Special Coverage Section The U.S. teams for the 2001 World Championships of Wrestling have been set, with the championship series completed at the World Team Trials in Cincinnati, Ohio, June 24 at the Cintas Center at Xavier Univ. The men's Greco-Roman and women's freestyle teams will be experienced, and the men's freestyle team will be a mix of new faces and known talents. The men's Greco-Roman team will feature four past Olympic medalists and six Olympians, and only two team members who have never wrestled at a World Championships or Olympic Games. The Women's freestyle team features a four-time World Champion, and five of the six team members have represented the United States at a previous World Championships. The men's freestyle team features one Olympian and three other past World Team members. Four of the eight wrestlers will be competing for the U.S. on the Senior World level for the first time. The headliner of the show was 2000 Olympic Champion Rulon Gardner (Afton, Wyo./Sunkist Kids), who captured the 286-pound Greco-Roman title, defeating Dremiel Byers (Colorado Springs, Colo./U.S. Army) in two straight bouts by 3-0 overtime scores. Gardner also competed for the USA in the 1997 World Championships. The two past Olympic silver medalists in Greco-Roman to make the U.S. team Brandon Paulson, Golden Valley, Minn. (Minnesota Storm) at 119 pounds and Matt Lindland, Oregon City, Ore. (Sunkist Kids) at 187.25 pounds. Paulson, a 1996 Olympic silver medalist, beat Jeff Cervone, Colorado Springs, Colo. (U.S. Air Force), in two straight matches, 3-2 and 5-0. Lindland, who won his Olympic silver medal in 2000, stopped two-time Olympian Dan Henderson, Gresham, Ore. (Dave Schultz WC), by 3-2 and 3-1 margins. At 213.75 pounds, 2000 Olympic Greco-Roman bronze medalist Garrett Lowney, Appleton, Wis. (Minnesota Storm) stopped Jason Loukides, Colorado Springs, Colo. (U.S. Army), in two straight, 5-0 and 3-0 in overtime. In the Women's tournament, four-time World Champion Tricia Saunders, Phoenix, Ariz. (Sunkist Kids) edged Clarrisa Chun, Kapolei, Hawaii (Missouri Valley College), in two straight matches, 8-6 and 10-6 at 101.25 pounds. Saunders has still never lost to an American opponent, but Chun gave her close battles in both matches. In freestyle, 2000 Olympian Kerry McCoy, Bethlehem, Pa. (New York AC) needed three matches to beat 1999 World Champion Stephen Neal, Bakersfield, Calif. (Dave Schultz WC). McCoy won the first match 4-3, but lost 2-1 in overtime in match two. In the deciding third match, McCoy scored a 3-1 overtime win. Back to Greco-Roman, 2000 Olympians James Gruenwald, Colorado Springs, Colo. (Sunkist Kids) at 127.75 pounds and Kevin Bracken, Colorado Springs, Colo. (New York AC) at 138.75 pounds also made the U.S. team. Both wrestlers were sixth in the Sydney Games. Gruenwald beat 1996 Olympic silver medalist Dennis Hall, Plover, Wis. (Sunkist Kids) in two straight, both by 3-0 overtime margins. Bracken dominated his finals opponent, Glenn Garrison, Colorado Springs, Colo. (U.S. Army), winning a pair of technical falls. Earning spots on their first U.S. teams were Marcel Cooper, Quantico, Va. (U.S. Marines) at 152 pounds and Keith Sieracki, Colorado Springs, Colo.