Ranking: #11 overall, #3 at 138 pounds
Where he fits in: 133
What you need to know –
When Kevin Dresser took over as head coach of the Iowa State program one of the first things he did was drive to Illinois to reaffirm the commitment of Austin Gomez, which tells you everything you need to know about how important the new staff feels that Gomez will be for this program. One of the nation’s top lightweight wrestlers, Gomez has the talent to anchor Iowa State lightweight wrestling near the top of the NCAA, which is something the Cyclones have struggled to find for some time.
When it comes to accomplishments, Gomez has them in spades. A three-time state champion, multiple Fargo national titles in both Greco-Roman and freestyle, UWW Cadet Pan American titles (outstanding wrestler in both styles), and on and on. Really what you need to know is Gomez has risen to the elite of this class and he is every bit as good as advertised.
Right now Gomez tells us he thinks he will be at 133 pounds and regardless of whether that is in fact his weight, or if he can somehow manage to make 125, he definitely has the talent to contend for a starting spot his first day on campus. Currently Danny Vega looks to be the leading candidate to start at 125 and Markus Simmons is expected to move into the 133-pound spot this coming season. Gomez will likely redshirt to begin the year and depending how he performs to begin the year will impact whether or not he overtakes a starting role.
To show just how good Gomez is one need to look no further than his technical fall win over Oklahoma State’s Nick Piccininni at last year’s UWW Junior Nationals. Piccininni went on to All-American for the Cowboys this season at 125 pounds.
The final item to note on Gomez is that he is in fact coming off of an injury, though it wasn’t wrestling related. An appendix procedure cost Gomez an opportunity to wrestle at the Pittsburgh Wrestling Classic and UWW Junior Nationals this spring. Gomez is expected to be at June’s Junior World Team Trials in Lincoln, Nebraska.
Other commits in the 2017 class
#78 Marcus Coleman (#7)
#95 Ryan Leisure (#13)
Mac Southard
Alec McDowell
Kaden Sauer
[…] commits in the 2017 class #11 Austin Gomez (#3) #78 Marcus Coleman (#7) #95 Ryan Leisure (#13) Alec McDowell Kaden […]
[…] commits in the 2017 class #11 Austin Gomez (#3) #78 Marcus Coleman (#7) Mac Southard Alec McDowell Kaden […]
[…] commits in the 2017 class #11 Austin Gomez (#3) #95 Ryan Leisure (#13) Mac Southard Alec McDowell Kaden […]