The regular season has come to end and all that is left is the "Big Dance", the NJCAA National Tournament in Rochester, MN, February 27-28.  The accumulation of the entire season will come down to the upcoming weekend and many dreams will be fulfilled or shattered.  In November, wrestlers and coaches set forth on the 2004 season and many goals were set.  As we near this special weekend of triumph and consolation, the 2004 NJCAA National Tournament should be action packed and full of excitement.    When the pre-season rankings were published, the Northwest Wyoming Trappers came into 2004 has the No. 1 team in Division I.  Coach Ziegler's Trappers have held that spot for the entire season and will enter the national tournament as the nation's No. 1 team.  Joining the Trappers, will be the Lions of Nassau.  The 2003 National Champions have also held the No. 1 ranking in Division III for the entire season and breeze into Rochester ready to defend their 2003 crown.    Both of these teams are coming off stellar years and will look to peak at the right time.  Both teams claimed championship trophies at their respective region tournaments.  Northwest and Nassau qualified all ten wrestlers for the national tournament.  The Trappers will be looking to claim their first ever national title and Nassau will be going for two in a row.  Both of these teams will be led by one defending national champion.  When asked about his team's chances of winning their first national crown, Northwest College Head Coach Jim Ziegler stated, "We didn't peak here at regions, but we will prepare, and hopefully if we peak in Rochester, we have a solid chance to compete for the title."    Northwest Wyoming's big man, Tyler Rhodes (285) will look to become a 2x national champion has he defends his heavyweight title.  Rhodes has dominated the junior college competition the same this season has he did in 2003.  Extremely versatile, Rhodes looks to be in the final match once again.      Facing Rhodes could be North Idaho's Israel Silva.  Silva placed 3rd in last year national tournament, losing to Rhodes in the semi-finals by fall.  Other top contenders at heavyweight will be Western Wyoming's John Fager who lost to Rhodes in the West Central Zone championship 4-3, Nassau's Jon Andriac who claimed the region title, Lincoln's Pete Mueller and Gloucester's Joe Attieh.    Other Trapper wrestlers with a yellow medal on their mind are Seth Wright (125), Eric Sabot (141), Jacob Wright (157), and Robert Roszkiewicz (197).  Seth Wright is currently ranked No. 2 in the country after a championship finals loss to Earl Jones of Labette.  Jacob Wright, brother of Seth, is ranked No. 4 and has a win over No. 1 ranked Eric Luedke of Colby, but has lost two straight to Luedke including a semi-final loss at the regions 12-6.  Sabot and Roszkiewicz are both returning All-Americans.  Sabot has been No. 1 at 141 all year and Roszkiewicz is rated No. 2.  Both Sabot and Roszkiewicz claimed regional titles dominating their opponents in the finals.    Nassau has a much different squad this season than the team that won the 2003 title, but the 2004 team has proven that they can win.  Nassau won the National Duals this year among junior college teams by defeating Ellsworth, Iowa Central, and Harper.  The Lions will be lead in the national tournament by defending national champion, Carlos Patrick (165).      Although Patrick is the defending national champion at this weight, he has been ranked No. 2 all season behind No. 1 Muzzaffor Abdurakhmanov of Colby.  Both wrestlers were national champions in 2003, with Abdurakhmanov claiming the 157 pound title in 2003.  Abdurakhmanov moved this season to compete at 165.  The Colby wrestler brings a plethora of international experience to the mat.  This should be a great match up in Rochester.    To help Nassau defend their title, they will need more than just Patrick.  Returning All-Americans Chris Deluca (149) and Chris Weidman (197) hope to shine at the big show to boost their Lions to another championship ring.  Deluca placed 3rd in 2003 at 141 lbs and has moved up a weight.  Weidman also placed 3rd in 2003, but looks to hold his No. 1 ranking and win his first national title.    Nassau will also be represented by LaShaunne Lewis (141), Habif Shahid (174) and Jon Andriac (285).  All of these young men have had successful seasons and look to pull All-American honors for Coach Schmidt and staff.      Now that you have seen the nation's two top teams, here is a brief breakdown of all of the weights and the who's who of the upcoming 2004 NJCAA National Tournament.      To make this national tournament preview interesting, let's pull a weight out of a hat and start there.  149!  This weight should prove to be the most talented weight class at the 2004 tournament.  Loaded from top to bottom, this weight class will be a tough bracket.  Leading this class is defending national runner-up, Mike Rio of Harper.  Rio placed second in his 2003 campaign at 157, losing to Colby's Muzaffor Abdurakhmanov by fall.  Rio has competed at both 149 and 157 this season, but has made his presence known at 149 by defeating defending national runner-up, Mark Dickman of Meramec twice in the past month.  Dickman was undefeated on the year, before the 7-6 and 6-1losses to Rio.    Others to contend at 149 will be Damien Swietlik (Ellsworth), Mikel Delk (Labette), Luke Salazar (Northwest Wyoming), Chris Deluca (Nassau), Jason Bilinski (Gloucester), Jason Barnett (Iowa Central) and Mitch Bunne (Rochester).  All of these competitors are currently ranked in the top six except for Deluca, and Bunne.      Salazar, Deluca, and Bunne are all returning All-Americans and have had successful seasons.  Salazar has a win over Barnett, Delk has beaten Bunne 3-2 at the Meramec Duals, and Deluca has lost to Bilinski twice.  Barnett recorded a huge 8-6 victory over Swietlik in the region finals.  All of these young men have the capabilities to compete for the national title and there will be no hiding from each other.  With this much talent and depth, the excitement should begin from the first round all the way to the finals.    157 will showcase a handful of freshman with one returning All-American in the bunch.  Heading into nationals ranked No. 1 will be Eric Luedke of Colby.  Luedke had a tremendous performance at the West Central Zone region.  Seeded No. 2, Luedke recorded wins over Jacob Wright and Jason Leavitt (Neosho) to claim the title.  Luedke will take a 29-5 record into Rochester looking to claim a national title.    Currently ranked No. 2, Neosho County's Jason Leavitt showed his stuff at the West Central Region by competing as the No. 4 seed and defeating No. 2 seed Joshua Medina of Pima.  Leavitt advanced to the championship finals, but falling to Luedke.  Leavitt is very explosive and focused and will be a force to reckon with come national tournament time.    Other regional champions at this weight were John Cummings (Nassau), Matt Reinke (Minnesota West), Billy Johnson (Muskegon), and Bryan Seibel (North Idaho).  Other contenders will be returning All-American Curt Zinnell (Iowa Central), Jacob Wright (Northwest Wyoming), and Joshua Medina (Pima).      Weight class 165 will be lead by the West Central Zone Outstanding Wrestler and defending national champion at 157, Muzzafor Abdurakhmanov of Colby.  Abdurakhmanov has not lost to a junior college opponent in his two year stint at Colby CC.  With his wide arsenal of takedowns and pinning abilities, this Colby Trojan will be the favorite at this weight class.      Seeking to defend his 165 pound title against Abdurakhmanov, will be Nassau's Carlos Patrick.  Patrick claimed the 2004 Region title and should be the one wrestler that could push Abdurakhmanov.  These two great wrestlers could meet in the finals and make for a great 165 pound final match.    Others at 165 looking to push the field will be Nick Larsen (Western Wyoming), Kade Katuria (Northwest Wyoming), and Nick Ammerman (Southwestern Oregon).    Lassen's Anthony Johnson will lead the field at 174 as a returning All-American from 2003 and 2004 Western Regional champion.  Johnson