Honors & Awards
- Nebraska Scholar-Athlete Honor Roll (Fall 2020; Spring 2020, 2021, 2022)
- Tom Osborne Citizenship Team (2019)
2021-22 (Sophomore)
Regular Season – 197 pounds
- 1-5 overall record
2020-21 (Sophomore)
Regular Season – 197 pounds
- 0-0 overall record
2019-20 (Redshirt Freshman)
Regular Season – 197 pounds
- 0-0 overall record
2018-19 (Redshirt)
Regular Season – 197 pounds
- 18-9 overall record
- DNP at the Daktronics Open (Nov. 4), going 2-2
- DNP at the Grand View Open (Nov. 10)
- Went 3-2 but DNP at the UNK Holiday Inn Open (Nov. 17)
- Third place finish at Doane Open (Dec. 8)
- Won Hastings Cusatis Open (Jan. 5) with a 4-0 record
- Finished fourth at the Dave Edmunds Open (Feb. 2) with a 3-2 record
Before Nebraska
- Wrestled at St. Thomas Aquinas High School in Overland Park, Kan., for Coach Eric Akin, a former Nebraska volunteer assistant coach (2000-04)
- Overall record of 148-33 in prep career
- Capped a 40-2 senior season with a third-place finish at 195 pounds at the KSHSAA 5A State Championships
- Finished fourth at 195 pounds at the 2017 KSHSAA 5A State Championships, after going 41-5 on the season
- Placed sixth at state at 195 pounds as a sophomore in 2016 following a 35-12 season
- Went 31-17 as a freshman at 170 pounds in 2015
- 2017 state champion in freestyle and Greco-Roman at the USA Wrestling Kansas State Championships at 220 pounds
- Took sixth place at 182 pounds at the 2015 Cadet Folkstyle National Championships
- Also played football in high school, and was an honorable mention all-state selection and a two-time honorable-mention all-league selection
Personal
- Last name is pronounced GA-oh-NA
- Born: Sept. 12, 1999
- Parents: Jorge and Emily Gaona
- Sisters: Sydnie and Delanie
- Management/Marketing major who earned his bachelor's degree from Nebraska in May of 2023
Career Statistics
| Year | Overall | Dual | Pins | TF | MD | NCAA | Big Ten |
| 2018-19* | 18-9 | 0-0 | 1 | 2 | 0 | -- | -- |
| 2019-20 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | -- | -- |
| 2020-21 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | -- | -- |
| 2021-22 | 1-5 | 0-1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | -- | -- |
| Career | 1-5 | 0-1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | -- | -- |
*Redshirt season does not count in career totals