For the first time in his career, Lee Fullhart enters the year-end event as the No. 1 seed at 84 kg/185 lbs. To get to this position, which is considered an advantage at the U.S. Olympic Team Trials, Fullhart defeated 2003 World silver medalist Cael Sanderson in the U.S. Nationals finals, 5-2. Fullhart seemed to win all of the key positional battles during the match, and competed impressively against a very talented favorite.    That Fullhart beat Sanderson was not expected, but it was not the first time. Fullhart had a win over Sanderson in 2000, when a young Sanderson was making his first attempt to compete on the Senior level. Then, during the 2002 World Team Trials finals series, Fullhart won the first match of the best-of-three series, only to fall short when Sanderson took the next two bouts to make the U.S. team. The wrestlers have battled a number of other times in recent seasons, with Sanderson holding the edge in all the other matches.     Fullhart has been impressive this season, winning golds at the Sunkist Kids International, the New York AC International and the Dave Schultz Memorial. He has impressed international athletes and coaches with good performances on foreign tours. He has been training at the U.S. Olympic Training Center this year, forgoing his college coaching duties to concentrate on freestyle. Fullhart also knows the pressure of the Olympic Trials, having wrestled very well but falling short in 2000 in Dallas. But, the question remains, can he beat Sanderson again if Sanderson makes it to the finals?    The saga of Cael Sanderson in international freestyle continues to develop and change. Everybody knows about his college career, the amazing 157-0 run that included four NCAA titles and Outstanding Wrestler awards. Some of his frustrations on the international scene are also well documented, having missed the 2001 Worlds because it was moved into the college season after the Sept. 11 attacks, and sitting out in 2002 with the rest of the U.S. team when threats of violence kept the USA at home instead of going to Iran.    Sanderson's World silver medal in New York City proved that he is an elite international star who deserves respect and has championship capabilities. A win over 2000 Olympic champion Adam Saitiev of Russia this winter (in Russia!) increases his prominence. Sanderson has lost two straight matches to both 2003 World champion Sajid Sajidov of Russia and 1998 World champion Yoel Romero of Cuba, both known superstars. Sanderson has been a premier takedown wrestler, and has improved his skills in the other freestyle positions. Fans are pursuing all kinds of theories about why Sanderson did not beat Fullhart in Las Vegas. The fact remains that Sanderson is now in the Challenge Tournament in Indianapolis, and the question that remains is how will he respond to the loss. We will have to wait until May 21 to learn about all of that.    Another fact remains that Fullhart and Sanderson are not the only wrestlers at this weight class. A number of other talented wrestlers are in the field here, and have the same Olympic dreams as those at the top of the ladder. There will be some very good wrestling during the Challenge Tournament at this weight class, and Sanderson will need to strong performance to survive it.    Placing third at the U.S. Nationals was Muhammed Lawal, who has come on strong in freestyle ever since his college career ended at Oklahoma State. He wrestled up at 197 in college, but has settled in as an impressive 185-pounder internationally. His loss in the U.S. Nationals finals to Sanderson was by a 4-1 margin. In the wrestlebacks, he did not falter, winning the rest of his bouts. Lawal is a skilled athlete that wrestles with intensity. He wants to win it all right now, and his future on Team USA remains very bright.    Another athlete coming on this year is Nick Preston, who placed fourth in Las Vegas. Like Lawal, Preston used to wrestle at a higher weight level. Preston showed he was for real at this division by placing in the top four at the Dave Schultz International and the New York AC Tournament. His losses in Las Vegas were both to Lawal. His big win at the U.S. Nationals was over 2001 World silver medalist Brandon Eggum, a 2-2 overtime referee's decision.     Eggum's fifth place does not make him any less of a factor in Indianapolis. He was No. 3 on the U.S. National Team last year, placing behind just Sanderson and Fullhart. He showed his ability to rise to the occasion when Sanderson skipped the 2001 World meet, and Eggum went on to capture that World silver medal. There is some strong talent in this division, and Eggum has all the tools to return to that championship level he has displayed in the past.    The other three qualifiers for the Olympic Trials out of the U.S. Nationals are strong athletes, but have not yet developed into strong favorites in this crowded field. Clint Wattenberg placed sixth in Las Vegas, losing in round two to Eggum, then claiming six straight wins before losing to Lawal. Wattenberg has been very competitive on the Senior level for the last few seasons, so his ability to do well at U.S. Nationals is not very surprising.    Placing seventh and eighth were two mild surprises, Ben Askren and Nate Patrick. Askren is a college freshman from the Univ. of Missouri, who was second at the NCAA Tournament and has displayed amazing talent. Askren has high goals in freestyle, and qualified for last year's Senior World Team Trials. Patrick has been very active on the national circuit, often wrestling up at 96 kg. Both had some nice wins against tough opponents on the way to their placement in Las Vegas.    The athletes who qualified through the Regional competitions are also respected. The most prominent are Aaron Simpson (West) and Andy Hrovat (East). Simpson has been a Team USA member in the past, reaching as high as a No. 3 position on the national team. He did not get in until the "last chance qualifier" and had to beat some good wrestlers to win. Simpson as knocked out at the U.S. Nationals by Fullhart and Preston. Hrovat has been wrestling well this season, winning a tournament in Russia and giving Sanderson a very tough match before being pinned in an event in Canada. Hrovat had the No. 8 seed in Las Vegas, but was upset in the early rounds then knocked out of the meet by Simpson.    The other qualifiers from the Regional events, both who had to wrestle very well to win those tournaments, were Tony Gansen (West) and Sean Salmon (North). Both competed in Las Vegas and won some matches, but couldn't work through the deep field to make the top eight.     This weight class receives extra respect for the high-quality athletes who participated in the Trials process and did not qualify to compete in Indianapolis, a group that included Randy Pugh, Markus Mollica, Greg Jones, Jake Rosholt, Pat Popolizio and Greg Parker.    Wrestling fans will take a keen interest in this division. The Challenge Tournament will be a dogfight. Sanderson, one of the most popular athletes in the nation, will be competing in this format for the first time since the 2000 Olympic Trials. Lawal will be confident that he can prevail here, and athletes like Preston, Eggum, Simpson, Hrovat and others have some success to build upon. Waiting in the finals is Lee Fullhart, who is skipping the Challenge Tournament for the first time in his career. The pressure will be cranked up high. You really won't want to miss this.    2004 U.S. OLYMPIC TEAM TRIALS QUALIFIERS IN MEN'S FREESTYLE AT 84 KG/185 POUNDS  U.S. Nationals Champion - Lee Fullhart, Colorado Springs, Colo. (Gator WC)  U.S. Nationals, second place - Cael Sanderson, Ames, Iowa (Sunkist Kids)  U.S. Nationals, third place - Muhammed Lawal, Stillwater, Okla. (Gator WC)  U.S. Nationals, fourth place - Nick Preston, Charlottesville, Va. (Sunkist Kids)  U.S. Nationals, fifth place -  Brandon Eggum, New Brighton, Minn. (Minnesota Storm)   U.S. Nationals, sixth place - Clint Wattenburg, Ithaca, N.Y. (New York AC)  U.S. Nationals, seventh place - Ben Askren, Hartland, Wis. (Mo. Elite)  U.S. Nationals, eighth place - Nate Patrick, Chicago, Ill. (