Franklin Gomez Enters NCAA Championship as 133-Pound Top Seed
3/17/2008 12:00:00 AM | Wrestling
March 17, 2008
PDF of Gomez' Championship Notes
2008 NCAA Wrestling Home Page
2008 NCAA Wrestling Championships 133-Pound Bracket
Franklin Head Coach Tom Head Coach Tom
EAST LANSING, Mich. - Michigan State's Franklin Gomez will open his 2008 NCAA Wrestling Championships campaign as the No. 1 seed in the 133-pound bracket, as announced Monday night by the tournament committee. Gomez enters the tourament with a 28-1 overall record and as InterMat's No. 1-ranked grappler in his weight class. Gomez will face Northern Iowa's unseeded Josh Baldridge, who owns an 8-5 mark, in the first round. Both Gomez and Baldrigde received byes through the opening bouts of round one.
This year's competition will be co-hosted by the NCAA, University of Missouri and the St. Louis Sports Commission at the Scottrade Center in St. Louis, Mo. The first day's action begins at 12 p.m. ET, and Gomez' first bout will begin around 12:30 p.m. His match is the 30th on the schedule.
Gomez enters the championship on a 15-bout winning streak, including his last three wins at the Big Ten Championships to claim the 133-pound title. This will be the first NCAA Tournament appearance for the sophomore, and the 121st Spartan appearance since 1981.
MSU has 24 national champoinships; its last individual national champion was Kelvin Jackson, who claimed the 188-pound title in 1995. The Spartan's previous 23 national championships were won between 1936-1974.
Last year the Simmons brothers, Andy and Nick, traveled to The Palace in Auburn Hills, Mich., for the 2007 Championships. Nick closed his illustrious Spartan career with a third-place finish after posting a 9-0 major decision over eighth-seed Tyler McCormick of Missouri in the wrestleback semifinals, then clinched third place with an 8-0 major decision over fifth-seed Matt Keller of Chattanooga in his final collegiate match. Nick finished the tournament with a 5-1 record, while Andy went 1-1. Both were four-time NCAA tournament qualifiers.
Visit www.msuspartans.com for audio and video content from Gomez and head coach Tom Minkel. Full tournament information is available at www.ncaa.com.
Players Mentioned
