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Former Champaign Central wrestling coach Jeff Scott's sights and sounds from the NCAA wrestling meet:

We woke up to about 2 inches of snow on Saturday morning. It was 65 degrees on Thursday and this morning was absolutely freezing. I am pretty sure spring is right around the corner, but after a morning like today, I am not so sure.

Saturday morning's session of wrestling consisted of the place matches. All wrestlers still in action have achieved All-American status.

Jordan Blanton wrestled a kid from Nebraska in the round on Friday morning. It was great to be mat side and see him and the Illinois coaches in action. Blanton is a remarkable sophomore who really pushes his opponents to the limit. He is a very skilled young man, but his biggest attribute is his conditioning and mental toughness. He is like the Energizer bunny. He just goes and goes and goes!

Wrestling referees at the NCAA level have a pretty tough task. Wrestlers at this level are so even and much of the scoring is based on referees and their judgment. The wrestlers get themselves in so many contorted positions and hang on for dear life in order to not give up points. Illinois got a really tough break when John Dergo was trying to get into the third-place match. A very questionable decision by the referee resulted in four points being scored by Dergo's opponent in the final seconds of their match. The call could certainly be justified by the referee, but as an Illinois fan with a little knowledge of the rules, I think Illinois got a tough break.

The Big Ten Conference continues to dominate wrestling on the national scene. The NCAA reports on how many All-Americans there are by conference and the Big Ten had 27 this year. The next conference was the Big 12 with 15 (wrestlers must finish in the top 8 at the NCAA tournament to be All-Americans).

The best third-place match took place between two seniors at 125 pounds: Indiana's Angel Escobedo and Cornell's Troy Nickerson, both four-time All-Americans. After their match, the arena gave them a standing ovation for their outstanding accomplishments in the sport.

Blanton and Dergo both finished in fine fashion, ending the tournament in fifth place with 5-2 records, thus winning

their last match of the season. Illini fans can look forward to Blanton having two more great years wearing the orange and blue. Dergo completed a

great career at Illinois.

The championship matches were broadcast live on ESPN and the environment in the Qwest Center was electric. There was one mat in the middle of the arena and it was up on about a 4-foot platform. The wrestlers were introduced and ran out to the platform, up some steps and onto the grandest stage in the sport. One mat in front of 16,000 fans is a pretty overwhelming environment.

There was a crazy match at 133 pounds! Jayson Ness, a senior from Minnesota, came back in the last five seconds to overcome the lead of his Iowa opponent, Daniel Dennis. Ness looked to be finished, but the arena went crazy when he scored his points. Ness jumped off of the platform and ran into the arms of his father. It was a great scene and a great accomplishment for the undefeated Gopher.

The NCAA finals in any sport are an amazing spectacle and to be a part of something like this has been a great privilege. I have had a fun time acting like a member of the media and have truly enjoyed trying to give you all a little idea of what it was like to be here in Omaha.

Thanks for checking in – I hope you have enjoyed it as much as I have.

Go Illini!