When it comes to winning the spot on the U.S. team at this weight class, Tina George knows how to get the job done. For six straight season, George has emerged as the champion at the Trials event. She did not always win the U.S. Nationals those seasons, but when the money was on the line, it was George who emerged as a winner. One of those seasons she did not go to the World meet because of basic training in the U.S. Army. In the first Olympic Trials for women wrestlers, George aims to keep her streak of victories going strong.    The past two years, George has claimed World silver medals. Her losses in the finals were to the same Japanese wrestler, star Saori Yoshida. George has had a strong season so far this year, avenging some losses to international opponents. In order to have another shot at Yoshida, and the rest of the world's best at 55 kg, George must beat the top challenger from the United States in the Olympic Trials Championship Series. She brings strength, speed and experience to this task, but knows that she faces a ton of talent in her weight class.    Placing second to George in the U.S. Nationals finals was tough young star Tela O'Donnell. A year ago, O'Donnell defeated George at the 2003 U.S. Nationals, then won one of the three matches in the finals of the World Team Trials. Their matches can be close and competitive, but there have also been a few pins in the series. O'Donnell showed her abilities to beat top international wrestlers with a gold medal at the Yarygin Tournament this winter. As a USOTC resident athlete, she has perfected her craft and has continued to improve on the potential she displayed in college.    Making a strong showing with a bronze medal at the U.S. Nationals was Jenny Wong, who moved up in weight to this division this season. Wong was No. 1 at 112.25 pounds last season, and won a bronze medal at the World Championships in New York City. She made the jump in weight early, and struggled a little bit when she started competing at this division. However, in her most recent events, including the U.S. Nationals, Wong has wrestled very well. She lost 6-0 to George in the semifinals in Las Vegas, her only loss of the weekend. Wong has increased her strength to compete in this division, and brings a strong technical background to the competition.    Another athlete who switched divisions to compete at 55 kg at the U.S. Nationals was Erin Tomeo, who placed fourth there. Tomeo has had a tremendous season wrestling up at 59 kg, where she was the World Team Trials champion a year ago. She won five gold medals this season (the New York AC Tournament, the Kiev Grand Prix, the Manitoba Open, the Dave Schultz Memorial and the University Nationals). Her losses at the U.S. Nationals were both to Jenny Wong, so how she might do against George or O'Donnell is yet to be seen.    Marcie Van Dusen entered the season as the No. 3 wrestler at this weight class on Women's Team USA. She was having a strong season when she was injured at the Yarygin Tournament in Russia this winter.  She had showed progress in international events with silver medals at the Kiev Grand Prix and the Sunkist Kids International. She was able to return to compete at the U.S. Nationals, where she lost matches to veteran Stephanie Murata and Wong. Van Dusen is a competitor, and has a knack of winning close bouts when she is wrestling well.    Stephanie Murata has more experience than anybody in this division, including a World silver medal in her trophy case. She won seven straight U.S. Nationals, before falling short the last two seasons. After losing 3-1 to O'Donnell at the 2004 U.S. Nationals in the semifinal round, Murata defaulted down to sixth place in the standings. As one of the pioneers for the sport, she is hoping to top off a tremendous career by claiming a spot on the first U.S. Olympic Team for women wrestlers.    Other qualifiers at this division from the U.S. Nationals were college star Iris Mucha in seventh place and eighth place finisher Tina Pihl, who has recently received U.S. citizenship. In order to place in the top eight, Mucha defeated Women's Team USA member Lindsay Owens in the wrestlebacks. Pihl started wrestling late in her life. She also has Canadian citizenship, and wrestled well at the Canadian Olympic Trials this year, an indication that her hard work is starting to pay off.    There should be some top talents moving into this division from the non-Olympic weight classes, individuals who could mess up the standings from Las Vegas and cause havoc in the Challenge Tournament. The top four placewinners from the U.S. Nationals at the non-Olympic divisions advance to Indianapolis, and have to find a new division. Expected to drop down from 59 kg are the top three placers from Las Vegas, champion Na'Tasha Umemoto, runner-up Lauren Lamb and bronze medalis Suekoilya Shelly.    Umemoto is a high school student who became Senior eligible this year and had her best performance ever in winning the U.S. Nationals title. Lamb has competed on six U.S. World Teams and has placed as high as fifth in the World three times. Umemoto showed some strong offense in beating Lamb 8-5 in Las Vegas. Both should have a challenge getting down to this weight, especially Lamb who often wrestled in the 130's throughout her successful career. Shelly is expected to be at this division however, after a very strong college season where she was perhaps the best in North America at 55 kg among collegians.    Another veteran expected at this weight class during the Olympic Trials is Danielle Hobeika, who won the West Olympic Regionals at 55 kg and placed third at the U.S. Nationals down at 51 kg. Hobeika has tremendous experience but has struggled against some of the top stars at this division. It is expected that 51 kg placewinners Debbie Sakai (runner-up) and Cheryl Wong (fourth) will be moving up 55 kg for the Olympic Trials, because they seem a bit too large to drop all the way down to 48 kg. How any of these athletes will do at the new division is hard to speculate. The final qualifier for the tournament was East Regional Trials champion Courtney Martell, who has not wrestled at this level before and is a relative unknown.    Of the women's Olympic weight classes, this division is expected to have the most difficult Challenge Tournament. Any of the top six placewinners at 55 kg in Las Vegas have the abilities and past performances to earn a spot in the Olympic Trials finals. O'Donnell probably has the edge, based upon victories during the last two seasons, but Wong, Tomeo, Van Dusen and Murata all have the stuff to emerge from the pack. With Umemoto and Lamb possibly dropping down to mix it up at this division, there will be some exciting early bouts in the weight class. The winner moves on to face George, who has the confidence of past successes in her favor. George has an amazing knack of wrestling her best at the Trials event each year, but pressures of the Olympic Trials will be new to George and all of her rivals. It should be a tremendous show for the fans.    2004 U.S. OLYMPIC TEAM TRIALS QUALIFIERS IN WOMEN'S FREESTYLE AT 55 KG/121 POUNDS  U.S. Nationals Champion - Tina George, Colorado Springs, Colo. (U.S. Army)  U.S. Nationals, second place - Tela O'Donnell, Colorado Springs, Colo. (Dave Schultz WC)  U.S. Nationals, third place - Jenny Wong, Colorado Springs, Colo. (Sunkist Kids)  U.S. Nationals, fourth place - Erin Tomeo, Colorado Springs, Colo. (Sunkist Kids)  U.S. Nationals, fifth place - Marcie Van Dusen, Colorado Springs, Colo. (Sunkist Kids)  U.S. Nationals, sixth place - Stephanie Murata, Minden, Nev. (Sunkist Kids)  U.S. Nationals, seventh place -   Iris Mucha, Williamsburg, Ky. (Cumberland College)  U.S. Nationals, eighth place - Tina Pihl, Colroado Springs, Colo. (New York AC)  University Nationals Champion  - Malinda Ripley, Colorado Springs, Colo. (Sunkist Kids)  South Regional Trials Champion - Elizabeth Torres, Kahuku, Hawaii (Pacific Univ.)  West Regional Trials Champion - Danielle Hobeika, Forest Grove, Ore. (Dave Schultz WC)  East Regional Trials Champion - Courtney Martell (Vermont)    NON-OLYMPIC WEIGHT CLASS