Flores' Press Conference Photo Gallery

On Wednesday, top-ranked heavyweight Ryan Flores of the American University wrestling team participated in the NCAA Pre-Championship Press Conference at the Scottrade Center in St. Louis, Mo. Flores was one of five student-athletes from around the country to be selected to take part in the event. The other wrestlers who joined Flores at the press conference were Stanford's Nick Amuchastegui, Cornell's Kyle Dake, Oklahoma State's Jordan Oliver, and Michigan's Kellen Russell.

Flores is the No. 1 seed in the heavyweight draw and comes into the tournament with a perfect 17-0 record this season, which includes 13 pins. Five Eagles are competing at this year's NCAA Championships, including No. 5 seed Ganbayar Sanjaa (157 lbs.) and No. 11-seed Matt Mariacher (141 lbs.).

"To have that success for my school is really important," remarked Flores during the press conference. "I think everyone knows that American is just getting stronger and stronger, so to keep putting us on the map like that and keep getting stronger recruits because of it, it is really important for the school and for myself as a point of pride."

Click here to read the preview and complete tournament notes. AUeagles.com will hosting a live, interactive blog from matside in St. Louis throughout the tournament, beginning at 12 p.m. ET on Thursday. Head Coach Teague Moore is scheduled to join the live blog on Thursday afternoon at approximately 1:30 p.m. ET and he will share his thoughts on the tournament and answer questions from blog readers.

Be sure to check out the NCAA Championships Homepage on AUeagles.com for all the latest recaps, brackets, photos, and videos.