Previewing the NCAA Division I Wrestling Tournament

   There's no shortage for storylines at this weekend's NCAA Championships in Des Moines, Iowa.
   One of them that's been the talk of the sport all winter long is the probable 165-pound championship bout between Cornell's Kyle Dake and Penn State's David Taylor.
   Dake is a three-time champion already and can join former Oklahoma State great Pat Smith, and former Iowa State legend and current Penn State head coach Cael Sanderson as the only four-time winners in the long history of the event.
   And, oh by the way, Dake can also become the only one ever to win in four different weight classes, having claimed titles at 141, 149, and 157 in the last three championships. The Cornell senior is 32-0 and the top seed at 165 this year.
  That said, Taylor is no slouch. He won at 165 last year as a sophomore and also collected the Hodge Trophy, which is college wrestling's version of the Heisman. Taylor, who refers to himself on Twitter as The Magic Man, comes in as the second seed and is 26-1.
  The one loss on Taylor's resume this season was courtesy of Dake at the Southern Scuffle. Dake won that bout thanks to a late reversal, and also beat Taylor in a exhibition bout before the regular season began.
  And back to storylines, where the NCAA added one in the last week by announcing that Saturday night's finals will begin at 174 and go from there, ending at 165 as championship broadcaster ESPN is certainly banking on the Dake-Taylor matchup to conclude the event.
  That change in format has brought positive reviews, but it isn't phasing the competitors.
  "It's just kind of exciting for me, at least," Dake said in a Wednesday press conference. "Being the last match, it's kind of like the main event. It's just something cool thte NCAA is doing. It wouldn't matter if I was the last match or the first match. Honestly, I could care less, I just want to go out and wrestle."
  "Being the last one out there, you're the last thing everyone sees, so there's the exciting factor there," adds Iowa's Matt McDonough, the defending 125-pound national champion. "When everyone goes home, you'll be the last thing on their mind if you perform the way you're supposed to."
  On the team front, Penn State is the favorite to win a third consecutive team title. The Nittany Lions have all 10 wrestlers at nationals, but others do too. The battle is expected to be between Big 10 foes Penn State, Iowa, and Minnesota. Oklahoma State could be in the mix also.
  "It's going to be a great tournament," said Sanderson. "We're grateful for this opportunity. We are excited about our team, and I think that our team has improved throughout the year and we should be able to do well if we choose to. That's the exciting part - we get to sit back and see what our guys do."
  Outside of Taylor, Penn State has plenty of firepower, beginning with another defending champion in Ed Ruth, who is 28-0 and the top seed at 184 pounds. Like Taylor, Ruth won last year as a sophomore. He took the title at 174 and has gone up a weight this time around.
  Ruth stated he is in for the format change for the finals as well.
  "I like it because I'm one of the heavier weights," he said. "It's nice to be first or second (on the mat) at least once."
  Other top contenders for the Nittany Lions include Quentin Wright (197) and Nico Megaludis (125). Wright, a former scholastic standout at Bald Eagle Area, won a championship two years ago in Philadelphia before finishing second last March. Megaludis, who was also a PIAA star while at Franklin Regional, finished as the runner-up to McDonough last year. Matt Brown, who has some big wins this year, is the second seed at 174.
  Oklahoma State is led into nationals by 149-pound senior Jordan Oliver, who is 33-0. The former three-time Pennsylvania champion from Easton was NCAA champ two years ago. He has moved up to 149 to try and close his career with a second gold.
  "I'm just living the good life at 149 and not having to worry about weight so much, and just getting out there and having fun," said Oliver. "It has helped me focus on my wrestling and it is showing. I definitely think I should have bumped up after my freshman year, but the past is the past, and I have the same goal of getting the national title."
  Elsewhere among higher-seeded wrestlers from Pennsylvania, Edinboro has a pair of fourth seeds in former Tyrone star A.J. Schopp at 133, and Bellefonte native Mitchell Port at 141. Also at 141 is North Carolina's Evan Henderson, the fifth seed. Henderson previously wrestled in high school at District 6's United.