Philadelphia, PA (Betting Express) - Three hundred and thirty Division I wrestlers from around the nation will convene at the Qwest Center Omaha in Omaha, Nebraska this week to determine who will be crowned champions in 10 tough weight classes. The action will begin on Thursday, March 18th and conclude on Saturday, March 20th. The top eight finishers in each class will earn the honor of being named All-Americans. Two hundred and eighty student athletes qualified for the national tournament by distinguishing themselves at conference and regional tournaments held over the past two weeks. Fifty additional wrestlers were given at-large bids to the tournament by the NCAA based upon head-to-head competition, qualifying event placement, quality wins, results against common opponents, winning percentage, rating percentage index, coaches ranking and number of matches contested in the weight class. In addition to individual titles, the team championship will be on the line as well.

The 2009 Championships had excitement, drama and demonstrated the athleticism, grit and the desire to win of the athletes involved. Individual champions were: 125 - Troy Nickerson from Cornell (returning as the number two seed), 133- Franklin Gomez from Michigan State (returning at this weight class as the number three seed), 141- Jeff Jaggers from Ohio State, 149- Darrion Caldwell from North Carolina State, 157- Jordan Borroughs from Nebraska, 165 Jarrod King from Edinboro (back as the number two seed), 174-Steve Luke from Michigan, 184- Jake Herbert from Northwestern, 197-Jake Varner from Iowa State (returning as the number one seed) and 285-Mark Ellis from Missouri (returning as the nine seed).

Last year's team title was won by the Iowa Hawkeyes who slipped past second- place Ohio State by a mere 4.5 points. Iowa, which finished its dual season 23-0 and enters the tournament with 10 wrestlers, nine of whom are seeded, will attempt to win its third-straight team title and its 23rd team championship overall.

There are no sure things in wrestling and this year's tournament will undoubtedly provide fans with close matches and plenty of upsets. The following is a preview for each weight class with our favored picks and dark horses.

125 LBS - Returning champ Troy Nickerson of Cornell University will look to defend his title. Coming in as the number two seed Nickerson should make it back to the top of the podium. DARKHORSE: Old Dominions James Nicholson. Nicholson enters the tournament with a solid 30-1 record and as the Colonial Athletic Association champ at 125. He may turn some heads by claiming NCAA gold.

133 LBS - Last year's champion Franklin Gomez of Michigan State returns as the number three seed. Gomez, who finished third in the Big Ten Championships, has the experience and style to win this year in Omaha. DARKHORSE: Borislav Novachkov from Cal Poly captured the Pacific-10 Conference championship to secure a fifth-seed in the tournament. Novachkov has lost a couple of matches this year that he was capable of winning and if he gets on a roll he could make it all the way.

141 LBS - Reece Humphrey of Ohio State comes in as the number four seed and a record of 29-3. Humphrey has been strong all season and finished second in the Big Ten Championships to Mike Thorn of Minnesota. If Humphrey wrestles his match, he is more than capable of finishing first in this weight class. DARKHORSE: Tyler Nauman of Pittsburgh comes into the tournament seeded 10th. He is as tough as they come and has the tools and attitude to pull off some surprise victories.

149 LBS - Although Brent Metcalf finished second to Ohio States Lance Palmer in the Big Ten Championships last week and was flustered by the open-stance wrestling of Darrion Caldwell from North Carolina State in last years NCAA final, he should be back to win at 149 pounds this year. The Iowa coaching staff should be able to correct the minuscule technical mistakes Metcalf has recently made to ensure that he finishes first. DARKHORSE: Kevin LeValley from Bucknell has wrestled the best in the nation and has proven to always be competitive. Look for LeValley to make some noise at the Qwest Center.

157 LBS - Former National Champion at 149 pounds, Dustin Schlatter from Minnesota looks to earn his second NCAA Title. If Schlatter can stay healthy for the tournament he is capable of winning it. DARKHORSE: Steve Fittery from American University enters the NCAA Tournament with just two losses on his record this year. Those losses came by a total of just two points. Fittery has beaten many ranked opponents this season and will need to do so again to reach collegiate wrestlings highest peak.

165 LBS - Jarrod King from Edinboro attempts to defend his title as he returns as the number two seed. King defeated Wisconsin's Andrew Howe in the finals of last year's tournament by a score of 3-2. As the wrestlers are on opposite sides of the bracket, King may have to defeat Howe again if he is going to repeat. DARKHORSE: Alex Meade from Oklahoma State comes into the tournament as the number 10 seed. Meade, a red shirt freshman is excellent on his feet and has shown he can compete at the highest level.

174 LBS - Jay Borschel from Iowa comes into the tournament with the number two seed. Borschel is a tough and talented wrestler who seems to be peaking at just the right moment. Borschel is a 2008 All-American coming off of a first- place finish at the Big Ten Championships. DARKHORSE: Ben Bennet is a redshirt freshman from Central Michigan who beat last year's runner up at this weight to earn a spot on his team. Bennet won the Mid-American Conference Wrestling Championship and has an impressive wrestling resume including being named the most outstanding wrestler at the 2008 High School Nationals. Bennet has been on big stages before and don't be surprised if he shines on the biggest one of all this week in Omaha.

184 LBS - Mike Cannon from American University is a two-time All-American who is entering the tourney as the number four seed. Cannon won the EIWA Championship and is looking to improve upon last year's eighth-place finish at the NCAA Tournament. DARKHORSE: Jerome Ward of Iowa State comes in unseeded in this year's tournament. Ward received an at-large bid and draws the unenviable task of facing top-seed Kirk Smith from Boise State in the opening round. Ward is familiar with this task, as Smith was his first-round opponent last year as well. Last year it was Smith who took the 3-1 decision. This time look for Ward to get the win and advance far into the tournament.

197 LBS - Jake Varner from Iowa State enters the tournament as the number one seed. Having won the tournament last year and coming in with a 26-0 record this year, Varner should wrestle his way to a second-straight title. DARKHORSE: Chad Beatty from Iowa owns the ninth seed and is a wrestler to look out for. Beatty has battled some injuries but if he can stay healthy he can be a serious threat in this competition.

285 LBS - Jared Rosholt from Oklahoma State finished third in last year's tournament and has all the tools to improve to first this year. Rosholt has only been beaten twice this year. He lost to Oklahomas Nathan Fernandez and has avenged that loss twice since. He has also split his two matches with number one seed David Zabriskie from Iowa State. DARKHORSE: Scott Steele from Navy was awarded an at-large bid to the tournament and is seeded 12th. Steele is another wrestler who has battled through injuries. He has been in many tough matches and has the capability of making it to the podium if he performs to his potential.