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27 T om Brands has said it. His wrestlers have heard it. Now it's time to see it. Nothing stands in front of the University of Iowa wrestling team and its next tournament. e Hawkeyes have an unobstructed view of the next event on the schedule, and all eyes are on the 2018 NCAA Championships at Quicken Loans Arena from March 15-17 in Cleveland. "We have to go forward," Brands said in East Lansing, Michigan, following a fourth-place finish at the Big Ten Conference Championships. "We have another tournament. It's a three-day tournament in Cleveland, Ohio, and it's the national tournament." e Big Ten Championships was one of eight NCAA qualifying tournaments across the country. e Hawkeyes le East Lansing without a champion, but they did qualify nine wrestlers for the NCAA Championships. Moments aer stepping off the podium on March 4, freshman Spencer Lee announced when his attention would turn toward Cleveland. "Today," he said. One word. No reflection. All conviction. Lee is one of four Hawkeyes making their first appearance at the NCAA Championships. Alex Marinelli, Vince Turk, and Mitch Bowman are in the same position. Bowman earned the eighth and final automatic berth at 184 pounds. Marinelli didn't meet his championships expectations, but will move on to nationals at 165. Turk entered the conference tournament unseeded, but battled to fih place to earn an automatic berth at 141. He shared time this season with Carter Happel, and without the automatic berth, he may have been on the outside looking in when the NCAA announced the at-large berths. Instead, his performance erased any uncertainty and put the focus solely on Cleveland. "First of all, earn it," Turk said. "at's a lot better than waiting around for that handout. I'm glad I earned it. It's time to get ready for what's coming up. "It's like war out there. ere are going to be causalities. You can't sit there on the battlefield and think about the casualties, you have to move forward and finish." Four the fourth time in as many years, Iowa is moving forward with Brandon Sorensen at 149 pounds. A three-time All-American, Sorensen reached the finals in 2016. A return to the Saturday night stage is part of the goal. A win would complete the challenge, and Sorensen has a specific plan for the days ahead. "Getting ready mentally," Sorensen said. "Working on bottom. Quick finishes. High pace. Short goes, high pace. It is only a seven-minute match. It goes by quick." Other Hawkeyes qualifiers include Michael Kemerer (157), Joey Gunther (174), Cash Wilcke (197), and Sam Stoll (285). All four wrestlers are making their second trip to the national tournament. e 2018 NCAA Wrestling Championships are broadcast in its entirety on the ESPN family of networks. Visit hawkeyesports.com for complete coverage information.