PHOTO: Gordon Marshall
No. 2 Penn State 125-pound wrestler Jeremy Hunter pins an opponent earlier this season.

By RYAN HOCKENSMITH
Collegian Staff Writer

Ask members of all 11 participating schools and 11 different answers are likely to be blurted out.

Which team has a shot at the Big Ten team title in this weekend's Big Ten Championships?

"I think our team's peaking at just the right time," said Illinois' Griff Powell, ranked No. 16 at 157 pounds. "We're right there with Iowa, Minnesota and Penn State."

"I look at us as a serious darkhorse," said Sam Neider of Northwestern, ranked No. 5 at 197 pounds. "We're more of a tournament team, so we're gonna surprise a bunch of teams."

Anybody else?

"In our last five dual meets, we've wrestled everybody real tough," said Don Pritzlaff, Wisconsin's No. 3 165 pounder. "I definitely think we'll surprise some people."

Illinois, Northwestern and Wisconsin finished a combined 10-15 in Big Ten dual meet competition.

On paper, the favorite to leave Ann Arbor, Mich., with this weekend's team title appears to be Minnesota, which finished its Big Ten dual-meet season a perfect 9-0.

With six wrestlers ranked in the nation's top five and four No. 1 seeds for this weekend's tournament, the Golden Gophers and coach J. Robinson probably should be confident.

But he's not.

"Anytime a school has won 25 straight times, they have to be the favorite," Robinson said, referring to longtime nemesis Iowa. "I'd say every year Iowa pulls it together just in time for the postseason."

Robinson's comments refer to the quarter century of domination by the No. 3-ranked Hawkeyes. As Robinson alluded to, Iowa has captured the Big Ten team championship 25 consecutive times, grabbing 116 individual titles along the way.

And with seven grapplers currently ranked in the top 20, the Hawkeyes seemed perched for another swoop at first place.

"I think everybody's clicking right now," said Iowa's Gabe McMahan, ranked No. 7 at 174 pounds. "I hope people start to count us out -- then we'll surprise 'em."

No. 10 Penn State is among the seven other ranked teams fighting to defeat Minnesota and Iowa.

The Nittany Lions, ranked as highly as No. 4 this season, bring their healthiest team in some time to the mat for Big Tens.

After being shelved for a few weeks with a high ankle sprain, 184-pound junior Ross Thatcher returns to the lineup for the Lions. Thatcher's return accompanies several more weeks of healing for previously injured Penn State starters Alex Leykikh (165 pounds), Mark Janus (heavyweight) and Nate Parker (133 pounds). Two other starters, Mark Bost at 141 pounds and 149 pounder Biff Walizer, have gotten several bouts under their belts at new weight classes to solidify the lineup.

Throw in returning All-Americans Jeremy Hunter (125 pounds), Clint Musser (157 pounds) and Glenn Pritzlaff (174 pounds), and Penn State is confident of making its own tournament run.

"People are writing us off," team co-captain Musser said. "But the lineup's back together and we have some momentum. If we got performances out of some guys . . . there's no telling how high we could finish."

First-year coach Troy Sunderland said his Lions need solid showings from the entire team, but pointed out Leykikh, Parker and Janus as being vital individuals to Penn State's chances for the team title.

Sunderland's squad was unanimous in its talk of its ability to place highly.

"We had a completely healthy team once this whole year -- Nebraska," Janus said, referring to Penn State's season-opening 22-12 win against the Cornhuskers. "And we hammered them. I definitely think we're in position to sneak up on Minnesota and Iowa."

Brett Calabretta, Penn State's entry at 197 pounds, was especially adamant regarding his teammates.

"There are 10 guys on this team that are capable of being All-Americans this year," Calabretta said. "We just have to go out and show the country how good Penn State wrestling is."

While many Big Ten teams insisted on being dangerous darkhorses, others were more down to earth.

"We have to have a lot of guys do really, really well," said Viktor Sveda, Indiana's entry at 184 pounds. "I don't see us in the top three."

The top seven place winners from each weight class, along with two wild cards, advance to NCAA Championships to be held March 18-20 at The Bryce Jordan Center.

Musser, a two-time NCAA qualifier, said while Big Tens are important to he and his Penn State squad, his focus remains on March 18-20.

"It'd be great to win a Big Ten team title," Musser said. "But what it really comes down to is the NCAA Tournament. We just have to advance a bunch of guys to NCAAs, then worry about winning that."