FREESTYLE CHAMPIONS CROWNED AT USA WRESTLING KIDS NATIONALS IN WATERLOO; EIGHT ATHLETES WIN PRESTIGIOUS KIDS TRIPLE CROWN 
 Freestyle wrestling champions were crowned at the 1998 Kids National Championships, held at the Young Arena in Waterloo, Iowa. Competition was held in three age levels: Midget (9-10 years), Novice (11-12 years) and Schoolboy (13-14). The best young athletes in the nation spent the Fourth of July weekend in Waterloo, the hometown of wrestling legend Dan Gable. 
 A total of eight wrestlers claimed the most prestigious award in Kids wrestling, the USA Wrestling Kids Triple Crown. An athlete must win all three USA Wrestling national titles in one year - folkstyle, freestyle and Greco-Roman to receive this honor. 
 In the Midget Division: Riley Jo Lindner of Fort Dodge, Iowa (Midget 100) and Anthony Morales of Las Vegas, Nev. (Midget 120). 
 In the Novice Division: Mark Friend of Libertyville, Ill. (Novice 90) and Alex Cornette of Green Bay, Wis. (Novice 165+) 
 In the Schoolboy Division: C.P. Schlatter of Westerville, Ohio (105 Schoolboy 105), Johnny Galloway of Waterloo, Iowa (Schoolboy 130), Jeremy Hart of Berne, Ind (Schoolboy 155) and Josh Reindl of Northwood, Iowa (Schoolboy 175+). 
 In 1997, only two wrestlers won the prestigious Kids Triple Crown - Jon Dahl of Minnesota and Beau DeArmon of Oklahoma. 
 Thirty athletes were double champions at the 1998 Kids National Championships in Waterloo, winning both the freestyle and Greco-Roman titles: 
 In the Midget Division: Lindner, Morales, plus Joshua Chappa of Plainfield, Wis. (50), Tyler Wilson of Bartlesville, Okla. (55), Michael Coleman of Omaha, Neb. (60), Ian Hinton of Nappanee, Ind. (90), Sam Avis of Brooklyn, Mich. (95) and Joe Chavez of Oceanside, Calif. (110). 
 In the Novice Division: Friend, Cornette, plus Ryan Adams of Coon Rapids, Minn. (60), Brett Land of Porterville, Calif. (60), John Denney of Forest Lake, Minn. (70), Jason Robbins of Oviedo, Fla. (75), Brandon Halsey of Oceanside, Calif. (95), Casey Kelly of Dillon, Mont. (100), Tyler Jolley of Darby, Mont. (110) and Justin Delo of Loyal, Wis. (165). 
 In the Schoolboy Division: Schlatter, Galloway, Hart, Reindl, plus Willy Holst of Prescott, Wis. (85), Derrick Fleenor of Mustang, Okla. (95), Burke Barnes of Lake Stevens, Wash. (100), James Mead of Champlin, Minn. (110), Mitch Kuhlman of Medford, Minn. (120), Jeremy David Miller of Sumner, Mich. (135), T.J. Scheidecker of Prior Lake, Minn. (175) and Mike Basch of Weino Falls, Wis. (175+++) Five athletes won Kids National freestyle titles for the second straight year: Schlatter, Cornette, Holst, Miller and Hart. 
 Each of the competitors at the Kids National Freestyle and Greco-Roman Championships must have entered one of the five USA Wrestling Kids Regionals in order to attend this event.