The deepest and most talented weight class in American wrestling may be the 66 kg/145.5 lbs. division in men's freestyle wrestling. This weight class has it all, talented veterans and young stars, a variety of wrestlers who can win matches against quality opponents. Every time this group of athletes get together to compete, the outcome is uncertain. It is anybody's competition to win.    Setting a high standard at this weight was 2004 Olympic silver medalist Jamill Kelly of the Gator WC, who surprised the world with his tremendous performance at the Athens Games. Kelly owned this division for two years in the USA, but has not wrestled since he won his Olympic medal. He has left the division for the tough competitors that helped make him a better athlete, a group that pushed Kelly to become a winner.    Claiming the gold medal at the 2005 U.S. Nationals is perhaps the most experienced veteran of the bunch, Chris Bono of the Sunkist Kids. Bono has made two U.S. World Teams and is in the thick of things every single year. His big disappointment came in 2004, when he fell short of his goals at the Olympic Team Trials and did not make it out of the Challenge Tournament. Bono has seemed to wrestle very well under the new rules, winning a few gold medals in international meets and taking the entire field at the U.S. Nationals.    Bono needed three periods to beat 2004 Olympic Trials runner-up Jared Lawrence of the Minnesota Storm. Lawrence blasted onto the scene last year at the Olympic Trials, beating some talented athletes to win the Challenge Tournament. Kelly needed three matches to get past Lawrence. This year, Lawrence has wrestled well on international tours, and had a win over Bono in an overseas event. However, Bono was able to edge Lawrence in the gold-medal finals in Las Vegas, and it will be Bono who has the advantage of sitting out of the Challenge Tourn ament at the World Team Trials in Ames, Iowa.    The rest of this weight division is talented, and any one of a number of the athletes could take the title in the Challenge Tournament. Over the last two seasons, these athletes have swapped positions at different competitions, with many of the battles being very close and exciting to watch.     Placing third at the U.S. Nationals was Jared Frayer, who has been nibbling near the top of this division in recent seasons. Frayer wrestled a few times up at 74 kg this winter, but when he was down at weight for the U.S. Nationals, he was very effective. Frayer has always been strong in freestyle, and competes with confidence against all opponents.    Placing fourth this year was veteran Bill Zadick of the Gator WC, who is having a nice recovery from a few down seasons. Zadick competed on the 2001 U.S. World Team, but when FILA dropped from eight to seven weight division, Zadick has not been able to claim a top spot ever since. He had a disappointing showing at the Olympic Team Trials, and many thought he had past his prime. However, this year, as a U.S. Olympic Training Center resident athlete, Zadick has seemed to get the edge back in his wrestling, and is showing the kind of ability that made him a star a few years ago.    Veteran Doug Schwab of the Gator WC remains an effective athlete in this division, capable of winning any time he competes. Schwab's fifth place at the U.S. Nationals puts him in a position to make a move at the World Team Trials. It seems that Schwab has yet to put together a complete tournament at this level, although his performance in the RealProWrestling show against many of these competitors showed his capability if he gets hot.    One of the bright new stars in the division is Jesse Jantzen of the New York AC, who has made some great strides in freestyle after an impressive college career at Harvard. Jantzen won a silver medal at the New York AC Christmas International and a bronze at the Dave Schultz Memorial International, then placed a solid sixth at the U.S. Nationals.    Getting the last spot in the field from the U.S. Nationals was Jerrod Sanders, who is starting to make his name in this division with a few promising placements so far this year.    