The two-day meet, hosted by Upper Iowa University, will take place this Friday and Saturday. There will be no national television coverage of the event like last season. The tournament Web site can be found at www.upperiowaathletics.cstv.com

UNK has finished as national runner-up in three of the last five years. While there's nothing wrong with a second-place effort, a veteran Loper team is hoping it won't be settling for silver this weekend.

With nine qualifiers, several of who are national title contenders, UNK expects to battle rival Nebraska-Omaha and Minnesota State-Mankato for the top prize.

Dark horse candidates for the team title include defending national champion Central Oklahoma (six qualifiers) and Rocky Mountain Athletic Confernece members Adams State and Western State.

UNK senior Tervel Dlagnev is expected to make it to the finals. The nation's top-ranked collegiate heavyweight, Dlagnev looks to finish the year 37-0 and end his career on a 70-match win streak.

Just a few short months down the road, Dlagnev will be aiming to making the national team and compete in this year's summer Olympics in China.

Another Loper aiming for a second national title is senior Brett Allgood. The 133-pounder won the gold medal in 2006 but was upset in the first round last season. He did bounce back to finish third and has lost only three matches to Division II competition in his Loper career.

Allgood, a four-time Nebraska state champion, is just 3-1 this year but had a dominating performance at the RMAC Championships two weeks ago.

Rounding out UNK's senior qualifiers are Joe Ellenberger (157) and Jeff Rutledge (141).

Ellenberger is ranked second in his weight class and is aiming to best a third-place finish from a year ago. Rutledge, ranked third nationally, is aiming to improve upon back-to-back fifth-place finishes.

This pair also are two of the only 11 Lopers to have ever reached 100 career wins (Ellenberger 112; Rutledge 111).

Yet another Loper with serious title hopes is sophomore Marty Usman (174). The Texan, who competed at NAIA William Penn University (Iowa) last year, is now ranked No. 1 in his class after winning the RMAC title two weeks ago. Going into the RMAC meet, the league had the nation's top four wrestlers at 174.

Junior Paul Sutton (184) and sophomore Derek Ross (197) may not have lofty rankings but each is threat to make a run. Both were bumped up a weight class during the year and are just now weighing the same as their competition.

Sutton is in the NCAAs for a second time while Ross has made the big meet in his first year as a starter.

UNK's final two qualifiers are junior Keenan McCurdy (165) and sophomore Ryan Etherton (149). The Lincoln East graduates are in the NCAAs for the first time and, like Ross and Sutton, are dark horse candidates in their brackets.

Etherton could help UNK's national team title hopes every time he wins since he often pins the opposition, recording a team-best 17 falls this season.