The dominant U.S. star at this division has been Cael Sanderson, who finally got his chance at the 2003 World Championships and won the World silver medal. Everybody in America knows Sanderson as the undefeated, four-time NCAA champion from Iowa State. The world is finally finding out that Sanderson has great skill in freestyle. He missed the 2001 World Championships to concentrate on his college senior year. Along with his teammates, the entire U.S. team missed the 2002 World meet in Iran due to threats of violence. His silver medal performance showed that the hype was reality, and that this is an athlete capable of winning it all.    A recent win over Olympic champion Adam Saitiev of Russia this winter increases his confidence. Some have tabbed Saitiev as the world's best wrestler, and Sanderson beat him in a close match held in Russia. He has two losses to reigning World champion Sajid Sajidov, but has been closing the gap. Sanderson is a takedown expert who is getting stronger on the mat. A natural ability, amazing motion and speed for a big man and a knack for winning under pressure makes Sanderson somebody the fans always want to watch.    The No. 2 athlete the last two years has been Lee Fullhart, who has wrestled well in many international events and has tremendous talent. Fullhart has one win over Sanderson the from 2002 World Team Trials finals series, but needs to take a big step this year. He has swept the major international events held in the USA this year, winning golds at the Sunkist Kids International, the New York AC International and the Dave Schultz Memorial. This basically gives him the edge over the rest of the field, except for Sanderson. Many coaches and fans from foreign countries have gained respect for Fullhart in recent seasons, and would not be surprised if he were the man who made the U.S. team.    Brandon Eggum, now No. 3, went to the 2001 World Championships when Sanderson did not attend and won a World silver medal. He has the talent to defeat anybody in this field at any time. Eggum showed he is still in the hunt with his silver medal at the Dave Schultz Memorial, with his only loss by a 6-1 margin go Fullhart. Eggum is in a great training environment and has the tools to be a champion at this division. He has to string together a great series of matches in order to become the best at this level.    The top newcomer here is Mo Lawal, who went from the college ranks right into the mix in this division in freestyle. He competed at 197 pounds in college, but quickly went down in size and became a true factor. Lawal is mastering the international style, beating some very good wrestlers in the events.  He has two losses to Fullhart this year, one by a blowout and won by a one point margin. He also moved up to 211.5 pounds and won a silver medal in Canada, losing only to Wes Hand. Certainly, Lawal is a factor already; nobody is sure how high he can climb with more experience.    When competing up at this division, Andy Hrovat has been successful against top athletes. He won an international tournament held in Siberia, Russia this winter. In taking a silver medal at the Manitoba Open, he was in a close battle with Sanderson before getting pinned. Hrovat had a good age-group career in freestyle, and since finishing college, he has shown a true knack at the international style.     Randy Pugh has been among the top few athletes in this division for a couple of seasons now. Early in the four-year cycle, his emergence was a bit of a surprise, but he has proven that he is for real. Pugh has not wrestled much this season, which could be a problem for him.    College star Greg Jones has the skills to make an immediate impact on this division. He won his second NCAA title this year, after a sophomore year where he failed to be an All-American. He went to the Sunkist Kids International this fall, prior to the college season, and took fourth place, losing to Lawal and to Canada's top athlete. Whoever draws Jones in Las Vegas will have a tough match, as he is very skilled on his feet and has good wrestling instincts.    Nick Preston has moved down to this weight and shows great promise. His fourth place finish at the Dave Schultz International and third place at the New York AC Christmas event puts him right into the race here. Preston has also already nailed down his place in the Olympic Team Trials in Indianapolis with a win at a Regional.    Veteran Markus Mollica can compete with any of the top rivals. He has had an active season, wrestling in all three U.S. international events, and traveling to Canada and Greece for other competitions. He was beaten in the finals of the Central Olympic Regionals by Nick Preston, and has a pair of losses to both Fullhart and Hrovat. Mollica is an example of the kind of tremendous depth at this division. He was a two-time NCAA champion, an age-group freestyle star, and has been on the national Senior circuit for a number of years. It is very difficult to break through, even for somebody of his credentials.    Clint Wattenberg and Pat Popolizio continue to impress on the national circuit. They were placing in freestyle events in college, and since finishing up there, have been wrestling in many of the major international events. Two other wrestlers have already clinched spots in the Olympic Trials with Regional victories, Tony Gansen and Sean Salmon. Gansen has always been a good freestyler, going back to high school and college. Salmon is a bit unexpected, showing up at the first Regional event and taking the gold medal with a win over Popolizio.    Former Team USA member Aaron Simpson has been very successful at this division. Simpson was defeated in the New York AC event with a win over Hrovat but a loss to Gansen. If Aaron Simpson is training and returns to the form of earlier seasons, he could jump over many of the younger talents and battle for high medals again.    Greg Parker, a funky NCAA runner-up at Princeton, is also expected to be in the hunt. Nate Patrick dropped to this division for one of the Regionals after a number of events at 96 kg, and will be strong at this weight. There could be a few others in the field, coming from college and the age-group programs, who will try to make their mark this season.    The first order of business for anybody in the field who wants to go to Athens is finding a way to beat Cael Sanderson. Since the 2000 Olympic year, where he lost to stars Les Gutches in the U.S. Nationals and Mike Van Arsdale in the Olympic Trials, Sanderson has been the man here. He seems to rise to the challenge every time, even though his weight class is stocked with talent. If Sanderson slips, proven international stars Fullhart and Eggum seem to be ready to make their own name. This is a division that will have awesome quarterfinals, and the wrestlebacks for the top eight spots will also be intense. Don't miss it.    THEMAT.COM RANKINGS FOR APRIL 2004  84 KG/185 LBS. IN MEN'S FREESTYLE  1. Cael Sanderson, Ames, Iowa (Sunkist Kids)  2. Lee Fullhart, Colorado Springs, Colo. (Gator WC)  3. Brandon Eggum, Minneapolis, Minn. (Minnesota Storm)  4. Muhammed Lawal, Stillwater, Okla. (Gator WC)  5. Nick Preston, Columbus, Ohio (Sunkist Kids)  6. Randy Pugh, Cedar Falls, Iowa (Cat WC)  7. Andy Hrovat, Ann Arbor, Mich. (New York AC)  8. Greg Jones, Greensburg, Pa. (Sunkist Kids)  9. Clint Wattenburg, Ithaca, N.Y. (New York AC)  10. Tony Gansen, Mt. Pleasant, Mich. (Gator WC)     ATHLETES ALREADY QUALIFIED FOR THE OLYMPIC TEAM TRIALS  West Regional Trials Champion - Tony Gansen, Mt. Pleasant, Mich.  North Regional Trials Champion -Sean Salmon, Gahanna, Ohio (Ohio)  Central Regional Trials Champion - Nick Preston, Columbus, Ohio (Sunkist Kids)