LAS VEGAS SPORTS COMMITTEE/USA WRESTLING TO PRESENT EVENT IN LAS VEGAS FOR 14TH TIME    LAS VEGAS--Returning as a popular mainstay on the sports calendar of Southern Nevada, the 2003 Las Vegas United States National Wrestling Championships will be held on May 7-10 at the Las Vegas Convention Center, itwas announced jointly by USA Wrestling and the Las Vegas Sports Committee.    The massive tournament, with over 2,000 athletes expected to compete, will include the U.S. Freestyle Nationals, the U.S. Greco-Roman Nationals, the U.S. Women*s Nationals, the U.S. Veteran's Nationals and the Western Junior Regionals. The FOX Sports Network will televise a 90 minute broadcast of the finals on a delayed basis in late spring.    Being co-produced for the 14th time by USA Wrestling and the Las Vegas Sports Committee (LVSC), the 2003 Las Vegas United States National Wrestling Championships, presented by Knickerbocker, will be held May 7-10 in the Hall N1-2 at the Las Vegas Convention Center.     "USA Wrestling has a great working relationship with the Las Vegas Sports Committee and the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority, so it's a big plus for USA Wrestling to have the Nationals in Las Vegas," said Rich Bender, Executive Director for USA Wrestling, the national governing body for  the sport. "Every year the numbers increase when we are in Las Vegas. It's really the best place for the United States National Wrestling Championships. Las Vegas is a wonderful showcase for our Olympic sport of Wrestling."    "The United States National Wrestling Championships being held in Las Vegas fits well with the menu of championship sporting events our city hosts," said Larry Barnson, LVSC President. "The LVSC is proud to continue its role as co-producer of this great national championship event. I honestly  believe that having this event here all of these years has helped improve the quality of our high school wrestling programs."    "We are once again pleased to sponsor the United States National Wrestling Championships and support the extraordinary efforts of the LVSC and USA Wrestling in organizing such a world class event," said Finn M.W. Caspersen, chairman of Knickerbocker. "We are also very proud of the men and  women who have dedicated themselves to the sport of wrestling and are driven to be the best that they can be."    In Las Vegas, America's finest wrestlers will be starting the road to the World Championships. National Championships will be decided in the seven international weight categories for senior men and senior women competitors.    There will be six weight categories for the veteran's divisions, split into five divisions based on ages. Competition this year will include Greco-Roman for the first time in addition to Freestyle.    Titles in 15 weight divisions will be decided in the Western Junior Regionals. Any qualified junior wrestler may compete in one of seven regional championships held annually by USA Wrestling across the country.    The top seven place winners in each weight class in men's freestyle and men's Greco-Roman along with the top eight women's place winners in each weight class will qualify for the U.S. World Team Trials to be held June 20-22 in Indianapolis.    The top three finishers in each weight class in the Western Junior Regionals qualifying for the respective State teams for the Junior Nationals this summer.    Las Vegas has hosted and the LVSC and USA Wrestling have worked together to hold 13 previous Nationals in the Southern Nevada area, including the past two years. It will be the 11th time the event will be held at the Las Vegas Convention Center.    Officially, the Las Vegas Convention & Visitors Authority is title sponsor of the event and presenting sponsor is Knickerbocker, L.L.C., of Gladstone, N.J. The championships are being sanctioned by USA Wrestling, the national governing body for the sport and is being co-produced by the Las  Vegas Sports Committee and USAW.    For 18 years, the LVSC, a non-profit organization benefitting the youth of Las Vegas, has been producing special events in the Las Vegas area. Other major wrestling events produced by the LVSC include the 1997 USA Wrestling Freestyle World Team Trials, the 1998 NAIA National Wrestling Championships and the 1998 Junior World Freestyle Wrestling Championships. In July of 1999, the LVSC presented the U.S. Taekwondo Junior Olympics with over 5,000 participants.    Advance VIP, Preferred and General Admission All-Event tickets are on sale through the LVSC ticket office at 866.418.0372 or locally at 702.360.3739. With admission for all four days, VIP All-Event packages are $150 each, Preferred All-Event tickets are $65 each and General Admission All-Event tickets are on sale for $45 for adults and $20 for students (6 to 17 years old).    Preferred and General Admission daily tickets will be available at the door only. Preferred daily tickets will be $35 while General Admission daily tickets will be $25 for adults and $15 for students.    Tickets to the finals only (to be held at 6 p.m. on Saturday, May 10) will be available on the day of the event at the door. Preferred tickets will be $25 while General Admission tickets for the finals will be $20 for adults and $10 for students.    Volunteer meal sponsors this year include: Memphis BBQ, Jason's Deli and Ricardos.    Additional information is available from the LVSC offices at 361.5017 or on the organization's website at www.lvsports.org