Dominance. When summing up Big Ten wrestling, this is one word that springs immediately to mind. For decades, the conference has been at the epicenter of the collegiate wrestling world, consistently racking up national championship teams and individuals, and creating a conference dynasty unparalleled in college athletics.

The Big Ten has claimed every National Champion since 1994. And if this season's early results are any indication, that trend is not likely to change.

This past weekend at the National Duals, Minnesota defeated Ohio State in the final, Iowa won the third-place dual and Michigan was victorious in the fifth-place dual. The Big Ten expects to remain strong behind the early successes of No. 1 Minnesota, No. 4 Michigan, No. 5 Iowa and No. 7 Ohio State.

No. 1 Minnesota (11-0)

Paralleling the Big Ten's dominance in the NCAA, the Golden Gophers are clearly the class of the conference. The defending national champions return eight of their unbelievable 10 All-Americans from last season's NCAA tournament. Minnesota's lineup is anchored by a veritable murderer's row stretching from Leroy Vega (20-2) at 125 to Luke Becker at 157. All five wrestlers in that stretch are ranked in the top three at their respective weights and four of the five are returning All-Americans. No. 1 Ryan Lewis (17-0), a transfer from North Dakota State, is first year as a starter at 133 pounds.

"I think our strength lies in our coaching staff," Minnesota head coach J Robinson said. "Our coaches work real well together and we individualize workouts for our wrestlers which has been a big help."

The second half of the Gopher lineup, led by All-Americans Jacob Volkman, Damion Hahn, Owen Elzen and Garret Lowney, are no slouches. Hahn and Lowney, wrestling at 184 and heavyweight respectively, represent a major reason why Minnesota is on top.

"They were two of our bigger recruits, Hahn is really just learning to wrestle at the collegiate level and Lowney looks like he can beat anyone in the country," Robinson said. Even though the Gophers won the NCAA title last year, they did not have an individual champion. Robinson feels they can improve.

"We have balance as well as individual strength," he said. "I think we have a lot of guys that can reach the finals."

No. 4 Michigan (9-2)

Over the past couple of years, Wolverine head coach Joe McFarland has been landing highly rated recruiting classes and this year his work is beginning to pay dividends. Michigan is ranked among the top five teams in the country and just earned a second straight fifth place finish, including a 23-12 victory over Iowa, at the National Duals. Through this point in the season, Michigan has definitely emerged as a darkhorse contender for the Big Ten and National championships.

"They have to have a lot of things go right for them, but they'll definitely be up there," Minnesota's Robinson said.

Michigan is one of the conference's few teams that have the firepower in their lineup to compete with Minnesota. The Wolverines return five All-Americans led by former NCAA finalist Otto Olson at 174 pounds. Olson and fellow All-Americans Andy Hrovat and Matt Brink at 184 and heavyweight, respectively, give Michigan a devastating punch at the end of their lineup.

Other All-Americans include A.J. Grant at 125 pounds and Mike Kulczycki at 149. To top it off, Michigan features one of the country's top freshmen in fifth ranked Ryan Bertin at 157 pounds.

No. 16 Michigan State (3-3)

After being the only Big Ten team not to place at National Duals, Michigan State saw how good the conference is again this season. The Spartans went 1-2 over the weekend, with a win over Lock Haven 25-10.

Heading into the season Coach Tom Minkel was relying heavily on leadership and experience from his three returning All-Americans, Chris Williams, Gray Maynard and Nik Fekete. In December, Fekete's services were lost for the year when he suffered a shoulder injury.

"To be a good successful team you need to overcome adversity," Minkel said. "His (Fekete's) loss was a significant one. Injuries are a part of the game and you need to adjust. Everyone encounters them at one time or another, and right now we're adjusting."

There is an increase of pressure now on the lone senior, Williams and Las Vegas native Maynard for the success of the Spartans.

No. 17 Wisconsin (8-5)

After losing 165-pound national champion Don Pritzlaff to graduation, it appeared the Badgers were headed for a rebuilding year. Wisconsin has responded this year by defeating Nebraska and Navy at the Lonestar Duals in Texas and posting victories over Penn State and Pittsburgh en route to a third place finish at the Virginia Duals.

The star individually for Wisconsin is Kevin Black, a junior at 133 pounds. The two-time NCAA qualifier is ranked fourth in the country and is a prime candidate for Big Ten and National honors. Another Badger with All-American aspirations is 184-pounder No. 16 Ralph DeNisco. He is remembered by Nittany Lion fans for defeating Jeff Knupp 3-2 last year to win the dual meet, 19-18. DeNisco earned Big Ten Wrestler of the week, a week ago after defeating two ranked opponents.

Northwestern (7-5, Big Ten 0-1)

Northwestern heads into this season on the opposite end of the spectrum from Minnesota. The Wildcats finished last in the Big Ten tournament a year ago racking up only six points. There were national qualifiers on the squad in 2001. Northwestern lost only two wrestlers to graduation and return 11 lettermen.

John Giacche, a 141-pounder, and 165-pound Ryan Kane are expected to carry the load for the Wildcats this season. Giacche has posted a record of 21-5 including 11-2 in dual meet competition. Kane has amassed 22 victories against eight defeats. Both Kane and Giacche earned won by decision in their Big Ten opener against Purdue.