is not as dominating offensively as in the past. Oklahoma State's Tyrone Lewis, seeded No. 4, is one of the top, young talents in the nation. The redshirt freshman started the season with high expectations, but was unable to deliver. He dropped to as low as No. 14 in the rankings, and ever since then, has calmed down greatly and gotten back on track. He is still young, and a little undersized for this weight class, but his strength and athletic ability more than make up for any weaknesses he may have. Iowa's Gabe McMahan, seeded No. 5, exposed that weakness in a dual match as he scored takedown after takedown. Though that match was in December, one has to believe Lewis can still be taken down. Army's Maurice Worth received the No. 3 seed, but has yet to wrestle any of the top competition in the nation this year.

184
Anyone who doesn't pick Iowa State's Cael Sanderson to win this weight class may need to have their head examined. Sanderson has never lost a collegiate match and he is possibly the greatest overall athlete the sport of wrestling has ever seen. His incredible mix of size, strength, stamina and athleticism are unmatched in any way. It seems the more he wrestles an opponent, the more he dominates them. The next four wrestlers will all most likely have some heated battles for second place. Damion Hahn of Minnesota, seeded No. 5, was the wrestler that many though would unseat Sanderson. They have not met since a close match last year, but Sanderson wants a rematch, and it may happen in the semifinals. On the other side of the bracket, No. 2 seed Nate Patrick of Illinois has been consistent all season. He lost a match to Sanderson, 14-7, but has defeated Hahn as well as the No. 5 seed Viktor Sveda of Indiana, who has defeated Hahn twice, both in close matches. Sanderson destroyed Sveda on two separate occasions this season. Look for another exciting Hahn-Sveda matchup in the quarterfinals. One wrestler not to be counted out is Oklahoma State's Daniel Cormier, seeded No. 3. Cormier has lost three matches to Sanderson this season, but has split matches with Hahn and defeated Sveda as well. The best place for matches at this weight may be down in the consolation brackets once everyone starts beating each other out.

197
The 197-pound race has been a three-ring circus for a while now. 2000 finalists Brad Vering of Nebraska and Zach Thompson of Iowa State will be battling with Oklahoma State's Mark Munoz for the title here. These three see each other more than enough times throughout the season since they are in the same conference with each other. They have all beaten each other this season, which makes it even harder to predict. Vering does have the advantage as he won the national title last year, but it was in a tiebreaker against Thompson where he won it. If and when any of these three meet up, expect a low-scoring defensive battle the whole way. Of course, the only way that top-seeded Munoz would run into Vering, seeded No. 2, or Thompson, seeded No. 3, would be in the finals or the consolation brackets, which doesn't mean his road is any easier. Boise State's Rusty Cook is one of the more underrated wrestlers in this weight class, but since he is on the West Coast, it makes it harder for his name to be thrown in the mix with the Big 12 trio.

285
Heavyweight was very uninteresting in the first semester, but then the arrival of the big guns in the second semester have picked up the excitement. Ohio State's Tommy Rowlands, seeded No. 2, dominated this weight class until Minnesota's Garrett Lowney, seeded No. 1, came along. Lowney was an Olympic Bronze Medallist at the 2000 Olympic Games, but he still hadn't wrestled an official collegiate match. He is now undefeated, and has defeated the No. 4 and No. 5 seeds, John Lockhart of Illinois and Matt Brink of Michigan, respectively. Many wanted to see a showdown with Rowlands at the Big Ten Tournament, but Rowlands lost to Lockhart in the semifinals. Also emerging has been Boston College's Antonio Garay, the only returning heavyweight All-American. Garay, a defensive lineman for the Eagles football team, was injured on the very first play of the season and did not return until late February. He has little match experience this season, so will most likely be rusty coming into this. His upside is that he is still the strongest wrestler at heavyweight, and is a threat to pin anyone. Rowlands is very strong, but does not have the weight to match up with Garay, while Lowney has gotten bigger since the Olympics. His stamina appears as if it is in question, though. He has been worn out by much lesser competition as late as the Big Ten Tournament. He is a Greco-Roman wrestler, which usually means he is not very offensive, and it holds true here. To beat Garay for the title, Lowney will need to shoot and attack more.

Contact John Fuller at fuller@intermatwrestle.com. For more information, check out InterMat at www.intermatwrestle.com.