A number of wrestlers who did not place at the U.S. Nationals still remain title hopefuls, showing that the depth here goes at least about 10 athletes deep, much more impressive than any other freestyle weight class. Eric Larkin of the Sunkist Kids, who was third in both the 2000 and 2004 Olympic Team Trials, didn't make the top seven in Las Vegas, but qualifies by winning a international medal in recent seasons. Larkin has the skill to do very well in this field, and boasts wins over almost everybody in the weight class.     Another talent who needed a Regional tournament to earn a spot in the field was former NCAA champion Cliff Moore of the Hawkeye WC, who captured a gold medal against some strong talents at the "Last Chance Qualifier," the Northern Plains Regional. The other Regional winner was Carlos DeAnda of the New York AC, who won the Rocky Mountain Regionals. A veteran who in eligible to compete at this year's World Team Trials base upon an international medal performance, but has not been competing so far this season, is Reggie Wright of the Gator WC.    There are NCAA finalists who could compete at this division and may be able to make an impact already in their careers. The NCAA champion at 149 pounds is Oklahoma State's Zack Esposito, who was a talented freestyle in the age-group levels and would be a difficult draw for anybody. He defeated Army's Phillip Simpson in the NCAA finals, but Simpson has limited freestyle experience at this level. At 141 pounds, the NCAA champion was Teyon Ware of Oklahoma, also a talent on the freestyle mats as a youth. Ware defeated Nate Gallick in the NCAA finals, but Gallick has dropped to 132 pounds for freestyle and has been very effective there.    This weight class will be closely watched during the World Team Trials, right from the opening matches of the Challenge Tournament. There will be some tremendous battles all day at this division, with only one athlete earning the right to make the Championship Series against the wily veteran Chris Bono. Certainly, recent results would make Jared Lawrence the favorite to reach the finals against Bono, but he will truly have to earn it. With athletes such as Jared Frayer, Eric Larkin, Bill Zadick, Doug Schwab, Jesse Jantzen and Cliff Moore all in the bracket, there are no clear favorites at this division. It is like the saying they have about the NFL, that "on any given Sunday" any team can beat another. At 66 kg/145.5 lbs., the saying would change to "at any given tournament." Don't miss a single match at this division in Ames.    2005 U.S. NATIONALS RESULTS AT 66 KG/145.5 LBS.  1st - Chris Bono, Gilbert, Iowa (Sunkist Kids) dec. Jared Lawrence, Minneapolis, Minn. (Minnesota Storm), 1-0, 1-1, 1-0  3rd - Jared Frayer, Cambridge, Mass. (unattached) dec. Bill Zadick, Colorado Springs, Colo. (Gator WC), 2-1, 2-2  5th - Doug Schwab, Minneapolis, Minn. (Gator WC) inj. dft. over Jesse Jantzen, Cambridge, Mass. (New York AC)  7th - Jerrod Sanders, Raleigh, N.C. (unattached) inj. dft. over Eric Larkin, Tempe, Ariz. (Sunkist Kids) inj. dft. over    QUALIFIERS FOR 2005 WORLD TEAM TRIALS AT 66 KG/145.5 LBS.  U.S. Nationals Champion - Chris Bono, Gilbert, Iowa (Sunkist Kids)  U.S. Nationals, second place - Jared Lawrence, Minneapolis, Minn. (Minn. Storm)  U.S. Nationals, third place - Jared Frayer, Cambridge, Mass. (unattached)  U.S. Nationals, fourth place - Bill Zadick, Colorado Springs, Colo. (Gator WC)  U.S. Nationals, fifth place - Doug Schwab, Minneapolis, Minn. (Gator WC)  U.S. Nationals, sixth place - Jesse Jantzen, Cambridge, Mass. (New York AC)  U.S. Nationals, seventh place - Jerrod Sanders, Raleigh, N.C. (unattached  Rocky Mountain Regional Champion - Carlos DeAnda, Colorado Springs, Colo. (New York AC)  Northern Plains Regional Champion - Cliff Moore, Iowa City, Iowa (Hawkeye WC)  Olympic Team member - Jamill Kelly, Stillwater, Okla. (Gator WC)  Past World Team member - Chris Bono, Gilbert, Iowa (Sunkist Kids)  Past World Team member - Bill Zadick, Colorado