The reigning World Greco-Roman Champion in the super heavyweight division is Dremiel Byers of the U.S. Army, who literally threw all of his opponents at the 2002 World Championships in Russia and became an international star. His victory dance is the stuff of legend. Byers has been competitive in this division for many years, and placed sixth at the 1999 World Championships. Byers is a tremendous athlete, who has learned how to score points against other heavyweights, and has developed the strategy and confidence to win any match that he wrestles.    In order to retain his position at the top of the heap, Byers will have to endure a tremendous challenge from within the United States. The USA has won the last three World-level gold medals at super heavyweight, with the legendary Rulon Gardner claiming titles at both the 2000 Olympic Games and the 2001 World Championships. Never before in U.S. Greco-Roman history have American wrestlers been so successful on the international scene.    Scoring an upset over Gardner in the U.S. Nationals semifinals was Corey Farkas of the U.S. Air Force, who was second behind Byers at the 2002 World Team Trials. He has something that few can boast - a photo in Sports Illustrated defeating the reigning Olympic champion. Farkas has paid his dues and wrestled Byers and Gardner often, learning what it takes to compete with the best. When Farkas beat Gardner in Las Vegas, it was a battle of frequent workout partners. The question will be whether this was a one-time deal, or if Farkas has improved to the point where he can beat Gardner again.    The Rulon Gardner story continues to captivate the nation. Gardner, who competes for the Sunkist Kids, missed the 2002 season with injury. He lost a toe to frostbite from a life-threatening winter night lost in the Wyoming mountains. Gardner is now on the comeback trail, with a goal of winning a second Olympic gold medal. He wrestled a number of international matches in the winter, but the first true test of his comeback status was during the U.S. Nationals in Las Vegas. The jury is still out concerning if Gardner has returned to championship form. He will not get his shot at Byers, a widely anticipated battle, unless he can get past Farkas in the Challenge Tournament.     Veteran Billy Pierce of the Minnesota Storm, if he chooses to enter, will be a challenger for the top spots. He was second to Byers at the 2002 U.S. Nationals and third on the Greco-Roman national team last year. Over the years, Pierce was a peer of Gardner, Byers and the retired Matt Ghaffari, competing at a world-class level. What Pierce has not achieved is a spot on a U.S. World or Olympic Team, something that could motivate him to give it another try    Paul Devlin of the U.S. Army was a strong fourth at the U.S. Nationals, and has emerged as a future star in Greco-Roman. His teammate Byers has praised Devlin for his improvement, and expects big things from this emerging talent. Nick Severson of the Minnesota Storm captured fifth in Las Vegas, jumping into the national Greco-Roman scene after his college career ended at North Dakota State. Russ Davie of the Cleveland WC is currently competing at Cleveland State, and placed sixth at the U.S. Nationals. Taking seventh in Las Vegas to join the field here is Josh Feldman of the U.S. Navy, another example of how the military wrestling programs are providing tremendous depth to the U.S. Greco-Roman program.     Regional champions who are included in the Challenge Tournament include Bruce Robinson of the U.S. Army and Chris Pierce of Pennsylvania. NCAA finalists Steve Mocco of Iowa and Kevin Hoy of Air Force are eligible to enter in Greco-Roman, but both are expected in the freestyle division.     This year's World Team Trials will feature some tremendous matches at super heavyweight. The anticipated showdown in the Challenge Tournament is a rematch between Corey Farkas and Rulon Gardner. The odds favor this battle occurring, but Paul Devlin and a few others would like to mess that up with a victory. Should Billy Pierce return to the mat, he puts himself immediately in the mix. Waiting for the Championship Series is World Champion Dremiel Byers, a talented star who seems to have put everything together at once. If the finals is a gold-medal showdown between Byers and Gardner, it should capture the attention of the media and the wrestling community. If somebody else makes the finals against Byers, the challenge remains the same. Knocking off a reigning World Champion is a difficult task at the World Team Trials, but at Greco-Roman heavyweight, anything seems possible.    2003 U.S. Greco-Roman Nationals results at 120 kg/264.5 lbs.  1st - Dremiel Byers (Colorado Springs, Colo./U.S. Army) dec. Corey Farkas (Colorado Springs, Colo./U.S. Air Force), 3-0  3rd - Rulon Gardner (Colorado Springs, Colo./Sunkist Kids) dec. Paul Devlin (Colorado Springs, Colo./U.S. Army), 7-1  5th - Nick Severson (Hayberry, Minn./Minnesota Storm) by fall over Russ Davie (Bowling Green, Ohio/Cleveland WC), 2:23  7th - Josh Feldman (Pensacola, Fla./U.S. Navy) dec. James Hollis (West Point, N.Y./U.S. Army), 8-2    2003 Greco-Roman World Team Trials qualifiers at 120 kg/264.5 lbs.  National champion - Dremiel Byers (Colorado Springs, Colo./U.S. Army)  National placerwinners -  2. Corey Farkas (Colorado Springs, Colo./U.S. Air Force); 3. Rulon Gardner (Colorado Springs, Colo./Sunkist Kids); 4. Paul Devlin (Colorado Springs, Colo./U.S. Army); 5. Nick Severson (Hayberry, Minn./Minnesota Storm); 6. Russ Davie (Bowling Green, Ohio/Cleveland WC); 7. Josh Feldman (Pensacola, Fla./U.S. Navy)  Team USA member - Billy Pierce (Minneapolis, Minn./Minnesota Storm); NCAA Div. I finalists - Steve Mocco (Iowa City, Iowa/Hawkeye WC); Kevin Hoy (USAFA, Colo/Falcon WC); Regional champions - Bruce Robinson (Colorado Springs, Colo./U.S. Army); Chris Pierce (Lemont Furnace, Pa.)