USA WINS TEAM TITLE AT NORDVEST CUP IN NORWAY, FEB. 20-21, LED BY CHAMPIONS KEVIN VOGEL AND BILLY PIERCE 
 Led by individual champions Kevin Vogel (Temperence, Mich./Michigan WC) and Billy Pierce (Minneapolis, Minn./Minnesota Storm), the United States won the team title at the Nordvest Cup of Greco-Roman wrestling, held in Kristiansund, Norway, Feb. 20-21. 
 In all, the United States had seven medalists, with three silver medals and two bronze medals to go along with the golds by Vogel and Pierce. The USA placed in first with 14 team points, followed by Romania with 13 points. Norway, Switzerland and Sweden rounded out the top five nations. The U.S. team was coached by Dan Russell of Colorado Springs, Colo. and Beasey Hendrix of Marietta, Ga. 
 Vogel, who has dropped to the 167.5 pound weight class in the past year, defeated Mattias Eriksson of Sweden in the gold medal finals. 
 Pierce, the No. 2 ranked U.S. super heavyweight, won his gold medal by defeating Eddy Bengstsson of Sweden in the championship match. 
 The three U.S. silver medalists were Steven Mays (Pensacola, Fla./U.S. Navy) at 127.75 pounds, Dennis Hall (Plover, Wis./Sunkist Kids) at 138.75 pounds and Quincey Clark (New Brighton, Minn./Minnesota Storm) at 187.25 pounds. 
 Mays, competing up from his normal 119-pound weight class, was defeated in the finals by Constantin Borascu of Romania. Mays holds a No. 3 national ranking. 
 Hall, a 1996 Olympic silver medalist and 1995 World champion, also competed up one weight class as well. He was beaten in the gold-medal finals by Beat Motzer of Switzerland. 
 Clark, who was ninth in the 1998 World Championships, was beaten in the gold-medal match by Fritz Aanes of Norway. 
 Claiming bronze medals were Brandon Paulson (Minneapolis, Minn./Minnesota Storm) at 119 pounds and Dan Henderson (Huntington Beach, Calif./Dave Schultz WC) at 187.25 pounds. 
 Paulson, a 1996 Olympic silver medalist, has returned to the mats after a two-year retirement. He was competing in his first international Greco-Roman event since winning his medal at the Atlanta Olympics.  
 Henderson, a member of the 1992 and 1996 Olympic teams, has returned to the mats after missing most of last season with an injury. 
 The U.S. had two place winners at 213.75 pounds, with Jason Gleasman (Boonville, N.Y./New York AC) placing fourth and Randy Couture (Gresham, Ore./Sunkist Kids) placing fifth. 
 NORDVEST CUP at Kristiansund, Norway, Feb. 20-21 
 Medalists 
 119 - 1st - Marian Sandu (Romania); 2nd - Robert Solli (Norway); 3rd - Brandon Paulson (USA) 
 127.75 - 1st - Constantin Borascu (Romania); 2nd - Steven Mays (USA); 3rd - Francis Tangen (Norway) 
 138.75 - 1st - Beat Motzer (Switzerland); 2nd - Dennis Hall (USA); 3rd - Leonard Princu (Romania) 
 152 - 1st - Ender Memet (Romania); 2nd - Peter Puls (Sweden); 3rd - Christian Hausherr (Switzerland) 
 167.5 - 1st - Kevin Vogel (USA); 2nd - Mattias Eriksson (Sweden); 3rd - Attila Batky (Slovakia) 
 187.25 - 1st - Fritz Aanes (Norway); 2nd - Quincey Clark (USA); 3rd - Dan Henderson (USA) 
 213.75 - 1st - Petre Sudureac (Romania); 2nd - Urs Burgler (Switzerland); 3rd - Mindaugas Erershis (Lithuania) 
 286 - 1st - Billy Pierce (USA); 2nd - Eddy Bengtsson (Sweden); 3rd - Gintara Bukauskas (Lithuania) 
 U.S. performances 
 119 - Brandon Paulson, Minneapolis, Minn., 3rd 
 127.75 - Steven Mays, Pensacola, Fla., 2nd 
 138.75 - Dennis Hall, Plover, Wis., 2nd 
 167.5 - Kevin Vogel, Temperence, Mich., 1st 
 187.25 - Quincy Clark, New Brighton, Minn., 2nd 
 187.25 - Dan Henderson, Huntington Beach, Calif., 3rd 
 213.75 -  Jason Gleasman, Boonville, N.Y., 4th 
 213.75 - Randy Couture, Gresham, Ore., 5th 
 213.75 - Jason Klohs, Maple Grove, Minn., dnp 
 286 - Billy Pierce, Minneapolis, Minn., 1st  
 Team Standings: 1. United States; 2. Romania; 3. Norway; 4. Switzerland; 5. Sweden; 6. Lithuania; 7. Slovakia