(U.S. Army) at 167.5 pounds. Other members of the Women's Freestyle Team who have participated in past World Championships include Stephanie Murata, E. Lansing, Mich. (Sunkist Kids) at 112.25 pounds, Tina George, Colorado Springs, Colo. (Sunkist Kids) at 123.25 pounds, Sara McMann, Lock Haven, Pa. (Sunkist Kids) at 136.5 pounds and Iris Smith, Colorado Springs, Colo. (Sunkist Kids) at 165.25 pounds. Murata and Smith beat past World medalists in the finals. Murata beat 2000 World silver medalist Patricia Miranda, Saratoga, Calif. (Dave Schultz WC), in two straight, 4-0 and 3-0 in overtime. Smith beat 1999 World Champion Sandra Bacher, San Jose, Calif. (Dave Schultz WC), 8-6 and 7-2. The final member of the U.S. women's team is Toccara Montgomery, Cleveland, Ohio (Sunkist Kids), who will wrestle in her first Senior World Championships. She beat 2000 World Championship Kristie Marano, Albany, N.Y. (ATWA), in an exciting three-match series. In the third and deciding match, Montgomery beat Marano, 9-8 in overtime. On the men's freestyle team will be past World Team members Eric Guerrero, Stillwater, Okla. (Sunkist Kids) at 127.75 pounds, Joe Williams, Iowa City, Iowa (Sunkist Kids) at 167.5 pounds and Dominic Black, Colorado Springs, Colo. (U.S. Army) at 213.75 pounds. All three wrestled in the 1999 World Championships. Guerrero and Black needed three matches to claim their spots, after losing their opening matches. Guerrero beat 2000 U.S. Nationals champion Kerry Boumans (Colorado Springs, Colo./Dave Schultz WC), claiming the third and deciding match by a 6-3 margin. Black lost the opening match to Chad Lamer (Iowa City, Iowa/Hawkeye WC), but jumped back with 3-1 and 5-1 decisions. New members of the U.S. World Team in freestyle will be Stephen Abas, Fresno, Calif. (Sunkist Kids) at 119 pounds, Bill Zadick (Iowa City, Iowa/Hawkeye WC) at 138.75 pounds, Chris Bono, Gilbert, Iowa (Sunkist Kids) at 152 pounds and Cael Sanderson, Heber City, Utah (Sunkist Kids) at 187.25 pounds. The U.S. World Team will feature two native New Yorkers, freestyler Kerry McCoy, who grew up in Middle Island, N.Y. and Greco-Roman wrestler Marcel Cooper, a native of Nyack, N.Y. Fans are encouraged to make plans to come to New York and support these U.S. World Teams, as they seek to win medals and claim team titles at the World Championships in Madison Square Garden. 2001 World Team Members Men's Freestyle 119 pounds - Stephen Abas, Fresno, Calif. (Sunkist Kids) 127.75 pounds - Eric Guerrero, Stillwater, Okla. (Sunkist Kids) 138.75 pounds - Bill Zadick (Iowa City, Iowa/Hawkeye WC) 152 pounds - Chris Bono, Gilbert, Iowa (Sunkist Kids) 167.5 pounds - Joe Williams, Iowa City, Iowa (Sunkist Kids) 187.25 Pounds - Cael Sanderson, Heber City, Utah (Sunkist Kids) 213.75 pounds - Dominic Black, Colorado Springs, Colo. (U.S. Army) 286 pounds - Kerry McCoy, Bethlehem, Pa. (New York AC), Men's Greco-Roman 119 pounds - Brandon Paulson, Golden Valley, Minn. (Minnesota Storm) 127.75 pounds - James Gruenwald, Colorado Springs, Colo. (Sunkist Kids) 138.75 pounds - Kevin Bracken, Colorado Springs, Colo. (New York AC) 152 pounds - Marcel Cooper, Quantico, Va. (U.S. Marines) 167.5 pounds - Keith Sieracki, Colorado Springs, Colo. (U.S. Army) 187.25 pounds - Matt Lindland, Oregon City, Ore. (Sunkist Kids) 213.75 pounds - Garrett Lowney, Appleton, Wis. (Minnesota Storm) 286 pounds - Rulon Gardner, Colorado Springs, Colo. (Sunkist Kids) Women's Freestyle 101.25 pounds - Tricia Saunders, Phoenix, Ariz. (Sunkist Kids) 112.25 pounds - Stephanie Murata, E. Lansing, Mich. (Sunkist Kids) 123.25 pounds - Tina George, Colorado Springs, Colo. (Sunkist Kids) 136.25 pounds - Sara McMann, Lock Haven, Pa. (Sunkist Kids) 149.75 pounds - Toccara Montgomery, Cleveland, Ohio (Sunkist Kids) 165.25 pounds - Iris Smith, Colorado Springs, Colo. (Sunkist Kids)