The 16 winners in each weight division (8 men/8 women) at the March 16 Team Trials will make up the U.S. team that will compete at the World Championships in Beijing, China, May 18-22. There will be 72 competitors fighting for the 16 spots in the round robin trials format. The 16 winners will also automatically qualify for the Olympic Team Trials to be held in August.

The field of athletes for the Team Trials is led by the three Lopez siblings from Sugar Land, Texas. Steven, 28, is a two-time Olympic gold medalist (2000 & 2004) and three-time world champion (2001, 2003 & 2005). At the last world championships held in Madrid, Spain, in 2005, Steven, his brother Mark, 24, and sister Diana, 23, all captured world titles on the same weekend. It was the first time in any sport that three siblings won world championship titles in the same sport in the same year. The Lopez trio, coached by their older brother, Jean, will be looking to win at the Team Trials in Dallas so they can defend their world championship titles in May in Beijing.

The Team Trials will also feature 2004 Olympic gold medalist Nia Abdallah of Houston, Texas, and 2005 World Championship bronze medalist Mandy Meloon of Sugar Land, Texas.

Meloon will also be on hand to sign autographs at the Dallas Stars game on Thursday, March 15, along with fellow Senior National Team member Stephen Lambdin (Colleyville, Texas), and Junior National Team members Kasey Mallard (Dallas, Texas), Charlotte Craig (Murrieta, Calif.) and Jermaine James (Cape Coral, Fla.).

The National Qualifier is the first of six national qualifying events for 2007. Over 700 athletes, ranging in age from 6-32, are expected to compete. The competition will begin at 9:00 a.m. on Friday, and at 8:30 a.m. on Saturday and Sunday. Tickets may be purchased at the door. Adult (11-59) tickets are $10 for a single-day pass or $16 for a two-day pass. Children (4-10) and seniors (60+) are $7 for a single-day pass and $12 for a two-day pass.

The National Qualifying event is also the first step in the 2008 Olympic Team selection. The top four athletes in the Senior World Class divisions at the Dallas Qualifier will advance to the 2007 Senior National Championships in San Jose, Calif., July 10-11. The top two finishers in each weight class in San Jose will then qualify for the 2008 Olympic Trials for Taekwondo to be held August 2 in Colorado Springs, Colo.

In addition, junior competitors at the Dallas Qualifier can advance to the Junior Olympic Championships by placing in the top four in their weight division. The Junior Olympic Championships will also be held in San Jose, July 12-15.

Other USAT National Qualifiers scheduled for 2007 are in Portland, Ore. (April 14-15), Providence, R.I. (April 21-22), Kansas City, Mo. (April 28-29), Miami, Fla. (May 26-27) and Fresno, Calif. (June 2-3). There is also a Sub-Regional Qualifier held in Anchorage, Alaska (March 31).

For more information or to reserve a media credential, contact Bill Kellick at 719-866-3626 or 719-232-7792.

LIST OF TEAM TRIALS COMPETITORS BY DIVISION

Male Fin
Luis Reyes (Northridge, Calif.)
Manuel Reyes (Chatsworth, Calif.)
Bernard Posey (Greensboro, N.C.)
Damian Villa (Los Angeles, Calif.)
Emilio Dosal (Houston, Texas)

Male Fly
Tim Thackrey (Sherman Oaks, Calif.)
Steven Lin (Chatham, N.J.)
Jermaine James (Cape Coral, Fla.)
James Howe (San Ramon, Calif.)

Male Bantam
Brian Gallagher (Littleton, Colo.)
Kenneth Carter (Piedmont, S.C.)
Aaron Smith (Houston, Texas)
John Esche (Claremore, Okla.)
Jesus Armendariz (La Porte, Texas)

Male Feather
Mark Lopez (Sugar Land, Texas)
Nicolas Delgado (Arvada, Colo.)
Alex Mota (Rocklin, Calif.)
Terrence Jennings (Woodbridge, Va.)

Male Light
Chris Martinez (Sugar Land, Texas)
David Bartlett (Colorado Springs, Colo.)
Ethan Woodson (Cincinnati, Ohio)
James Moontasri (Colorado Springs, Colo.)
Anthony Bell (Alexandria, Va.)

Male Welter
Steven Lopez (Sugar Land, Texas)
Jayson Grant (Worcester, Mass.)
John McBlair (Camarillo, Calif.)
Salar Faiazi (Oklahoma City, Okla.)
Jason Neville (Edmond, Okla.)

Male Middle
Antony Graf (Miami, Fla.)
Aaron Hamilton (Stockton, Calif.)
Nathan Salcido (Felton, Calif.)
Jason McEuin (Oakland, Calif.)

Male Heavy
Stephen Lambdin (Hurst, Texas)
Josh Coleman (Winston-Salem, N.C.)
William Smith (Sunnyvale, Calif.)
Steven Ostrander (Colorado Springs, Colo.)
Dwayne Dews (Cincinnati, Ohio)

Female Fin
Mandy Meloon (Sugar Land, Texas)
Charlotte Craig (Murrieta, Calif.)
Sammy Saltamachia (Houston, Texas)

Female Fly
Simone DeVito (Cortlandt Manor, N.Y.)
Carman Gray (Liberty, Ind.)
Jesika Torres (Stockton, Calif.)
Cindy Salas (Los Angeles, Calif.)
Danielle Pelham (Bothell, Wash.)

Female Bantam
Eleni Koutsilianos (Astoria, N.Y.)
Natalie Aguilar (Los Angeles, Calif.)
Abby Yates (Carmel, Ind.)
Danielle Holmquist (Coral Springs, Fla.)

Female Feather
Diana Lopez (Sugar Land, Texas)
Adriel Gray (Liberty, Ind.)
Alysha Gerry (Zoar, Ohio)
Kristina Bowen (Vancouver, Wash.)
Jade Lopez (Union City, Calif.)

Female Light
Nia Abdallah (Houston, Texas)
Paige McPherson (Sturgis, S.D.)
Andrea Ferkile (St. Petersburg, Fla.)
Alexis Goldman (Carrboro, N.C.)
Christina Johnson (Galloway, N.J.)

Female Welter
Simona Hradil (Los Angeles, Calif.)
Faith Dortch (Ft. Washington, Md.)
Melissa Blasco (Tuckerton, N.J.)
Laurissa Tanielu (Blue Island, Ill.)

Female Middle
Sanaz Shahbazi (Columbia, S.C.)
Christina Park (New York, N.Y.)
Carolyn Stephenson (Woodside, N.Y.)
Dalia Avivi (Miramar, Fla.)

Female Heavy
Lauren Cahoon (Miami, Fla.)
Maia Eubanks (Indianapolis, Ind.)
Miranda Hinrichs (Minneapolis, Minn.)
Brandy Von Holten (Higginsville, Mo.)
Lynda Laurin (McAllen, Texas)