The NCAA has released its at-large selections, filling out the 330 total national championship spots for March 16-18 in St. Louis. Fifty-three wrestlers were given a second chance at glory after coming up short in the conference qualifying tournaments, while countless others saw their season-long -- and for some, career-long -- dreams permanently and mercilessly dashed.

The NCAA selection committee has the unenviable task of making this determination based on the following weighted criteria: head-to-head competition, quality wins, results against common opponents, winning percentage, rating percentage index, coaches ranking and qualifying event placement, in proportions illustrated in this tweet from the NCAA:

Here's a breakdown of the weighted criteria the DI Wrestling Committee uses when selecting at-large wrestlers. #NCAAWrestling pic.twitter.com/2golZ6D6Yz

— NCAA Wrestling (@ncaawrestling) March 7, 2017

This year, Stanford was the biggest beneficiary of the process, receiving a whopping five of its nine total qualifiers through wildcard selections. Similarly, North Carolina State managed to qualify its entire lineup with the assistance of four at-large bids, the second most of any program.

We'll find out what the Cardinal, Wolfpack, and the 33 other teams that received at-large bids can accomplish with the reprieves they were granted in less than two weeks. In the meantime, we're going to take a look back at which wrestlers made the most of their second chances with the top five performances from an at-large bid, since 2009, when the NCAA first adopted the current selection process.

1. Robert Hamlin, Lehigh (2013) 2nd at 184

Hamlin had to withdraw partway through the EIWAs his senior campaign due to injury, but his body of work that season still earned him a No. 3 seed. The Vermonster knocked off the No. 2-seeded Ben Bennett of Central Michigan in the semis to advance to the NCAAs finals, the only at-large bid to do so since 2009. Unfortunately for Hamlin, having arrived at the biggest collegiate wrestling stage, he ran into the buzzsaw that is Ed Ruth and was felled 12-4.

2. AJ Schopp, Edinboro (2015) 3rd at 133

Schopp confronted similar injury-plagued circumstances during the EWL conference tournament his senior season. The Fighting Scot started the tournament with a nine seed and was upended in the first round by unseeded Caleb Richardson of Penn. But Schopp was not ready to call it a career, and in one of the gutsiest performances in NCAA history, he peeled off seven straight wins in the consolation bracket to earn third place.

3. Kyle Blevins, Appalachian State (2012) 4th at 165

Blevins was just barely denied an automatic qualifier, losing in the Southern Conference finals in tiebreakers. The Oklahoma native took full advantage of his at-large selection, though, finishing higher at the NCAAs than any other SoCon wrestler in 2012, except his teammate Austin Trottman at 184. Blevins had to beat the sixth, seventh, eighth, and ninth seeds in the consolations during his astonishing All-American run.

4. David Terao, American (2016) 4th at 125

The Flyin' Hawaiian put on one of the most entertaining shows in NCAA history, charging through the 125 bracket from the 15th seed. Terao upset No. 2 seed Joey Dance in the round of 16, then headlocked his way past Stanford's #10 Connor Schram in the quarters before being stopped by No. 3 Nico Megaludis in the semis. Terao almost pulled off another upset in the bronze medal match against top-ranked Nathan Tomasello but still earned a standing ovation from the crowd in New York City for his efforts, nabbing his first All-American award in his fourth and final trip to the NCAAs.

5. Casey Kent, Penn (2016) 4th at 174

Rounding out our top five is another fourth-place finisher who barely edged out by Terao on style points to land in the final spot on our list. Kent sent shockwaves through his bracket, securing a spot on the podium from an unseeded start. The Quakers junior lost in the round of 16 but then reeled off five consecutive wins in the consi bracket before Virginia Tech's Zach Epperly put a stop to his run in the battle for third place.

The following list of wrestlers also attained All-American status after receiving an at-large bid and are worthy of mentioning, despite not making our illustrious top five:

Ricky Alcala, Indiana - 2011 - 5th at 285
Ian Miller, Kent State - 2016 - 6th at 157
Germaine Lindsey, Ohio - 2010 - 6th at 141
Mark Ells, Missouri - 2010 - 6th at 285
Ty Walz, Virginia Tech - 2015 - 7th at 285
Ben Jordan, Wisconsin - 2012 - 7th at 165
Brandon Hatchett, Lehigh - 2011 - 7th at 165
Justin Gaethje, Northern Colorado - 2010 - 7th at 157
Alan Gelogaev, Oklahoma State - 2010 - 7th at 197
Earl Hall, Iowa State - 2014 - 8th at 125
Kyle Borshoff, American - 2010 - 8th at 149
Frank Molinaro, Penn State - 2009 - 8th at 141