Interesting things often happen during Olympic years. The battle for the spot on the U.S. Greco-Roman team at 96 kg/211.5 lbs. has become quite interesting. With only a few seconds left in overtime at the U.S. Nationals, Justin Ruiz scored a takedown to tie the match against 2000 Olympic bronze medalist Garrett Lowney. Because he forced the action and Lowney was hit for more passivity calls, Ruiz was awarded the match to win his first U.S. Nationals title. It only took a few seconds to make that change, but now Ruiz has the top seed going into the Olympic Trials in Indianapolis.    Both of these outstanding athletes have interesting stories. It makes sense to talk about Lowney first, the athlete who has won the Team Trials event for four straight years. Lowney was a 21-year-old kid in 2000, taking an Olympic redshirt year from college after capturing a Junior World title. He did not win the U.S. Nationals, but defeated 1996 Olympian Jason Gleasman to make the Olympic Team. In Sydney, he shocked a five-time World champion from Russia in an early match, then went on to win an unexpected Olympic bronze medal. Since then, Lowney has swept the last three World Team Trials events, although he was only able to wrestle at the World Championships one time.    At about that time, Justin Ruiz was not even wrestling much. He was one of the nation's top young wrestlers as well, and had already won age-group national titles. But Ruiz took a two-year Mormon mission and was away from the sport. When he returned, he quickly climbed the ranks in Greco-Roman, as well as winning big matches for the Univ. of Nebraska on the college level. Ruiz was able to climb up to No. 2 on the national team, losing to Lowney in the finals of the World Team Trials in 2003.    In 2001, when the World meet was moved from New York after 9/11, Lowney did not attend the World meet due to his college wrestling season. In 2003, Lowney suffered a neck injury that required surgery and threatened his career. Ruiz was able to compete for Team USA at the World Championships and the Pan American Games in Lowney's absence. Ruiz then decided to pursue an Olympic redshirt year and leave college for a year, to pursue his Olympic dream. It seemed that Lowney's medical problems might cause him to retire. Yet, after some time away, Lowney returned to compete at the 2004 Dave Schultz Memorial and beat Ruiz. Lowney went to the Olympic Qualifying event in Serbia-Montenegro and got the job done, getting the USA into the Olympics at this weight class. The comeback seemed complete as he Lowney was beating Ruiz 2-1 deep into overtime in the U.S. Nationals finals, only to see it completely turned around by that last-second takedown.    Lowney has been thrown into the Challenge Tournament in Indianapolis, which will be another true test to see if he is completely back from injury. Lowney has the confidence of knowing he won the Challenge Tournament in 2000 and made the Olympic Team. There are a number of other talented wrestlers in this division to test him. Placing third at the U.S. Nationals was veteran Dan Hicks, who has made a number of Greco-Roman national teams but has never reached the level of No. 1. This is probably the last chance for Hicks to have a serious shot at the Olympics. He lost 3-0 to Lowney in the U.S. Nationals semifinals.    The athlete who competed in the 2001 World Championships instead of Lowney is veteran Jason Loukides, who placed fourth at the U.S. Nationals. Loukides  lost to Ruiz in the U.S. Nationals semifinals, 4-0, and was edged by Hicks in the bronze-medal match, 4-2. Like Hicks, Loukides has paid his dues in the U.S. military programs and has considerable experience. Also like Hicks, he has not reached that No. 1 status during his career and will not have many more chances.    Adam Wheeler placed fifth at the U.S. Nationals, the top performance of his career. He won his final match by default to Frank Workman, who had entered the year as the No. 3 athlete at this division. Workman beat Loukides in a wild match at the 2003 World Team Trials to make the U.S. national team. Workman also qualified for Indianapolis by winning a Regional Trials event competing at 120 kg.    The final two qualifiers from Las Vegas were seventh-place Phillip Johnston and eighth-place J.D. Bergman. Johnston was a U.S. Nationals runner-up in 2003, his high-water performance. Bergman is a college freshman at Ohio State, who came off a tremendous third-place finish at the NCAA Tournament with another impressive showing at the Senior Greco-Roman national tournament.     Expected to compete at this weight is former Team USA member Al Sankey, who won a Regional Olympic Trials wrestling up at 120 kg.    Among the Regional Trials winners of note at 96 kg are R.C. Johnson (East) and Deon Hicks (South). Both have had some solid performances at this division in recent seasons. Johnson is among the tough young stars from the USOEC University program at Northern Michigan. Hicks, a Marine, has shown that he can be a factor at this weight class. The other Regional qualifiers, both who will be longshots, are Mike Mathers (West) and Mark Knauer (North).     On paper, a battle between Ruiz and Lowney for the Olympic spot is expected here. But wrestling tournaments are not competed on paper. Lowney will have to endure two days of battles in the Challenge Tournament, never an easy task but complicated by his recovery from injury. Wrestlers like Hicks, Loukides and Workman have ideas of their own, and should make it very difficult for Lowney. Should Lowney emerge, it should be interesting to see what kind of boost the victory in Las Vegas will give Ruiz in their rematch. Olympic years can be interesting and unpredictable, you see.    2004 U.S. OLYMPIC TEAM TRIALS QUALIFIERS IN MEN'S GRECO-ROMAN AT 96 KG/211.5 POUNDS  U.S. Nationals Champion - Justin Ruiz, W. Salt Lake City, Utah (New York AC)  U.S. Nationals, second place - Garrett Lowney, Kaukauna, Wis. (Minnesota Storm)  U.S. Nationals, third place -  Dan Hicks, Colorado Springs, Colo. (U.S. Marine Corps)  U.S. Nationals, fourth place -  Jason Loukides, Colorado Springs, Colo. (U.S. Army)  U.S. Nationals, fifth place - Adam Wheeler, San Diego, Calif. (Gator WC)  U.S. Nationals, sixth place - Frank Workman, Spotsylvania, Va. (U.S. Marine Corps)  U.S. Nationals, seventh place - Phillip Johnston, Colorado Springs, Colo. (U.S. Air Force)   U.S. Nationals, eighth place - J.D. Bergman, Columbus, Ohio (Ohio International)  Armed Forces Champion  - Jason Loukides, Colorado Springs, Colo. (U.S. Army)  South Regional Trials Champion - Deon Hicks, Quantico, Va. (U.S. Marine Corps)  West Regional Trials Champion - Mike Mathers (Oregon)  North Regional Trials Champion -  Mark Knauer, Ames, Iowa (Cyclone WC)  East Regional Trials Champion - R.C. Johnson, Marquette, Mich. (New York AC)  Central Regional Trials Champion -Quincey Clark, Colorado Springs, Colo. (Minnesota Storm)