With nearly two weeks of practice since the close of the regular season, the No. 5 Minnesota wrestling team turns to the Big Ten Championships this weekend. The tournament will be held in Ann Arbor, Mich., with the preliminary round beginning at 11 a.m. Saturday at Crisler Arena . There will be sessions throughout the day Saturday and Sunday with the championship rounds beginning Sunday afternoon. Minnesota (12-5, 7-1 Big Ten) enters the tournament with two top-ranked wrestlers and nine of their 10 wrestlers ranked in their respective weight class in the Big Ten. For senior Jayson Ness (133 pounds), this will be the second No. 1 seed of his career heading into the conference tournament as he enters on a 25-match win streak, including a perfect 23-0 this season. His freshman season he earned his first No. 1 ranking at 125 and became the Big Ten champion. Last season was NessâÄô debut at 133 where he finished the Big Ten tournament with a fourth place finish. Ness and his teammates have high expectations for the weekendâÄôs tournament. âÄú[My goal is] definitely a Big Ten championship and [to become] national champ,âÄù Ness said. While the focus at practice over the last two weeks has shifted to individual agendas, the wrestlers have not lost the team mentality. âÄúThe best thing you can do for the team is place at the Big Ten tournament,âÄù Ness said. Senior Dustin Schlatter (157) also claims a top seed as he rides a 14-match win streak. He is 6-0 after making a midseason switch from 165 to 157 and enters the tournament with the No. 1 seed for the third time in his career. Schlatter already has two Big Ten titles to his name, and if he can secure the Big Ten title this year, Schlatter would only be the seventh Minnesota wrestler in history to win at least three Big Ten titles. Junior Mike Thorn (141) is the next highest ranked wrestler at No. 2 in his weight class. Zach Sanders (125) and Scott Glasser (174) follow closely behind at No. 3. Rounding out the Gophers ranked wrestlers are No. 4 Ben Berhow (heavyweight), No. 5 Sonny Yohn (197) and both Cody Yohn (165) and Mario Mason (149) at No. 7 in their respective weight classes. Kaleb Young (184) will also be competing for the Gophers. Of these wrestlers, Thorn, Glasser and Sanders have all seen Big Ten tournament action before, while the rest of the wrestlers will be getting their first taste this weekend. Thorn and Sanders finished in fifth place last year in their respective weight classes. Ness said the team will not look ahead to the national tournament, but is hoping for a strong showing at the Big Ten. The more success a team has in conference tournaments, the more intimidating they can be if they advance to the national stage. âÄúSending a message and wrestling hard each match will help you in [the] next match,âÄù Ness said. âÄúIf you beat a guy up âĦ guys will look at that at the national tournament and see it. It kind of gets in their head.âÄù The Gophers have held the No. 5 national ranking for 10 straight weeks after moving up from sixth. A big part of what helped them secure the fifth spot was eight wins against top 25 ranked teams in the regular season. All five of MinnesotaâÄôs losses came at the hands of teams ranked in the top four.