The USA is very strong at the highest weight class in women's wrestling. The   field is led by three-time U.S. Nationals champion Toccara Montgomery of   Cumberland College, who was the Outstanding Wrestler at the 2001 and 2002 U.S.   Nationals event. She placed 10th at the World meet in 2002, her first year at  the highest weight division. A year earlier, down in weight at 149.5 pounds,   Montgomery was second at the World Championships. Montgomery was named FILA  Women's Wrestler of the Year in 2002 after a strong performance at the World meet.     Montgomery quickly emerged on the international wrestling scene; her biggest   challenge now is holding off her U.S. opponents and beefing up to match the size and power of others in this division. Montgomery can be fearless, making big throws against opponents at the most opportune times.    Montgomery has developed a sudden rivalry with high school star Samantha Lang   of the Sunkist Kids, who became Senior-eligible this year. Lang has beaten   Montgomery two times out of their four matches since January, but Montgomery   scored a technical fall win at the U.S. Nationals. Lang has swept all the   available U.S. age-group honors within the United States, including being the  first girl to win a USA Wrestling Kids National title in folkstyle. Among Lang's victims this year was six-time World champion Christine Nordhagen of Canada, who Lang defeated at the Dave Schultz Memorial International. Lang has size and strength and some very strong takedown skills. She has an opportunity to make a major impact on U.S. women's wrestling if she continues to improve.    Placing third at the U.S. Nationals was three-time U.S. Nationals champion   Iris Smith of the U.S. Army. A member of the Army World Class Athlete program,   Smith is expected to be in the hunt for the title again. Smith competed in the   2000 World Championships, and boasts a Pan American Championships title. Smith   has had trouble with Montgomery since she moved up to this division last year   at the World Team Trials. For Smith to reclaim this division, she will need   to make some changes in her preparation and approach. A veteran with ability,   Smith can not be overlooked.    A major contender who did not wrestle in Las Vegas was Satrinina Vernon of   the Gator WC, who was No. 3 on the Women's Team USA last season. Vernon claimed   a University Nationals title this year, and has been successful on the Senior   level since high school. When she is healthy, Vernon has championship   abilities. She gave Montgomery a very tough match in last year's World Team  Trials Challenge Tournament.    Elena Mena of Neosho County CC captured fourth at the U.S. Nationals, and has   a tremendous amount of experience on the Senior level, as well as many   age-group honors. Mena has sometimes wrestled down at 67 kg, and has a better  chance of success at the lower weight.  College wrestler Donell Bradley of Missouri Valley College was fifth at the U.S. Nationals, and also has a number of years of high-level freestyle achievements. Taking sixth in Las Vegas and earning a spot in the Challenge Tournament was newcomer Brianne Bazzini of the   Peninsula Grapplers.     Regional champions who could compete in Indianapolis are Ashley Sword of the   New York AC and Jimi-Dawn Hornbuckle. A true veteran, Hornbuckle is a former   U.S. Nationals champion. Both Sword and Hornbuckle are expected to drop in   weight,and most probably won't be in this division. Also eligible to compete is   1999 World Champion Sandra Bacher-Fakaosi of the Dave Schultz WC, who has not   wrestled in two seasons. Bacher made three U.S. Olympic teams in judo, and   talked about wanting to make another in wrestling. Jenna Pavlik of Delaware,  fifth in the 2001 World Championships, could also attend if she chose, but also has not been on the mats in over a year and a half. We may have seen the last of Bacher-Fakaosi and Pavlik, who will have a difficult time catching up with the talents in this division.    Toccara Montgomery is looking to erase last year's World Championships   results, where she was pinned in her first match and placed 10th. She is used to winning medals at every event she enters, and has had extra motivation to return to glory this season. Her top rival this season has been high school sensation Samantha Lang, who is already competing on a World-class level at the age of 17. Lang's major hurdles in the Challenge Tournament could be veterans Iris Smith and Satrinina Vernon. Smith wants another shot at Lang, based upon their battle in the U.S. Nationals this year. If the finals in this division is   another Montgomery vs. Lang showdown, expect some fireworks. It will be  interesting to see if Montgomery's technical fall win in Las Vegas will be followed by another dominant performance, or if Lang can make the adjustments to win again against Montgomery.    2003 U.S. Women's Nationals results at 72 kg/158.5 lbs.  1st - Toccara Montgomery (Cleveland, Ohio/Cumberland College) tech fall   Samantha Lang (Tualatin, Ore./Sunkist Kids), 10-0 at 6:00  3rd - Iris Smith (Colorado Springs, Colo./U.S. Army) tech. fall Elena Mena   (St. Paul, Minn./Neosho), 10-0  5th - Donnell Bradley (Aiea, Hawaii/Missouri Valley) by fall over Brianne   Bazzini (San Carlos, Calif./Penn Grapplers), 1:32    2003 Women's World Team Trials qualifiers at 72 kg (158.5 lbs.)   National champion - Toccara Montgomery (Cleveland, Ohio/Cumberland College)  National placerwinners -2. Samantha Lang (Tualatin, Ore./Sunkist Kids); 3.   Iris Smith (Colorado Springs, Colo./U.S. Army); 4. Elena Mena (St. Paul,   Minn./Neosho County); 5. Donnell Bradley (Aiea, Hawaii/Missouri Valley); 6.  Brianne Bazzini (San Carlos, Calif./Penn Grapplers)  Team USA member - Satrinina Vernon (Colorado Springs, Colo./Gator WC); Past   World team member - Jenna Pavlik (Lewes, Del./unattached), Sandra Bacher   Fakaosi (San Jose, Calif./Dave Schultz WC); Regional champions - Ashley Sword  (West Palm Beach, Fla. (New York AC); Jimi-Dawn Hornbuckle (State College,   Pa./unattached)