By Gary Abbott, W.I.N. Columnist

The U.S. National Wrestling Championships held in Las Vegas, Nev. in early April was once again a tremendous showcase of outstanding wrestling. Those who were able to go to Vegas to take part in the event were treated to outstanding competition and some amazing story lines.

If you weren’t able to make it to Las Vegas in April, you can still watch the Senior-level national competitions on television. ESPNU will broadcast a tape-delayed 90-minute show with highlights from the men’s freestyle and men’s Greco-Roman competition.The first airing is tentatively scheduled for Wednesday, May 2 at 7 p.m. Eastern time. In addition, there will also be a 60-minute tape-delayed show featuring the women’s freestyle finals on ESPNU. The first airing is tentatively scheduled for Tuesday, May 1 at 7 p.m. Eastern time.

There is another great opportunity to see our top international wrestling stars on the mats this year. USA Wrestling will be hosting the U.S. World Team Trials at the Las Vegas Convention Center, June 9-10. There is more than enough time for you to book your airline tickets, secure a room at the host hotel (the Riviera) and encourage others to join you.

The World Team Trials have the same format as the wildly-popular U.S. Olympic Team Trials held every four years. It is a hidden treasure of wrestling each year, an amazing competition that thrills spectators and brings out the best from the athletes. At stake is a spot on the U.S. World Team which will compete at the 2007 World Championships in Baku, Azerbaijan, in September. In addition, national team funding is determined at this event for the year. This is the competition that has the most importance to the athletes each year. This is when they lay it all on the line.

If you are not yet convinced that you should join us in Las Vegas in June, let me share a number of reasons why you should make plans to be there. In no particular order, here are some stories that should offer a compelling argument for you to decide to come to the World Team Trials.

Can anybody slow down Joe Warren? The World Greco-Roman champion, who calls himself the “Baddest Man on the Planet,” tore through the field in Las Vegas at 132 pounds, scoring a pin in the gold-medal finals and wrestling with dominance all weekend.

What happened to the 2006 World medalists? Except for Warren, all of the men who had won World medals in freestyle and Greco-Roman were unable to win national titles this year. Some were beaten in the tournament, including silver medalist Mike Zadick and bronze medalist Donny Pritzlaff in freestyle, and bronze medalist Lindsey Durlacher in Greco-Roman. Some did not enter the U.S. Nationals at all, including gold medalist Bill Zadick and bronze medalist Sammie Henson in freestyle and bronze medalist Harry Lester in Greco-Roman.

Can Div. I college coach Chris Bono make another World Team? One of the most impressive feats at the U.S. Nationals was the freestyle national title won by veteran Bono, who serves as the head wrestling coach at Div. I power UT-Chattanooga. Very few Div. I head coaches have been able to handle their demanding coaching job and remain No. 1 in the nation as an international athlete. Bono hopes to show that it can be done, going back to the days of Bruce Baumgartner when he was the coach at Edinboro and remained the No. 1 heavyweight in the nation.

Has the Henry Cejudo era truly arrived? Last year, Cejudo shocked the wrestling world by becoming the first high school wrestler to win a USA Wrestling Senior National freestyle title. At the World Team Trials, past World champion Sammie Henson, who did not attend the U.S. Nationals, beat Cejudo. A year later, Cejudo returned to Las Vegas and repeated as the national champion, wrestling with skill and confidence. Henson was not there again.

Has Joe Williams found new life up at 185 pounds? Last year, many thought the career of Olympian and two-time World bronze medalist Joe Williams had ended when he was defeated twice and eliminated at 163 pounds at the World Team Trials in Sioux City, Iowa. Instead of fading away, Williams started over. He took a new coaching position at Northern Illinois, and moved up a weight class. In Las Vegas, Williams won the U.S. Nationals at his new division and showed he remains a force to be dealt with.

Can Ohio State assistants Joe Heskett and Tommy Rowlands make the U.S. team? A year ago, everybody was buzzing about the coaching changes on the college level. Tom Ryan took over the Ohio State program, and built a staff of talented and respected coaches. A year later, two of his assistant coaches, Joe Heskett and Tommy Rowlands, won their first U.S. Nationals freestyle titles.

What happened to Dremiel Byers and will he rebound? Perhaps the athlete most favored to win his weight class at the 2007 U.S. Nationals was Greco-Roman heavyweight Dremiel Byers, who has owned his division since the start of the 2005 season. Byers was shocked in the opening round at the U.S. Nationals by his Army teammate Timothy Taylor, losing in his first bout.

Has Brad Vering returned to form as a top medal hopeful? Vering started a streak of outstanding Greco-Roman wrestling at 185 pounds back in 2002, when he made his first U.S. World Team. Vering held on to the No. 1 spot for four straight years, until he was defeated in the World Team Trials in 2005 and dropped to No. 3 in his weight class. This year, he had a strong winter overseas, and came back to the U.S. Nationals to win back the national title.

Will the Zadick brothers rebound and reclaim the top spot? The big news in U.S. freestyle wrestling last year was Bill and Mike Zadick, who qualified side-by-side for the 2006 U.S. World Team with outstanding efforts in Sioux City, Iowa. A few months later, the Zadick Express continued to roll, as older brother Bill won a World gold medal at 145.5 pounds and younger brother Mike captured the World silver medal at 132 pounds. This year has been a bit challenging. Bill has had health issues which kept him off the mats and made him miss the U.S. Nationals this time. Mike made the U.S. Nationals finals, where he was beaten by Nate Gallick.

Will Marcie Van Dusen get her chance to test the world’s best? One of the most consistent and successful of the U.S. women wrestlers in recent years has been Marcie Van Dusen, a 2004 University World champion who has been building impressive results at 121 pounds. Last year, she lost the entire regular season to a knee injury. After a strong winter season, Van Dusen won her first U.S. Nationals title at 121 pounds, beating two-time World medalist Tina George in the finals.

Can Glenn Garrison hold off Harry Lester and the rest of the field? One of the first-time U.S. Nationals champions this year is veteran Glenn Garrison of the U.S. Army, who has nibbled at the top spots at the 145.5-pound division for years but never reached No. 1. He beat an Army teammate in the national finals, naturalized citizen Faruk Sahin, to win his first Senior title in Greco.

Will T.C. Dantzler finally get his coveted World medal this year? The 2006 year was one of the best ever for veteran Greco-Roman star T.C. Dantzler. He won his first U.S. Nationals title, then made his fourth U.S. World Team. With a strong performance in China, Dantzler had his best finish ever at the World level, taking fifth at 163 pounds. His throwing style does very well with the new Greco-Roman rules.