Jamill Kelly of the Gator WC is an inspiring athlete with a great personal story. Kelly never won a state high school tournament, nor a Junior College national title, and he was never an All-American in Div. I  when he attended Oklahoma State. So all Kelly did was work hard, believe in himself, and continue freestyle wrestling. Last summer, his second year as the No. 1 wrestler in the nation, Kelly reached a level few will ever achieve - he won an Olympic silver medal at the Athens Games.    Kelly took over his weight class in 2003, with a tremendous performance at the World Team Trials and never let go. He has not competed since his amazing run in Athens, and is not expected to be competing this year in Las Vegas. That means that Olympic Trials runner-up Jared Lawrence of the Minnesota Storm enters the year as the top athlete in a very talented field. Lawrence was a bit of a surprise  last year, getting into the Olympic Trials championship series after placing just fifth at the U.S. Nationals. Lawrence is proving that his run in Indianapolis last year was just the beginning. He won a gold medal at the Dave Schultz Memorial and three other international medals this winter, beating some top foreign competitors.     Lawrence finds himself atop of a very deep and talented field of challengers, one of the most exciting divisions in all of American wrestling. The veteran of this group is Chris Bono of the Sunkist Kids, who has made two U.S. World Teams and a number of national titles. Bono lost to Lawrence at the Olympic Team Trials, after taking second at the U.S. Nationals last year to Kelly. Bono has the experience and talent to take this weight class over again, but the younger talents all have faith that they can beat him now. His wins at the Sunkist Kids International and the New York AC Christmas Tournament indicate that the new rules might enhance his style.    Placing third at the Olympic Trials is the talented Eric Larkin of the Sunkist Kids, an athlete with tremendous freestyle skills, especially on the mat.  Larkin lost to Bono in the finals at the Sunkist Kids International and will look for another shot at Bono this season. Larkin was a tremendous freestyler all through his college career at Arizona State, and has continued to improve since concentrating completely on Olympic wrestling.    The other two athletes who placed at the Olympic Trials last year were Doug Schwab of the Minnesota Storm and Jared Frayer of the Dave Schultz WC. These are talented and experienced freestylers, who have the ability to beat other top wrestlers in the division. Frayer has been competing at times this season up at 74 kg, but his best chance to take a title is at this weight division.     The hot young talent on the scene this year is Jesse Jantzen of the New York AC, who lost to Bono in the New York AC Christmas Open finals and captured a bronze medal at the Dave Schultz Memorial. Jantzen has made a good transition from college wrestling, where he was known for his strong mat wrestling skills, to a winning freestyler, which relies more on takedown skills. Jantzen's win over Larkin at the Dave Schultz Memorial shows that he is ready to continue his rise in the standings.    Bill Zadick, a 2001 World Team member, had a disappointing season last year, but is working to re-establish himself in this crowded field. For a few years, Zadick and Bono had a rivalry on the freestyle circuit, but now the veterans are having tough challenges early in every tournament from the younger stars.     There are two young athletes named Moore who have begun to make a move in this division, There is no relation between Scott Moore (who was a college star at VA) and Cliff Moore (a NCAA champion for Iowa), but both are now active on the freestyle circuit. Scott Owen of the New York AC is also making a run at this division, and beat both Moores at the New York AC Christmas Tournament this year.     Among the other young wrestlers who are showing up at freestyle events and are making their mark on the national level are Dylan Long of the Panther WC, Jerrod Sanders of the Wolfpack WC and Jeff Ratliff of Ohio International.     There were athletes who make an impact in recent seasons and could be a factor if they continue to compete nationally. They include Tony Davis of the Sunkist Kids, Reggie Wright of the Gator WC, T.J. Williams of the Hawkeye WC, Jeremy Ensrud of the Dave Schultz WC and Jamarr Billman of the New York AC. They provide tremendous depth in this division, making even the early rounds at the U.S. Nationals something to watch closely.    With Jamill Kelly on the sidelines, this weight class is truly wide open this season. Jared Lawrence holds an edge here, and has shown that he will be tough to knock off the top of the heap. Chris Bono has proven the ability to take it all when he is wrestling well. Athletes like Eric Larkin, Jesse Jantzen, Jared Frayer and Doug Schwab are already proven talents in this field. The key for success for the USA in this division is to get an athlete to emerge from the pack, then to start winning internationally under pressure. It will be a fun journey for fans to follow this group of talents in their quest for international success.    2004 U.S. NATIONALS RESULTS  1st - Jamill Kelly, Stillwater, Okla. (Gator WC) dec. Chris Bono, Gilbert, Iowa (Sunkist Kids), 4-3  3rd -Jared Frayer, Cambridge, Mass. (Dave Schultz WC) pin Eric Larkin, Tempe, Ariz. (Sunkist Kids), 2:15  5th - Jared Lawrence, Minneapolis, Minn. (Minnesota Storm) inj;. dft. over Doug Schwab, Minneapolis, Minn. (Minnesota Storm)  7th -Tony Davis, Lincoln, Neb. (Sunkist Kids) dec. Celso DeAnda, Colorado Springs, Colo. (Team Excel), 6-0    THEMAT.COM RANKINGS FOR APRIL 1, 2005  1. Jared Lawrence, Minneapolis, Minn. (Minnesota Storm)  2. Chris Bono, Gilbert, Iowa (Sunkist Kids)  3. Jesse Jantzen, Cambridge, Mass. (Dave Schultz WC)  4. Eric Larkin, Tempe, Ariz. (Sunkist Kids)  5. Doug Schwab, Minneapolis, Minn. (Minnesota Storm)  6. Jared Frayer, Cambridge, Mass. (Dave Schultz WC)  7. Scott Owen, DeKalb, Ill. (New York AC)  8. Scott Moore, Charlottesville, Va. (Sunkist Kids)  9. Bill Zadick, Colorado Springs, Colo. (Hawkeye WC)   10. Cliff Moore, Iowa City, Iowa (Hawkeye WC)