The 197-pound weight class could truly be fun if the NCAA allowed other champions to compete in it. Emmett Willson from the NAIA may have provided one of the best sparks to what has become a dull weight class.    While there are some offensive wrestlers at 197 this year, including defending champion Damion Hahn, the excitement does not seem to be there without two-time finalist Jon Trenge, who is seeking an Olympic redshirt, or Mo Lawal, who has graduated.    There is a new mix of 197-pounders, and it will take some time to get used to them.    Top Contenders  Damion Hahn, Sr. (Minnesota) - Hahn is one of the most talented big men around. Last year, he captured the title at this weight class with two dramatic, come-from-behind wins. He has basically steamrolled through everyone in his path this year, except for Matt Monteiro. When he bumped up to 197 last year, and even at the start of this year, Hahn was a little thick. It almost appeared that he was using the weight class as an excuse to not make weight. But within the last few months, he has toned up and is in great condition. This does not bode well for his opponents. Hahn is best on his feet. He loves to score points, and will attack at any moment. If he gets a lead in his matches, it is basically over. He is too strong, too athletic and too smart to give up leads in big matches.    Chris Skretkowicz, Jr. (Hofstra) - Skretkowicz has two tough losses this year, one to B.J. Padden and the other to Matt Monteiro, but his 7-0 and 2-0 wins over Sean Stender is what will get him the second seed. But remember, those are in open tournament formats, not seven minute matches. Skretkowicz is a long wrestler. If you see him on the street, you would think he would have a better chance of beating you in a beach volleyball game than a wrestling match. On his feet, he is sub-par, which is where he may struggle in this tournament. He is great from the top position. His body allows him to get into various positions, and he loves to cradle. However, history shows that upper weights who struggle from their feet rarely win the title. Skretkowicz needs to become aggressive on his feet. If not, he is most likely seeded in a position to where he will have to go through Monteiro and Stender again.    Sean Stender, Jr. (Northern Iowa) - Consistency has been the biggest problem for Stender so far this season. While he has beaten some tough opponents lately, he has still not wrestled his style of match this year. Stender likes to dominate. Remember, he destroyed Skretkowicz last year in the NCAA Tournament 10-1 to move into the third place match. He missed most of the first half of this season, and has recovered nicely, but this tournament is huge for him and his team. When Stender loses, it is because he creates little or no movement while on his feet. If he just stands around, he is a sitting duck. He is not athletic enough to hold off good shooters if he isn't moving. If Stender is moving around a lot in the early rounds of this tournament, expect him to be on fire and to go far. If he seems to be at a standstill most of the time, then he is going to run into some trouble in the later rounds. Stender is also a decent mat wrestler, but he isn't going to win any big matches from the top position. Smart wrestling from his feet gives him the best chance of winning a title.    The Others  B.J. Padden, So. (Nebraska) - Padden was hot last year at 184 pounds until he seemed to hit a wall midway through the season. He didn't even qualify for the NCAA Tournament. So this year he bumped up in weight. He once again started the season hot, but he has kept that pattern as well. Padden is a strong wrestler. He struggles at times with his stamina, but with the way he wrestles from the top position, so do his opponents. Expect a big-time performance out of this sophomore.    Ryan Bader, So. (Arizona State) - Bader's only true losses this year? To Hahn, Monteiro and Emmett Willson. He also has an injury default on the year. Bader hit the freshman wall last year, getting knocked out of the NCAA Tournament in ugly fashion. He is still improving technically from all positions. Bader is best on his feet. He does seem to get frustrated easily, and then shuts down on offense. He cannot afford to do that in this tournament.    Matt Monteiro, So. (Cal State-Bakersfield) - Another sophomore with the potential to do some major damage in this tournament is Monteiro. While he does not receive the accolades as many of his 197-pound counterparts do, mainly because he is in the PAC-10, Monteiro is one of those darkhorses to win the title this year. He could have garnered a fourth or fifth seed had he not got beat twice in the PAC-10 Tournament, but now he looks like a seventh seed. Expect that to be a good motivational tool for him heading into the NCAA Tournament.    High-Impact Freshmen  J.D. Bergman (Ohio State)    
NCAA Finals: Damion Hahn (Minnesota) vs. Sean Stender (Northern Iowa)  
TheMat.com's Pick: Damion Hahn (Minnesota)  
All-American Dark Horse: Marcus Schontube (Pennsylvania)    
Projected Top 4 Seeds  1. Damion Hahn, Minnesota  2. Chris Skretkowicz, Hofstra  3. Sean Stender, Northern Iowa  4. B.J. Padden, Nebraska    2004 Qualifiers (31)  1st ACC - Venroy July (North Carolina)  2nd ACC - Zach Garren (North Carolina State)  1st Big Ten - Damion Hahn (Minnesota)  2nd Big Ten - Ryan Fulsaas (Iowa)  3rd Big Ten - Pat DeGain (Indiana)  4th Big Ten - Matt Delguyd (Northwestern)  5th Big Ten - J.D. Bergman (Ohio State)  6th Big Ten - Jeff Clemens (Michigan State)  7th Big Ten - Ryan Flaherty (Wisconsin)  1st Big XII - Jeff Foust (Missouri)  2nd Big XII - Rusty Blackmon (Oklahoma State)  3rd Big XII - B.J. Padden (Nebraska)  1st CAA - Chris Skretkowicz (Hofstra)  2nd CAA - Chris Jones (Drexel)  1st East Region - Aaron Smith (Millersville)  1st EIWA - Matt Greenburg (Cornell)  2nd EIWA - Marcus Schontube (Pennsylvania)  3rd EIWA - Reggie Lee (Harvard)  1st EWL - Josh Birt (Pittsburgh)  2nd EWL - Matt Daddino (West Virginia)  3rd EWL - Joe Phillips (Cleveland State)  1st MAC - Kyle Cerminara (Buffalo)  2nd MAC - Joel Weimer (Ohio)  1st PAC-10 - Ryan Bader (Arizona State)  2nd PAC-10 - K.C. Walsh (Boise State)  3rd PAC-10 - Landon Seefeldt (Cal State-Fullerton)  5th PAC-10 - Matt Monteiro (Cal State-Bakersfield)  1st Southern Conference - Darren Burns (North Carolina-Greensboro)  1st West Region - Sean Stender (Northern Iowa)  2nd West Region - Marcio Botelho (Fresno State)  3rd West Region - Kevin Kessner (Wyoming)