Olympic Champion Jackson and Olympic runner-up Saunders among winners of Mini-Tournament and advance to finals at Las Vegas USA Freestyle World Team Trials, May 30 
  1992 Olympic Champion Kevin Jackson (Gilbert, Ariz./Sunkist Kids) and 1996 Olympic silver medalist Townsend Saunders (Phoenix, Ariz./Sunkist Kids) were among the Mini-Tournament winners at the Las Vegas USA Freestyle World Team Trials at the Thomas and Mack Center on the campus of the Univ. of Nevada-Las Vegas, May 30. 
  Winners of the Mini-Tournament at each of the eight weight classes advance to the championship on Saturday, where they will face the 1997 U.S. Nationals champion in a best-two-of-three series. The winners of the series on Saturday will represent the United States at the 1997 Freestyle World Championships in Krasnoyarsk, Russia, Aug. 29-Sept. 1. 
  Jackson claimed the 187.25-pound class, edging Dean Morrison (Morgantown, W.Va./New York AC), in a 1-0, overtime referee's decision. Jackson was the 180.5-pound Olympic gold medalist in Barcelona, Spain, and also won World titles in 1991 and 1995. 
  Jackson  will face 1996 Olympian Les Gutches (Central Point, Ore./Sunkist Kids) in the finals series on Saturday. Gutches beat Jackson in the 1996 Olympic Trials and in the finals of the last two U.S. Nationals events. 
  Saunders won the 152-pound weight class, defeating Kenny Ramsey (Columbus, Ohio/Ohio International), 4-1 in the Mini-Tournament finals. Saunders was an Olympic silver medalist in the Atlanta Games at 149.5 pounds. 
  Saunders will battle 1997 U.S. Nationals champion Lincoln McIlravy  (Philip, S.D./Hawkeye WC) in the championship finals series. McIlravy was an NCAA champion for the Univ. of Iowa this year. 
  Sam Henson (Columbia, Mo./Sunkist Kids) won the 119-pound Mini-Tournament title, stopping Eric Akin (Coralville, Iowa/Hawkeye) in the finals, 3-0, in overtime at 6:12. Henson will battle 1992 Olympic silver medalist  and 1991 World Champion Zeke Jones (Chandler, Ariz./Sunkist Kids) in the finals series on Saturday. 
   Tony Purler (Norman, Okla./Sunkist Kids) won a very competitive Mini-Tournament finals match at 127.5 pounds, pinning Chris Bollin (Norman, Okla./Sunkist Kids) with just two seconds left in the bout at the 4:58 mark.  Purler will battle two-time World Champion Terry Brands (Iowa City, Iowa) in the finals series on Saturday. 
  At 138.75 pounds, John Fisher (Ypsilanti, Mich./Sunkist Kids) edged Shawn Charles (Norman, Okla./Sunkist Kids), 6-4 in the finals bout of the Mini-Tournament. Fisher was an Olympic Trials runner-up in both 1992 and 1996. He will battle 1997 Nationals champion Cary Kolat (Rices Landing, Pa. /Dave Schultz WC) in Saturday's finals. Kolat was an NCAA champion at Lock Haven Univ. this year. 
  J.J. McGrew (Stillwater, Okla./Sunkist Kids) beat Joel Sharratt (Bethlehem, Pa./Dave Schultz WC), 4-3 in the finals at 213.75 pounds. McGrew will battle 1993 World Champion Melvin Douglas (Mesa, Ariz./Sunkist Kids) in the final series. Douglas was also a member of the 1996 U.S. Olympic team. 
  At super heavyweight, Tolly Thompson (Lincoln, Neb./Sunkist Kids) beat Justin Greenlee (Ames, Iowa/New York AC), 7-0 in the Mini-Tournament finals. Thompson,  a senior at the Univ. of Nebraska, will face three-time Olympic Trials runner-up Tom Erikson (W. Lafayette, Ind./Sunkist Kids) in Saturday's finals. 
  Rob Koll (Dryden, N.Y.) was the Mini-Tournament champion at 167.5 pounds, stopping Brian Dolph (Upper Darby, Pa./Dave Schultz WC), 3-1 in the finals.  Koll, who was fifth in the 1990 World Championships, will face U.S. Nationals runner-up Steve Marianetti (Champaign, Ill./NYAC) in the finals series. Koll petitioned into the World Team Trials event, after being unable to compete at the U.S. Nationals due to injury. 
  Dan St. John (Norman, Okla./Sunkist Kids), the 1997 U.S. Nationals champion at 167.5 pounds, was unable to compete this weekend due to injury. St. John will face the winner of the Koll/Marianetti series in a Special Wrestle-off for the World Team spot at a later date this summer.