Three past U.S. Olympic Team members won the Challenge Tournament at their weight class, and earned the right to advance to the championship series at the World Team Trials, held at the Cintas Center at Xavier Univ. in Cincinnati, Ohio, June 23.    The past Olympians still alive in the competition include Brandon Paulson (Golden Valley, Minn/Minnesota Storm) at 119 pounds, James Gruenwald (Colorado Springs, Colo./Sunkist Kids) at 127.75 pounds, and Dan Henderson (Gresham, Ore./Dave Schultz WC) at 187.25 pounds.    Paulson, a 1996 Olympic bronze medalist, defeated two-time Olympian Shawn Sheldon (Colorado Springs, Colo./New York AC), 9-0. Paulson launched Sheldon for an impressive five-point move to put the victory away.    "Shawn is one of the top five all-time in Greco-Roman wrestling," said Paulson.  "I know he is great but I am getting older. I wanted to get him tired. I just wanted to have fun out here. I got a little nervous before the match but I told myself that's not why I came back. I'm here to have fun."    Paulson will face 2000 U.S. Nationals champion Jeff Cervone (Colorado Springs, Colo./U.S. Air Force) in best-of-three championship series on Sunday.    Gruenwald, who was sixth in the 2000 Olympic Games, stopped Duaine Martin (Quantico, Va./U.S. Marines), 4-0, in the Challenge Tournament finals.    Gruenwald will face 1996 Olympic silver medalist and 1995 World Champion Dennis Hall (Plover, Wis./Sunkist Kids) in best-of-three championship series on Sunday. Gruenwald and Hall have a long rivalry, with Hall holding a distinct edge. However, Gruenwald defeated Hall in the finals of the 2000 Olympic Team Trials.    "I tend to give up a lot of points against Dennis (Hall) in the first few minutes," said Gruenwald. "I wanted to exercise some strategy, rather than be a brawler, as I have been called before. To beat Dennis, I have to do what I did in the Trials. I have to do what I did then, but better. I have to wrestle a smarter match.    Henderson, a member of the 1988 and 1992 Olympic Teams, stopped  Ethan Bosch (Colorado Springs,/NYAC), 5-0 in the finals match.    "I still have not won a medal yet (at the Worlds or Olympics). I admit it was harder to get motivated this year. But, I'm not going another four years for another Olympic Games. I'm done after this year."    Henderson will face 2000 Olympic silver medalist Matt Lindland (Oregon City, Ore./Sunkist Kids) in best-of-three championship series on Sunday.    At 286 pounds, 1999 World Team member Dremiel Byers (Colorado Springs, Colo./U.S. Army) scored a 2-1 overtime referee's decision over Corey Farkas (Colorado Springs, Colo./U.S. Air Force) to capture the Challenge Tournament.    Byers will battle 2000 Olympic gold-medalist Rulon Gardner (Colorado Springs, Colo./Sunkist Kids) in best-of-three championship series on Sunday. Byers and Gardner have a long rivalry, with Gardner winning the most recent meeting by a close 1-0 overtime margin.    Other Challenge Tournament champions were Glenn Garrison (Colorado Springs, Colo./U.S. Army) at 138.75 pounds, Keith Wilson (Colorado Springs, Colo./U.S. Army) at 152 pounds, T.C. Dantzler (Colorado Springs, Colo./New York AC) at 167.5 pounds and Jason Loukides (Colorado Springs, Colo./U.S. Army) at 213.75 pounds.    Garrison defeated teammate Glenn Nieradka (Colorado Springs, Colo./U.S. Army), 3-1, in overtime. Garrison will face 2000 Olympian Kevin Bracken (Colorado Springs, Colo./New York AC) in best-of-three championship series on Sunday.    Wilson beat teammate Oscar Wood (Colorado Springs, Colo./U.S. Army), 3-2 in overtime, winning the clinch position to break a 2-2 tie. Wilson will face Marcel Cooper (Quantico, Va./U.S. Marines) in best-of-three championship series on Sunday. Wilson and Cooper were teammates and workout partners when Wilson was a member of the U.S. Marines team.    Dantzler defeated veteran Dan Niebuhr (Colorado Springs, Colo./Sunkist Kids), 3-0 in overtime. Dantzler will face Keith Sieracki (Colorado Springs, Colo./U.S. Army) in best-of-three championship series on Sunday.     Loukides stopped Al Sankey (Quantico, Va./U.S. Marines), 4-1 to capture the Challenge Tournament. Loukides will face 2000 Olympic bronze medalist Garrett Lowney (Appleton, Wis./Minnesota Storm) in best-of-three championship series on Sunday.      The freestyle Challenge Tournamnent finals begin at 4:00 p.m. EDT.