Jeff Prescott says that from now on, it's all mental.

All the hours of physical work are behind him and the other Penn State wrestlers as they compete at the NCAA Tournament today through Saturday at the Carver-Hawkeye Arena in Iowa City, Iowa.

Prescott, ranked No. 1 at 118 pounds for the entire season, is Penn State's best shot to win a national title.

"Everybody out there is tough," Prescott said. "It all comes down to who wants it the most, and I think I want it the most. Those other guys, they think they want it, they know they want it, but I want it more."

Donnie Heckel of Clemson currently is ranked second at 118, and Iowa's Chad Zaputil, a freshman, is ranked third after winning the Big Ten title. Prescott won by technical fall over Zaputil, 18-2 at 4:31, during the national dual meet championships.

"Jeff's toughest competition has got to be himself," Coach Rich Lorenzo said. "He's got to make weight correctly. When he's out there he's got to be careful of how he wrestles -- he has to stay aggressive, but not get careless with his aggressiveness, because that's when he tends to give up big points."

Prescott earned All-America honors last year with a fifth-place finish.

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Bob Truby has prepared for nationals by replaying the EWL Tournament over and over in his mind.

Truby won the EWL 126-pound title by scoring two falls and a near-technical fall. He wrestled more offensively than he had during the season, taking lots of shots and finishing them. He continued to dominate on the mat.

"I've got nothing to worry about," Truby said. "At EWL's I found out that I'm good, and I've just got to keep that in my mind. I'm just going to go nuts."

Truby is currently ranked third, behind defending national champion Terry Brands of Iowa and last year's runner-up, Jason Kelber of Nebraska. The class is especially tight at the top most bouts between top -- ranked wrestlers have been decided by one or two points.

Truby has not wrestled Brands this year, but lost to him last year. He has never wrestled Kelber, so he watched films this week to prepare.

Lorenzo wants Truby to continue to open up and wrestle more offensively.

"For him to have a good tournament, he's got to stay focused," Lorenzo said. "Like Jeff, his biggest opponent is himself."

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At the beginning of the season, Lorenzo thought 134-pounder Chad Dubin could challenge for All-America status. Then, during the middle of the season, Dubin stopped wrestling well and Lorenzo thought his chances were gone.

Now, with Dubin wrestling aggressively again, Lorenzo thinks Dubin has a shot.

"He's got to use the technique he has -- he really has very nice technique," Lorenzo said,

Last year at nationals, the unseeded Dubin nearly defeated No. 4 seed Chris Owens of Oklahoma State. He said he learned that seeds don't matter at the national tournament.

Dubin placed third at the EWL Tournament. He lost to John Dasta of Clarion in the semifinals, but returned the next day to wrestle aggressively in two consolation matches.

"I'm on the upswing," Dubin said. "I've just got to keep that frame of mind. I've got to stay focused."

Troy Sunderland worries Lorenzo more than any other wrestler.

Sunderland's drop to 142 pounds, which he did to help the team, has hurt him individually, Lorenzo said.

"He's lost a little quickness and pizzazz," Lorenzo said.

Sunderland, ranked third, lost to No. 1 Scott Collins of West Virginia in the finals of the EWL Tournament.

"If the Troy Sunderland who wrestled at the Virginia Duals or the Mat-Town Tournament had wrestled last weekend, Collins still might have won but it would have been a different match," Lorenzo said.

Sunderland said he has been having trouble getting warmed up when he wrestles; he usually doesn't start feeling comfortable until the third period.

Lorenzo said dropping weight has weighed on Sunderland's mind and caused him to lose some enthusiasm for wrestling. But it hasn't dampened Sunderland's competitiveness, and that's why he wrestles best in the third period, when the pressure is on.

"I'm concerned," Lorenzo said. "And I feel sad, because I know what he's fighting, I know (the weight cutting) is clouding his goal. But if any individual can change it, it's Troy Sunderland."

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Last year, 150-pounder Tim Wittman was the surprise of the national tournament; he came in with an 8-11 record and went home with fourth place and All-America honors.

This year, he won't be able to surprise anyone. Currently ranked ninth, Wittman has been ranked as high as fifth in the polls. Although he knows some teams have scouted him and know some of his moves, Wittman isn't worried.

"There's no pressure on me -- I'm not the champ," Wittman said. "There won't be any pressure until I am the champ."

Wittman injured his ankle in the first round of the EWL Tournament but put the injury out of his mind to win the title. The ankle is still bothering Wittman a little; he hasn't wrestled live for a few days.

"(The EWL Tournament) should be a boost to him because he had a banged-up ankle and he was still able to win," Lorenzo said.

"For Tim to be a national champion, he's got to be explosive and take the shots he wants to," Lorenzo added. "He's very emotional, although he doesn't always show it, and when he gets up he's as tough as we have on the team."

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Lorenzo said 158-pounder Jason Suter is "totally frustrated and embarrassed" with his performance at the EWL Tournament. Suter, a returning All-American, needed a wild card to qualify for the national tournament.

But Lorenzo hopes Suter can learn from his mistakes at EWLs and earn All-America status again this weekend.

"He can make everything OK and great by winning a national championship or placing in the top couple guys," Lorenzo said. "That'll make this all worthwhile."

As he has during his entire career at Penn State, Suter needs to find the confidence on his feet. When Suter believes he is wrestling poorly on his feet, his opponents exploit this weakness and take him down. Then Suter has more pressure to score takedowns and more trouble winning the match.

"It isn't like he has a physical defect or anything," Lorenzo said. "It's just a mindset he has to conquer. And this is his last chance."

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Although he nearly defeated returning All-American Mark Banks at the EWL Tournament, 167-pounder Dave Hart isn't happy with his performance.

"I'm never happy unless I win," he said.

Hart's attitude is one of his biggest assets going into the national tournament; because his weight class is evenly matched, many wrestlers have a chance for All-America honors.

"Dave Hart will not hold back," Lorenzo said. "If he gets beaten, it will be because that wrestler is better than Dave Hart on that given day or because Dave makes a drastic error. It won't be because Dave Hart is afraid to lose."

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Matt White learned to appreciate wrestling last year, when he redshirted because he injured his anterior cruciate ligament.

This year, after he missed another month of competition because of an injury to his other knee, White learned to appreciate even more. Now he actually likes feeling nervous before he steps onto the mat.

White's weight class, 177 pounds, has been dominated by Minnesota's Marty Morgan. But Lorenzo said the rest of the All-America spots are up for grabs and thinks White can get one.

White is currently unranked but had risen to ninth before his injury in January.

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No one expected 190-pounder Mike Kraft to qualify for the national tournament, but he surprised everyone by placing second at the EWL Tournament.

Kraft struggled for most of the season to post a 9-19-1 regular-season record, and Lorenzo wants him to enjoy his experience at nationals, win a few matches, and gain valuable experience for the future.

"The EWLs were good for Mike because he got reassurance that he is a good wrestler, that he is capable of winning," Lorenzo said.

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Lorenzo isn't sure which Marc Padwe will show up for the national tournament, but he hopes it's the heavyweight who walks onto the mat, scores a takedown early, and goes on to control the match.

That Padwe showed up at the national dual meet championships, but in many of the following meets, Padwe let himself be lulled into his opponent's tempo, never got going on his feet, and lost.

"He's just got to be on the offense," Lorenzo said.

Padwe is currently unranked but rose as high as 11th during the season.

"You've got to go into competition thinking that you can win," Padwe said.