While most of the competitors in this year's Missouri Valley International Open were members of women's college wrestling teams, a number of other Senior-level women athletes came to Marshall, Mo. to test themselves and prepare for the new international season.    Two that travelled to America's heartland from our nation's coasts were veterans Julie Gonzalez from California and Lauren Lamb from New York.    Gonzalez, who competes for the Dave Schultz WC, has been one of the nation's top lightweights for many years. She is currently a senior at San Fransisco State Univ., studying kinesiology, and works hard to stay in wrestling shape.    "I like to go to all the tournaments that they have for us," said Gonzalez. "I wanted to see who is in the weight class. With all the college programs, there are more girls wrestling than ever. Coming here is to my advantage."    This is the second straight year that Gonzalez has come to wrestle at the Missouri Valley International, and stayed at the home of one of her top competitors, Clarissa Chun of the Missouri Valley team. Both compete at 48 kg, and have wrestled many times in the past.     In fact, last year, Gonzalez and Chun met in the finals, with Chun claiming the gold medal. This year, they did not meet, as Chun did not enter due to injury. However, during some of her matches, Chun was in her corner, helping Gonzalez as a coach.    "When we are wrestling, we know to separate," said Gonzalez. "Outside, when we are not on the mat, we are good friends. We communicate all the time on the computer. With a lot of the girls, I've become friends, even though we are at the same weight class."    Gonzalez has her eye on a spot on the 2004 U.S. Olympic team at her weight, which is one of the four Olympic classes. She has been ranked as high as No. 2 in the USA during her career. Right now, however, she is making sure to concentrate on her studies, which are also very important to her future.    "In the longterm, the Olympics are a priority, but when I am in school, there is only so much that I can do," said Gonzalez.    Lamb has been out of school for a long time. She attended Ivy League Cornell Univ. and now works a full-time job for Kodak. Her day is very long, so she can fit in wrestling workouts around work and family. Her work day runs from 6 a.m. through 3:00 p.m., giving her time to drive the 45 minutes to be at wrestling practice by 4:00 every afternoon.    Lamb was able to work this tournament into a visit to family, which is located all around Missouri. She stayed with some family in Jefferson City, about two hours from Marshall. She also will attend a family wedding tonight, only a few hours after her gold-medal match.    "This event is helping me get ready for the Nationals and World Team Trials," said Lamb. "This is the beginning of my season. I'm here to get some mat time and see some real competition."    Lamb, who has placed as high as fifth in the World and has won the U.S. Nationals five times, is one of the veterans of the women's circuit. The Olympics, something that she and her peers have strived for during the last decade, will be a reality in less than three years.    However, Lamb has not decided yet whether or not to make a serious run for the U.S. team in 2004. Working full-time and putting more wear and tear on her body could be a factor in her final decision. However, wrestling is still fun for Lamb, and she is doing what is needed to be a world-class athlete.    The results for the two veteran finalists were different, but provided both with the kind of information and experience that they travelled for.    Gonzalez met talented college freshman Katrina Betts of UM-Morris in the finals. The match was very close, but Betts hit one of her throws in the second period and scored a 6-2 victory. Now Gonzalez knows more about this college star, who should be a top rival for the Olympic team spot.    Lamb had two very tough matches in her pool, stopping Missouri Valley stars Tori Adams and Tina Arnds in the preliminaries. In the finals, she needed all of her experience and energy to hold off Missouri Valley freshman Sarah Williams in a 7-5 slugfest. Williams wrestled with emotion and energy, and forced Lamb to push herself the entire bout.     On the trip back to the coasts, Gonzales and Lamb will have a lot to digest and work on their training, after testing the competition at the Missouri Valley International.