Bill Zadick has continued to work up the ladder throughout his career. He earned a spot on the World Team in 2001 for the first time. This came after runner-up finishes at the 1999 World Team Trials and 2000 Olympic Trials.

In college, he won an NCAA title after finishing fifth in the nation the year before.

Zadick will now hope that his climb will continue on the international circuit as he looks to earn his second spot on the U.S. World Team and come away with his first medal.

TheMat.com spoke with Zadick about his training and his feelings towards his new weight class of 66 kg.

TheMat.com: You were able to win U.S. Nationals again this year. Were you pleased with your performance?

Zadick: I felt good that I won, but I felt like I could have performed better as well.

TheMat.com: You are in a new weight class and competing with some different faces this year. How has this change affected you?

Zadick: I think it's sad that FILA has allowed the IOC to dictate to us that we are going to lose another weight class. I don't like it. I think it hurts our sport. For me individually, I have had to think about gaining some weight, some strength and some size.

TheMat.com: Is the new weight class tougher than where you were at last year?

Zadick: I don't the weight class matters. It gets tougher every year no matter where you are at. That is part of being on top. There is no staying the same. You are either getting better or getting worse. To improve your position continuously, you have to continue to prove individually that you are the best.

TheMat.com: Who are the wrestlers that you plan on receiving the stiffest competition from as you prepare for the World Team Trials?

Zadick: There are a lot of tough guys out there. It is a pretty competitive weight. I know who is there and some of the competitors I would like to see, but I am not training for any one specific wrestler.

TheMat.com: You fell short of winning a medal at last year's World Championships. What have you been doing to improve on that finish in the future?

Zadick: There are some areas that my coaches here and Kevin Jackson have pointed out that I need to improve on. They have really helped me to find my weaknesses and it has been a big help in my training. There are some areas that are critical to becoming a World Champion and hopefully I have made some big gains.

TheMat.com: Explain the training situation in Iowa. Who do you work out with consistently?

Zadick: I'm an assistant coach here, so I work with our college athletes. Our Hawkeye Wrestling Club has six or seven post-graduate guys that are around. I work with a pretty wide group of guys, so its tough to pick out a couple of names.

TheMat.com: You mentioned the Hawkeye Club and the college team you work with. Does the environment in Iowa City help to make you a better freestyle wrestler?

Zadick: I believe so. For me, the mentality of this program is what I like and it's the mentality I was raised with. It's a very good situation for me. I feel like I have been able to improve and learn throughout my college years and on the international scene.

TheMat.com: Is your brother Mike still in Iowa City and will he begin training for freestyle as well? How do you feel your experience with international competition can help him to improve in freestyle?

Zadick: Yes he will. Hopefully he will have an advantage with me as I have seen some things. Hopefully he can learn from my experiences and some of the things I have done and he can succeed because of that.