The elevated platform on Saturday night in late March at the NCAA Wrestling Championships.
Just 20 wrestlers in the 330-athlete field earn coveted spots in the national finals.
And as wrestling fans are well aware, only a select group of 10 will finish their season atop the podium as champions.
Who will end their season on top? After an exciting semifinal round Friday night, here are my choices to win it all on Saturday night at PPG Paints Arena in Pittsburgh.
125: No. 3 Spencer Lee (Iowa) vs. No. 5 Jack Mueller (Virginia)
Lee, a sophomore standout who has won Cadet and Junior world titles, is looking to repeat as NCAA champion after avenging a regular-season loss in an emphatic 11-4 win over No. 2 seed Nick Piccininni of Oklahoma State in the semifinals. Mueller turned in a surprise and dominating 8-2 win over top seed Sebastian Rivera of Northwestern in the semis. Mueller piled up over five minutes of riding time in the win. The key in the finals may be who scores the first takedown in a matchup of two wrestlers who excel in the top position.
My pick: Lee
Daton Fix edged Nick Suriano earlier this season (Photo/Juan Garcia)133: No. 1 Daton Fix (Oklahoma State) vs. No. 3 Nick Suriano (Rutgers)
Fix, a superstar freshman who is a Junior world champion, scored the first takedown en route to a 4-2 win over No. 5 Luke Pletcher of Ohio State in the semis. Suriano, second last year at 125, is back in the finals after an impressive 4-1 win over another 2018 finalist in No. 2 Stevan Micic of Michigan. Suriano took control early in the semis and accumulated over two minutes of riding time. This is another match where scoring the first takedown will be paramount with both wrestlers being so strong on top. Suriano and Fix are both tough, physical wrestlers. Fix edged Suriano 3-2 in overtime during the regular season, prevailing after a hands to the face call.
My pick: Suriano
141: No. 1 Yianni Diakomihalis (Cornell) vs. No. 2 Joey McKenna (Ohio State)
Yianni will defend his title after scoring a late two-point near fall to pull out a wild semifinal win over Jaydin Eierman of Missouri. Yianni is a two-time Cadet world champion who will face a Junior world medalist in McKenna in a highly anticipated finals bout. Both of these guys are excellent on their feet and this promises to be an epic battle between two outstanding wrestlers. This should be fun to watch.
My pick: McKenna
Anthony Ashnault of Rutgers and Micah Jordan will meet for the third time this season (Photo/Tony Rotundo, WrestlersAreWarriors.com)149: No. 1 Anthony Ashnault (Rutgers) vs. No. 2 Micah Jordan (Ohio State)
The Scarlet Knights will have a chance for two titles Saturday after Ashnault landed his berth in the finals. Ashnault will face Jordan in a rematch of the Big Ten finals. Ashnault prevailed 8-6 at Big Tens after coming out aggressively. There will be no holding back when these two veterans meet on a stage they've never been on. It shapes up as another entertaining battle between a pair of proven competitors.
My pick: Ashnault
157: No. 1 Jason Nolf (Penn State) vs. No. 2 Tyler Berger (Nebraska)
Nolf escaped with a hard-fought 3-2 semifinal win over North Carolina State's Hayden Hidlay in a rematch of last year's finals. Nolf will look for his third straight national title when he faces Berger in a rematch of the Big Ten finals. Nolf owns wins of 10-4 and 12-4 over Berger this season. Nolf came out firing in the last match, taking control early en route to the decisive win.
My pick: Nolf
165: No. 2 Vincenzo Joseph (Penn State) vs. No. 8 Mekhi Lewis (Virginia Tech)
Joseph, a junior, is back in the finals for a third time and will be seeking his third straight national title. Joseph earned a pair of hard-fought wins Friday to make the finals. Lewis, a freshman who won a Junior world championship in 2018, came out of the loaded top side of the bracket to make the finals. He knocked off No. 1 seed Alex Marinelli of Iowa in the quarters and returning third-place finisher Evan Wick of Wisconsin in the semis. This will be a matchup between a pair of powerful wrestlers. Lewis has a strong offense, but Joseph is very tough to score on.
My pick: Joseph
174: No. 1 Mark Hall (Penn State) vs. No. 3 Zahid Valencia (Arizona State)
It will be a rematch of last year's finals when Hall and Valencia square off again. Valencia downed Hall in the finals last year, but Hall came back to beat Valenica in a dual meet this season. Hall, a junior, is looking for his second title after winning in 2017. Hall, a Junior and Cadet world champion, rode Valencia in their most recent meeting to prevail. Valencia, a Junior world silver medalist, looked impressive in rolling past No. 2 seed Daniel Lewis of Missouri by major decision in the semis. The key for Valencia will be staying off bottom and continuing to attack. If both wrestlers open up, this could be a highly entertaining bout between two excellent wrestlers.
My pick: Valencia
184: No. 5 Max Dean (Cornell) vs. No. 6 Drew Foster (Northern Iowa)
Dean pulled off one of the biggest upsets of the entire tournament when he rallied to stun No. 1 seed and past champion Myles Martin of Ohio State 5-4 in the semifinals. Foster, a senior, held off No. 15 Chip Ness of North Carolina in the semis. Dean and Foster met earlier this season in a dual meet. Foster scored two quick takedowns before Dean rallied for a 6-5 win. Dean is a guy who just never wears down and Foster will need to come with a full gas tank for a seven-minute battle.
My pick: Dean
197: No. 1 Bo Nickal (Penn State) vs. No. 2 Kollin Moore (Ohio State)
Nickal, as expected, has rolled to the finals after earning three falls and a major decision. He will be heavily favored to win his third national title when he battles Moore in the finals. Nickal rolled past Moore 10-3 in the Big Ten finals. Nickal could clinch the Hodge Trophy with another dominating performance in the NCAA finals. He has continued to dominate the competition despite bumping up a weight class this season.
My pick: Nickal
Derek White defeated Anthony Cassar to win the Southern Scuffle in early January (Photo/Sam Janicki, SJanickiPhoto.com)285: No. 1 Derek White (Oklahoma State) vs. No. 2 Anthony Cassar (Penn State)
Nobody would've expected this to be the national finals matchup at heavyweight at the start of the season, but here we are with two first-time finalists. White and Cassar were seeded 1-2 in this event, so it wasn't totally unexpected. White edged Cassar 3-2 when they met earlier this season. This likely will be a strategical, low-scoring match between two evenly matched competitors. It's also an interesting matchup between two wrestlers who have persevered to reach this point.
My pick: Cassar
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