Making a tremendous comeback from injury to claim the U.S. Nationals title this year was veteran Jim Gruenwald, who badly damaged his shoulder in the World semifinals against two-time Olympic champion Armen Nazarian of Bulgaria. Fighting through an accelerated rehabilitation program after surgery, Gruenwald stepped on the competition mat for the first time in months in Las Vegas. Gruenwald not only won the tournament, but he only allowed one point in five matches. Most importantly, by earning the top seed in Indianapolis, Gruenwald will have at most three matches at the Trials, a relief to his still-recovering shoulder.    Gruenwald has been No. 1 in the USA for four straight seasons, making his big breakthrough at the 2000 Olympic Trials when he beat career-long rival Dennis Hall to make the U.S. team. He has shown consistency at the World level, placing in the top 10 every single time he wrestled. His fourth place in 2003 was his best performance, as a World-level medal has been elusive. Gruenwald would like to make this Olympic team, win a gold medal in Athens then retire. This quest will be extremely difficult, especially that first step of winning the Olympic Trials.    Losing to Gruenwald in the U.S. Nationals finals was another tough veteran, Glenn Nieradka, who has the experience and ability to compete at the highest levels. Nieradka has been a U.S. Nationals champion and has clearly emerged as the top challenger to Gruenwald the last few seasons. In 2000, he reached the Olympic Trials finals, where he was edged out for the team by Kevin Bracken. With that memory driving him, fans should expect Nieradka to have some extra motivation for a stellar performance in Indianapolis. He was unable to score on Gruenwald in the finals in Las Vegas, something he will be working on in preparation for the Olympic Trials. Nieradka also won the Armed Forces gold medal this year, another qualifying event for Indianapolis.    Don't expect Dennis Hall to be in this mix, even though he still has the ability and fire to do very well at this division. Hall dropped to 55 kg for the U.S. Nationals this year, and where he was unable to complete the tournament with injury. Hall has chosen to make his last Olympic run at that lower division, taking a top challenger out of the mix in this weight class.    Placing third at this weight class in Las Vegas was talented Joe Warren, who has continued to improve at the Senior level. His victories at the Sunkist Kids International and the New York AC Christmas Tournament display his impressive skills. However, Warren still has not gotten past Nieradka or Gruenwald, and needs a breakthrough performance to reach his high goals. Nieradka will be the first hurdle. Warren lost to Nieradka 3-2 in Las Vegas, and in a 3-3 overtime ref decision at the Dave Schultz International. That rematch should be a true war if it occurs in the Challenge Tournament finals, as many expect.    Jacob Hey has been a consistent performer at this division for many years. He was the only wrestler to score on Gruenwald in Las Vegas, in a 3-1 semifinals loss. Warren beat him 5-0 in the bronze-medal match at the U.S. Nationals. What Hey has done is create some space between the top few athletes in this division and the rest of the pack. There has been an established pecking order in this weight class recently, something that Hey would like to blast apart with a strong performance in Indianapolis.    Veteran Duane Martin snagged fifth place at the U.S. Nationals, but many expect that he will drop down to 55 kg, where he has a proven record and a legitimate chance to qualify for the Challenge Tournament finals. If he remains at this weight class, Martin is skilled and experienced, but would be considered a longshot to move past the established wrestlers at the weight.    The rest of the field will be seeking to score some upsets in the Challenge Tournament, and to establish themselves for future success in the division. Veteran Jason Tolbert has had a strong comeback season, taking sixth at the U.S. Nationals and capturing the Central Regional Trials. Also scoring qualifying positions from Las Vegas were USOEC University resident athletes Marco Lara and Willie Madison, who were seventh and eighth respectively. Madison also captured the South Regional Trials.     Taking their place in the Challenge Tournament will be Regional champions John Habeck (North), Jeremy McLean (East) and Jason Chao (West). All three will be underdogs in their early matches at the Olympic Trials. If they are able to win some bouts against the established stars in the division, these athletes will have made some great progress during this season.    Expect a few grueling, grinding matches in this division. If Nieradka and Warren earn a spot in the Challenge Tournament final, their battle should be worth watching. Whoever emerges will respect Gruenwald as the proven favorite, but will know that his injury could still be a factor in the Championship Series. It is extremely difficult to take a veteran star out in the Olympic Trials finals, but it has been done before. Gruenwald will rely on his experience, dedication and self-confidence, looking to make a return trip to the Olympics. It will be an interesting process for the fans to watch.     2004 U.S. OLYMPIC TEAM TRIALS QUALIFIERS IN MEN'S GRECO-ROMAN AT 60 KG/132 POUNDS  U.S. Nationals Champion - Jim Gruenwald, Colorado Springs, Colo. (Sunkist Kids)  U.S. Nationals, second place - Glenn Nieradka, Colorado Springs, Colo. (U.S. Army)  U.S. Nationals, third place - Joe Warren, Colorado Springs, Colo. (New York AC)   U.S. Nationals, fourth place -  Jacob Hey, Colorado Springs, Colo. (U.S. Air Force)   U.S. Nationals, fifth place - Duane Martin, Colorado Springs, Colo. (U.S. Army)  U.S. Nationals, sixth place - Jason Tolbert, Ft. Carson, Colo. (U.S. Army)  U.S. Nationals, seventh place - Marco Lara, Tanstaa, Fla. (USOEC/New York AC)   U.S. Nationals, eighth place - Willie Madison, Metairie, La. (USOEC/Gator WC)  Armed Forces Champion  - Glenn Nieradka, Colorado Springs, Colo. (U.S. Army)  South Regional Trials Champion - Willie Madison, Metairie, La. (USOEC/Gator WC)  West Regional Trials Champion - Jason Chao, Colorado Springs, Colo.   North Regional Trials Champion -John Habeck, La Crosse, Wis. (Eagle)   East Regional Trials Champion - Jeremy McLean, Quantico, Va. (U.S. Marines)  Central Regional Trials Champion -Jason Tolbert, Colorado Springs, Colo. (U.S. Army)