The state of Utah is not only known for great wrestling, but the calm, laid back ways of its residents can also be attributed to the strength of the Mormon religion, which dominates the state.

Many great Mormon wrestlers hail from Utah, the most prominent being Cael Sanderson.

But Justin Ruiz is now looking to step out of Sanderson's statewide shadow and become one of the top wrestlers not only in the nation, but in the world as well. The issues have not always been easy for Ruiz, though, who may face a tough decision after the Challenge Tournament finals of the Greco-Roman World Team Trials on Saturday.

Ruiz, wrestling at 96 kg/211.5 lbs., collected two victories in the first session of Greco-Roman competition at the 2002 World Team Trials. With wins over Chael Sonnen, 7-6, and Tipton Peterson, 8-0, Ruiz has earned a spot in the Challenge Tournament finals and a birth on the U.S. National Team.

"I like competing in Greco," said Ruiz, who recently completed his redshirt freshman year at the University of Nebraska. "There is not a whole lot of pressure right now because I haven't been in it for a while so right now I am just trying to get more experience and get used to this level."

Greco-Roman has always come natural to Ruiz, who up until March of this year, had not trained for the international style in nearly three years. While in high school in Taylorsville, Utah, Ruiz won three individual state titles while also winning Junior National titles in both freestyle and Greco-Roman in 1997.

Ruiz was also a three-time qualifier and two-time member of the Junior World Team in Greco-Roman. He did not compete in the Junior World Championships in 1999 due to the start of his mission.

The U.S. wrestler who did compete at the Junior Worlds that year was Garrett Lowney, who won the Junior World gold medal and went on to win a bronze medal in the 2000 Olympics. Lowney is the top seed in Ruiz's weight class here, after beating Ruiz in the U.S. Nationals finals.

Thus it is not surprising that after the completion of his redshirt year at Nebraska, during which he placed fifth at the NCAA Tournament, Ruiz decided to compete in Greco-Roman, even though his coaches at Nebraska, Tolly Thompson, Eric Akin and Shawn Charles, all have had celebrated careers in freestyle.

"It's just fun getting back into it," Ruiz said. "There really aren't many Greco guys at Nebraska, but I like to work out with Tolly. We split time training for Greco and freestyle, taking turns with each other."

Ruiz's rise to the top is special. After redshirting at Nebraska in 1999, Ruiz took a two-year Mormon mission, a standard and expectation in this religion.

He traveled to Chile to spread the message of the Mormon religion. In his time in Chile, Ruiz also lost touch with the sport of amateur wrestling while losing almost complete contact with his brothers.

His only exercise came from playing soccer and his only contact with family, outside of two phone calls per year, was through the mail.

"For a while, all three of us were on missions. My older brother was in Puerto Rico, I was in Chile and my little brother is still in the Dominican Republic," Ruiz said moments after his semifinal victory. "My older brother just got back a week ago and it has been nice having him back wrestling with me and just talking with him."

The three traded letters and packages while on their missions. This was the only way the tight knit brothers were allowed to contact each other.

Upon his return to the U.S., Ruiz was not sure about his chances of continuing to compete Nebraska.

"I really wasn't sure of what was going to happen. I wasn't sure if Nebraska wanted me to come back after being out for two years or not. I was fat and out of shape. I ended up talking to Mark (Manning), the Nebraska head coach, while I was on my mission and he talked me into coming back," he said.

He began the season slow, and at one point dropped to as low as #17 in national individual rankings. But his rebound at the end of the season, including his dramatic fifth-place finish at the NCAA Tournament, proved that Ruiz was a force to be reckoned with at all levels.

"It was tough getting back in shape and after I started wrestling, I started to think that maybe this wasn't what I wanted to do," Ruiz said. "As time went on, I started feeling more comfortable and started getting back up to where I was before."

Another concern that Ruiz upon his return to Nebraska was whether or not he would be wrestling on Sundays. Through his personal and religious beliefs, Ruiz feels that Sunday is a day held sacred for celebrating religion.

The Huskers only had one dual meet, against West Virginia, that was scheduled for a Sunday, and Ruiz would not be needed in that match.

But now the question that will linger is that if Ruiz wins his Challenge Tournament final on Saturday afternoon in St. Paul, Minn., will he compete in the best two-out-of-three series against 2000 Olympic Bronze Medalist Garrett Lowney on Sunday?

"No," Ruiz stated emphatically. "My religion comes before anything else in my life. I do not believe that Sundays should be used for anything other than celebrating religion, at least for me personally."

If Ruiz does go on to win the Challenge Tournament and elects not to compete on Sunday, he may become the first wrestler competing in the World Team Trials to forfeit a chance to become a World Team member due to religion.

But in spite of the consequences, that is a decision Justin Ruiz is willing to make.