VETERANS FREESTYLE NATIONAL WRESTLING CHAMPIONSHIPS BEGIN AT THE THOMAS & MACK CENTER IN LAS VEGAS, MAY 30  
  The first day of competition at the United States Veterans Freestyle National Wrestling Championships was held at the Thomas & Mack Center on the campus of the Univ. of Nevada-Las Vegas, Friday, May 30. The competition, in its first year, features wrestlers 35 years old and above, competing in four age divisions.  
  Many of the competitors have had successful wrestling backgrounds, on the college, international or Veterans levels. Included in the field is 1984 Olympian Joe Gonzales (Huntington Beach, Calif./Sunkist), who is competing at the 132 -pound class in Div. A (35-41 years old).  
  Joe Seay (Perry,Okla./Sunkist Kids), the 1996 U.S. Olympic freestyle wrestling coach, entered Div. C (49-55 years old) in the 150-pound class.  
  A number of former Veterans World Champions are also entered in the competition, led by two-time Veterans World Champion Russ Cozart (Brandon, Fla./Brandon WC) at 150 pounds in Div. B (42-48 years old).   
 Other past Veterans World Champions in the field include Louie Lazzari (Dunedin, Fla./Team Spyder) at 150 pounds in Div. A, Shirzad Ahmadi (Coventry, R.I./NYAC) at 132 pounds in Div. B, Mansour Hornarvar (Laguna Hills, Calif./Laguna Hills HS) at 150 pounds in Div. D.  
  The finals of the United States Veterans Freestyle National Wrestling Championships will be held at 9:00 a.m. on Saturday.  
  UNITED STATES VETERANS FREESTYLE NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS at Las Vegas, Nev., May 30, 1997 
  Preliminary round results 
  Div. A (35-41 years) 
  60 kg /132 lbs. 
  Joe Gonzales, Huntington Beach, Calif. (Sunkist) pin George Dunn, Belleview, Wash. (Eastside), 0:47 
  Scott Naylor, Dallastown, Pa. (Advantage) dec. Jeff Wright, Scottdale, Ariz., 6-4 
  68 kg/150 lbs. 
  Louie Lazzari, Dunedin, Fla. (Team Spyder) pin Art DeLa Cruz, Albuquerque, N.M. (Wolfpack), 3:15 
  Paul Hermann, York, Pa. (Team Taz) dec. Peter DeVlaminck, Monterey, Calif. (Monterey Peninsula), 6-3, ot, 4:30 
  Louie Lazzari, Dunedin, Fla. (Team Spyder) pin Brian Northam, San Francisco, Calif. (Golden Gate), 3:49 
  Peter DeVlaminck, Monterey, Calif. (Monterey Peninsula) dec. Art DeLa Cruz, Albuquerque, N.M. (Wolfpack), 4-3, ot, 4:53 
  76 kg/168 lbs. 
  Antonie Fischer, San Leandro,Calif. (Wa-Tu-Wa-Zuri) dec. Joe Solorio, Tucson, Ariz., 7-6 
  Herschel Sandler, Calistoga,Calif. (St. Helena) dec. Joe Solorio, Tucson, Ariz., 3-2, ot, 5:00 
  84 kg/185 lbs. 
  Mike Clark,Midwest City, Okla. (Bomber Freestyle) dec. Harold Rogers, Oakland, Calif. (Riordan), 3-0 
  Bruce Jasperson, Chula Vista, Calif. (Badgers) won by tech. fall over Dev Doyna, Braden, Fla. (Manatee), 12-0, 3:59 
  Div. B (42-48 years) 
  60 kg/132 lbs. 
  Shirzad Ahmadi,Coventry, R.I. (NYAC) pin Tommy Reya, Midwest City, Okla. (Bomber Freestyle), 3:37 
  Shirzad Ahmadi, Coventry, R.I. (NYAC) won by tech. fall over Randall E. Bogar, Beavertown, Pa., 13-1, 2:25 
  68 kg/150 lbs. 
  John Davidson, Warwick, R.I. pin Oleg Krepper, Laguna Nigel, Calif., 3:18 
  Russ Cozart, Brandon, Fla. (Brandon WC) won by tech. fall over  Jan Zolotov, Forest Hills, N.Y. (NYAC), 1:49 
  John Davidson, Warwick, R.I. won by tech. fall over Ed Lindsay, New York, N.Y., 14-4, 3:01 
  Russ Cozart,Brandon, Fla. (Brandon WC) pin Ron Engel, St. Helena, Calif., 2:56 
  Jan Zolotov, Forest Hills, N.Y. (NYAC) dec. Ed Lindsay, New York, N.Y., 10-5 
  Oleg Krepper, Laguna Nigel, Calif. dec. Ron Engel, St. Helena, Calif., 4-0, ot, 5:13 
  76 kg/168 lbs. 
  Paul LaBlanc,Fountain Valley, Calif. (Club Rio) won by tech. fall over Chuck Hebermehl, Leesburg, Fla., 13-3, 3:36 
  Dr. Hamid Kermanshah, New York, N.Y. (NYAC) dec. John Abad, Redlands, Calif. (Bruins), 11-2 
  84 kg/185 lbs. 
  Steve Contarino, Palmetto, Fla., dec. Glen Kinsman, Ulster, Pa. (Athens), 9-6 
  William Kalivas, Bakersfield, Calif. (Sunkist) won by ref. dec. Glen Kinsman, Ulster, Pa. (Athens), 1-1, ot, 6:00 
  Div. C (49-55) 
  68 kg/150 lbs. 
  Joe Seay, Perry, Okla. (Sunkist Kids) won by tech. fall over Ken Wilson, Antioch, Calif. (Steel City), 10-0, 3:15 
  Joe Seay, Perry, Okla. (Sunkist Kids) dec. Wayne Eric Boyd, Palm Springs, Calif., 3-0 
  Div. D (56 and over) 
  84 kg/185 lbs. 
  Charles Boyd, Roanoke,Calif. dec. Bruce Bird, Novelty, Ohio (Eagle WC), 6-4 
  Mahmoud Bassiri, Raleigh, N.C.(NC State) pin Charles Boyd, Roanoke, Calif., 0:38 
  Competition will conclude Saturday, May 31 at 9:00 a.m.