National wrestling championships in April

The 2002 Las Vegas United States National Wrestling Championships are scheduled for April 24-27 at the recently expanded Las Vegas Convention Center.

More than 2,000 athletes are expected to compete at the event, which will feature the U.S. Freestyle Nationals, the U.S. Greco-Roman Nationals, the U.S. Women's Nationals, the U.S. Veteran's Nationals and the Western Junior Regionals.

The men's finals will be televised, on a delayed basis, by ESPN, while the women's finals will be broadcast, on a delayed basis, by the Oxygen Network.

The Las Vegas Sports Committee and USA Wrestling will produce the event for the 13th time.

"We look forward to another outstanding event, featuring the best wrestlers in the United States showcased in Las Vegas -- the internationally-renowned entertainment and sports capital of the world," said Rich Bender, executive director for USA Wrestling, the national governing body for the sport.

The road to the world championship will start in Las Vegas as national championships will be decided in the seven international weight categories for senior men competitors, along with six weight divisions for the veteran's divisions, which will be split into five divisions based on ages.

Titles in 15 weight classes will be decided in the Western Junior Regionals. Any qualified junior wrestler may compete in one of seven regional championships offered each year by USA Wrestling.

The top six in each weight class, in men's freestyle, will qualify for the World Team Trials in June, while the top eight in each weight class, in men's Greco-Roman, will also advance. The top eight women in each weight class will advance to the U.S. World Team Trials in June.

Close to 25 local wrestlers are expected to compete in the event.

Advance VIP, preferred and general admission all-event tickets are on sale through the LVSC ticket office at 838-4091. The VIP all-event packages, which include admission for all four days, cost $125 each. Preferred all-event tickets cost $60 apiece and general admission all-event tickets cost $40 for adults and $20 for students, ages 6 to 17.

Preferred and general admission daily tickets will also be available, at the door only. Preferred daily tickets cost $35, while general admission daily tickets cost $25 for adults and $15 for students.

Tickets to the finals, which are slated for April 27, will also be available at the door the day of the event. Preferred tickets will be $25 each and general admission tickets for the finals will be $20 for adults and $10 for students.

Those interested in more information can contact the LVSC offices at 361-5017 or visit the Web site, www.lvsports.org.


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