Kurt Brenner will make his third appearance at the NCAA Division I Wrestling tournament that begins today at the Scottrade Center in St. Louis. But this appearance is at a different weight class.

"I wrestled in the 174-pound weight class my first two years," said Brenner, a graduate of Freedom High School who is a redshirt junior at West Virginia University. "Toward the end of last season, I was finding it tougher and tougher to make weight. It was really hard on my body."

At the end of the 2007 season Brenner had a talk with West Virginia coach Craig Turnbull. The two agreed that it would be beneficial for Brenner to move to the 184 pounds.

"Weight management was Kurt's Achilles' heel," Turnbull said. "When he came into the practice room, Kurt was more focused on cutting weight than he was on becoming a better wrestler. He's much more comfortable now that he's moved to 184."

Brenner brings a 17-3 record into the 33-man bracket, but is not seeded among the top 12. In fact, his opponent in the first round is No. 3 seed Tyrell Todd (21-3) of Michigan.

"Kurt is finally healthy," Turnbull said. "He does have some minor bumps and bruises, but almost every wrestler in the country can say that at this point of the season."

Brenner has been relatively healthy, but did miss nearly three weeks with a knee injury.

"I had surgery right around Christmas time," he said. "It was the second time I hurt that knee. This time they cut out the meniscus so that it would heal faster."

Brenner earned his third trip to the nationals by winning an Eastern Wrestling League tournament title for the second time in three years.

He is in the only weight class that features two unbeaten wrestlers -- Iowa State's Jake Varner (25-0) and Ohio State's Mike Pucillo (25-0).

"Varner was the runner-up last year and Pucillo placed sixth," Turnbull said. "They are the top two seeds and clearly the best two entries at 184. Below them are at least 14 others who have a legitimate chance of placing, and Kurt is one of them. He clearly has what it takes to become an All-American."

Brenner fell one win short of All-America status in his two previous NCAA appearances.

"It was very similar both years," he said. "I was 2-2 both times and all four losses were to eventual All-Americans. This year, I've adopted a new work ethic that will allow me to take the next step and become an All-American."

Brenner works out a lot with teammate Donnie Jones, a graduate of Greensburg Salem High School who is the Mountaineers' starter at 165.

"Kurt is on a roll," said Jones. "He's healthy now and is ready to show the country what he can do. If he continues to wrestle like he did in the EWL tournament he will come back to West Virginia with a medal."

South Fayette graduate Mark McKnight will make his fourth appearance at the NCAA Division I tournament. McKnight, a 125-pound senior at Penn State, earned a second consecutive berth for the Nittany Lions. His first two trips to the national tournament occured while wrestling at the University of Buffalo.

McKnight (13-9) is among 34 entries in the 125-pound weight class. His opponent in the first round is No. 12 seed Tyler Shinn (15-6) of Oklahoma State.

McKnight has an 8-6 record in his three previous appearances and finished among the top 12 twice, but has yet to earn All-America status.