The Challenge Tournament segment in freestyle wrestling for two age-group World Team Trials events, the University World Team Trials and the FILA Junior World Team Trials, were completed Friday afternoon May 27 at the U.S. Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs, Colo. The champions of each Challenge Tournament have advanced to the Championship Series, where they will meet the top seed in their division in a best-of-three series on Saturday. The University World Team Trials Challenge Tournament had two champions who were NCAA Div. I champions in 2005. At 84 kg/185 lbs., 2005 NCAA champion Chris Pendleton (San Jose, Calif./Gator WC) won the Challenge Tournament by stopping Alex Clemsen (Edinboro, Pa./Edinboro Scotsmen), 3-1, 4-2. Pendleton won two NCAA titles for Oklahoma State. Pendleton will face a longtime rival in the best-of-three Championship Series on Saturday, University Nationals Runner-up Ben Askren (Hartland, Wis./Sunkist Kids). Pendleton defeated Askren, a student at the Univ. of Missouri, in the NCAA finals the last two years. Askren was the top seed in this competition based on the University Nationals freestyle event, which Pendleton did not enter. 2005 NCAA champion Steve Mocco (N. Bergen, N.J./New York AC) won the Challenge Tournament at 120 kg/264.5 lbs, defeating Cain Velasquez (Yuma, Ariz./Sunkist Kids), 2-0, 1-0 in the finals. Mocco won his NCAA title this year for Oklahoma State, and was a 2003 NCAA champion at the Univ. of Iowa. Mocco will face University Nationals Champion Israel Silva (Marysville, Wash./Chattanooga) in the Championship Series on Saturday. Mocco was second in the U.S. Senior Freestyle Nationals for the last two years. A pair of 2005 NCAA runners-up met in the Championship Series finals at 60 kg/132 lbs., when Nate Gallick (Tucson, Ariz./Sunkist Kids) defeated Shawn Bunch (Leavenworth, Kan./New York AC), 2-0, 1-0. Gallick attends Iowa State and Bunch competed for Edinboro, but were in different NCAA weight classes this year. They were both second at the 2005 NCAA Tournament, Gallick at 141 pounds and Bunch at 132 pounds. At 55 kg/121 lbs., the Challenge Tournament champion was Adam Smith (Newport, Pa./Penn State), who beat Jeff Sato (Pismo Beach, Calif./Sunkist Kids), 2-0, 6-0. Smith will face University Nationals Champion Nick Simmons (Williamston, Mich./Michigan WC) in Saturday's Championship Series. The Challenge Tournament champion at 66 kg/145.5 lbs. was Jesse Jantzen (Cambridge, Mass./New York AC) who dropped the first period but came back top stop Andy Simmons (Williamston, Mich./Michigan WC), 1-2, 2-0, 7-0 in the finals. Jantzen draws University Nationals Champion Jason Mester (Mt. Pleasant, Mich./Central Michigan) in the finals series on Saturday. The winner at 74 kg/163 lbs. in the Challenge Tournament was Tyrone Lewis (Stillwater, Okla./Gator WC) who defeated Troy Letters (Shaler, Pa./New York AC), 1-0, 5-0. Lewis advances to Saturday's Championship Series against University Nationals Champion Matt Pell (Luxemburg, Wis./Tiger WC). The 96 kg/211.5 lbs. Challenge Tournament champion was Nik Fekete (Blacksburg, Va./New York AC), who stopped Sean Stender (Donahue, Iowa/Panther WC), 5-0, 3-2 in the finals. Fekete moves on to Saturday's final series against Tommy Rowlands (Columbus, Ohio/Sunkist Kids). The FILA Junior World Team Trials Challenge Tournament finals featured some matchups between teammates. At 66 kg/145.5 lbs., a pair of Univ. of Michigan teammates met for the Challenge Tournament finals. Eric Tannenbaum (Naperville, Ill./Overtime) defeated college teammate Josh Churella (Clarkston, Mich./Univ. of Michigan), 3-0, 3-1. Tannenbaum advances to the Championship Series on Saturday against FILA Junior Nationals Champion Brent Metcalf (Davison, Mich./Davison WC). The Challenge Tournament finals at 60 kg/132 lbs. featured a pair of wrestlers who went to high school together in Waynesburg, Pa. Drew Headlee (Waynesburg, Pa./Pitt WC) defeated Coleman Scott (Waynesburg, Pa./Gator WC), 2-2, 3-0 in the finals. Headlee will face FILA Junior Nationals Champion Angel Cejudo (Colorado Springs, Colo./USOTC) in Saturday's Championship Series. Headlee will be wrestling in both the FILA Junior and University World Team Trials Championship Series on Saturday, as he secured a spot in the University division finals as the 2005 University Nationals champion. An athlete from a local Colorado Springs high school won the Challenge Tournament at 55 kg/121 lbs., as Henry Cejudo (Colorado Springs, Colo./Sunkist Kids) stopped Obenson Blanc (Mat Town WC), 3-0, 3-1 in the finals. Cejudo was a state champion for Coronado High School this year. Cejudo will face FILA Junior Nationals Champion Paul Donahoe (Davison, Mich./UNL Wrestling) in the Championship Series on Saturday. Capturing the Challenge Tournament at 74 kg/163 lbs. was Joey Hooker (Paradise Valley, Ariz./New York AC), who stopped Dave Rella Akron, Ohio (The Factory), 4-1, 6-2 in the finals. Hooker is a student at Cornell Univ. Hooker will face FILA Junior Nationals Champion Steve Luke (Massillon, Ohio/Michigan) in the final series on Saturday. At 84 kg/185 lbs., the Challenge Tournament winner was Jake Varner (Bakersfield, Calif.) who beat Tyrell Todd (Bozeman, Mont./Cliff Keen), 3-1, 1-0 in the finals. Varner advances to the Championship Series on Saturday against FILA Junior Nationals Champion Jake Herbert (Wexford, Pa./Northwestern). The Challenge Tournament champion at 96 kg/211.5 lbs. was Mike Tamillow (Oak Park, Ill.), who defeated Andrew Anderson (Sioux City, Iowa/Panther WC), 6-2, 9-0. Tamillow attends Northwestern Univ. Tamillow will battle FILA Junior Nationals Champion Brandon Halsey (Oceanside, Calif./Sunkist Kids) in the Championship Series on Saturday. At 120 kg/264.5 lbs., Jon May (Hutchinson, Minn./UNL Wrestling) defeated Mike Spaid (Perkiomenville, Pa./Bloomsburg), 4-0, 2-1 in the Championship Series finals. May attends the Univ. of Nebraska. He will battle FILA Junior Nationals Champion Bode Ogunwole (Millersville, Md./Harvard) in Saturday's finals series. There was no Challenge Tournament in the 50 kg/110 lbs. division, as only two athletes weighed in to compete, and will meet in Saturday's Championship Series for the title. The Greco-Roman division in both age levels was held earlier on Saturday, and the results are already posted. The 2005 University World Team Trials will determine who will represent the U.S. at the World University Games in Izmir, Turkey, August 1-7. The FILA Junior World Team Trials will determine who will represent the U.S. at the FILA Junior World Championships in Vilnius, Lithuania, July 5-10. USA Wrestling conducted a special training camp prior to the World Team Trials event. The athletes qualified through their national championships events, as well as other criteria.