Kerry McCoy sits at the top of the 120 kg/286 lbs. weight class, waiting for one challenger. He has been in this position before, having been the No. 1 athlete on the U.S. team five of the last six years. He also understands how to handle the pressure of the Olympic Trials, having won the competition in Dallas in 2000. What McCoy has not done yet is win an Olympic medal, placing fifth at the Sydney Games. His loss in Sydney came in a quarterfinal bout to the current World champion, Artur Taymazov of Uzbekistan, the same athlete who beat McCoy in the gold-medal finals of the 2003 World Championships. If there is a veteran leader among the current crop of U.S. freestyle wrestlers, it is Kerry McCoy.     McCoy has done a very good job beating his U.S. competitors, time and time again. The last American who was able to get by McCoy was Stephen Neal, who took this weight class in 1999 and won a World gold medal. Neal is now playing NFL football with the World Champion New England Patriots. McCoy has had some close matches with good American big men, but the opponents have had difficulty scoring any points on him. He has world-class skills in all positions, and the experience to make the right decisions in pressure situations. McCoy is also well-known as an intelligent competitor, able to put together and execute winning strategies. The Olympic Team Trials is his to win or lose.    The U.S. Nationals runner-up is the exciting young star Steven Mocco, who has proven to everybody this season that he can compete at the world-class level as well. Mocco was a NCAA champion in 2003 at Iowa, then took this season away from college to pursue his Olympic dreams. Training often at the U.S. Olympic Training Center and entering as many competitions as he could, Mocco strung together an impressive list of victories. He also lost some matches to tough foreign athletes, learning tools in his development as an international star. He is a high energy, high pressure, emotional competitor who is driven to succeed.    The long-awaited match between McCoy and Mocco almost happened in Russia, where both were entered this winter at a major international event. However, both were defeated and they did not get paired off. The gold-medal finals in U.S. Nationals in Las Vegas this year went to McCoy, who had a solid performance and did what was necessary to win. Mocco was unable to get an offense going against McCoy. Mocco's chances against McCoy, should he win the Challenge Tournament, will be to make changes in his wrestling based upon what he may have learned in their battle in Las Vegas.    One match that did not happen at the U.S. Nationals was between Mocco and former U.S. Nationals champion Tolly Thompson, who was No. 2 on the U.S. national team last season. Thompson got caught and pinned in an early round at the U.S. Nationals, and battled back through the wrestle-backs to place third. Thompson has had considerable international experience for many years, and has the size and technical abilities to compete at a high level. A Mocco vs. Thompson showdown in the Challenge Tournament finals is something many fans would enjoy, but both wrestlers will need to compete well to get to that point.    The rest of the field is a mixed group of young talents and veterans, athletes who will need to compete at a higher level if they are to win the Challenge Tournament. Truly any of these athletes are capable of doing a better job, and the Indianapolis competition is an opportunity for them to take a step forward and make a statement.    Perhaps the athlete with the best chance to give Mocco and Thompson a good challenge is veteran Brian Keck, who was No. 3 on Team USA this past season. Keck has paid his dues for many years, winning regularly in both Greco-Roman and freestyle. He placed eighth at the U.S. Nationals, although hampered with an injury, to get himself qualified for this event. With time to recover and train, he may be back to a level that makes him one of the favorites here.     Placing fourth in Las Vegas was young Billy Blunt, who had his best performance ever at the Senior level. Blunt was a winning wrestler on the age-group levels in both styles, and is now making his mark against the top Olympic-caliber athletes.    Others who were recently in the college ranks but are now training full-time in freestyle are Kevin Hoy, who was fifth in Las Vegas, and Kellan Fluckiger, who placed sixth. Hoy was a NCAA runner-up to Mocco in 2003 competing for the U.S. Air Force Academy. Now graduated, he is able to pursue the Olympics as part of his military assignment. Fluckiger competed at Arizona State and continues to train with the athletes and coaches from that program. Both hope to have a great future in freestyle, but may not be ready at this time.    College wrestler Justin Moody is the athlete who pinned Thompson at the U.S. Nationals, then wrestled back for seventh place. Certainly he proved he can not be overlooked in any bout. Moody lost a technical fall to Hoy in the consolation rounds, an indication that he is still getting his feet wet at the Senior level.    The Regional events brought five more athletes into the field, although Dominic Black is certain to drop down to his normal 96 kg division. The other four should be a factor in the Challenge Tournament. The veteran in the group is Angelo Borzio, a past national team member who has considerable freestyle experience. Mike Faust has been training in freestyle fulltime for more than a year, and has won a number of matches against other top heavyweights. NCAA runner-up Pat Cummins, who lost to 96 kg star Tommy Rowlands in the college finals, has great skills for a big man but has limited freestyle experience at this level. Max Lossen is also a college wrestler who has had a good spring season competing at many events, but has no major achievements at the Senior level to indicate how he will do in Indianapolis. Faust beat Lossen in Las Vegas, before Hoy eliminated him from the tournament.    Many expect this division to be a rematch between proven international star McCoy and rising international talent Mocco. There is a Challenge Tournament first, and veterans Thompson and Keck are looking to make things difficult for Mocco. Young athletes like Blunt, Hoy and Faust, along with veteran Borzio, are all capable of winning bouts and becoming a factor. One thing is for certain; fans enjoy watching these athletes and the action could be quite exciting.    2004 U.S. OLYMPIC TEAM TRIALS QUALIFIERS IN MEN'S FREESTYLE AT 120 KG/264.5 POUNDS  U.S. Nationals Champion - Kerry McCoy, Bethlehem, Pa. (New York AC)  U.S. Nationals, second place - Steven Mocco, N. Bergen, N.J. (New York AC)   U.S. Nationals, third place - Tolly Thompson, Cedar Rapids, Iowa (Sunkist Kids)   U.S. Nationals, fourth place - Billy Blunt, Fresno, Calif. (Sunkist Kids)  U.S. Nationals, fifth place - Kevin Hoy, Colorado Springs, Colo. (U.S. Air Force)   U.S. Nationals, sixth place - Kellan Fluckiger, Tempe, Ariz. (Sunkist Kids)  U.S. Nationals, seventh place -  Justin Moody, Boise, Idaho (Bronco)  U.S. Nationals, eighth place - Brian Keck, Cleveland, Ohio (New York AC)  South Regional Trials Champion - Angelo Borzio, E. Stroudsburg, Pa. (New York AC)  West Regional Trials Champion - Dominic Black, Colorado Springs, Colo. (U.S. Army)  North Regional Trials Champion -Max Lossen,Winona, Minn. (Michigan State)   East Regional Trials Champion - Pat Cummins, State College, Pa. (Penn State WC)  Central Regional Trials Champion - Mike Faust, Colorado Springs, Colo. (Dave Schultz WC)