Paul Gomez Season 1999-00

NCAA Championships
2000-Gomez earned his first career All-America honor with a 3-3 showing and eighth-place finish at the 2000 NCAA Championships. Gomez opened with a 3-2 decision over Purdue's Jason Silverstein and a 7-3 win over North Carolina's Sklyer Holman. Gomez dropped a 7-2 decision to second-seeded Jeremy Hunter of Penn State, but rounded with a 7:23 pin of Arizona State's Michael Kawamura. Gomez ended his career with losses to Oklahoma State's Jeff Ragan and Cal State-Bakersfield's Ruben DeLeon.

1999-Making his second consecutive NCAA Championship appearance and his first as an automatic selection, Gomez entered the meet ranked fifth in the nation at 125 pounds. After downing Boise State's K.C. Rock, 6-4, in the first round, Gomez was upset by 12th-seeded Jason Silverstein of Purdue, 5-3. In the second-round wrestleback, Gomez came back with a 5-2 win over North Carolina State's Lee Carroll. A match later, Jeremy Slutyer of East Stroudsburg beat Gomez, 5-2, eliminating the Husker junior from the tournament. Gomez finished the championships with a 2-2 record, while all four of his national championship matches were decided by three points or less.

1998-After earning a wild-card bid from a fourth-place finish at the Big 12 Championships, Gomez was ranked 12th in the W.I.N./InterMat rankings and 14th by Amateur Wrestling News. Gomez faced No. 5 Jeremy Hunter of Penn State in the opening round and lost by decision, 6-0. In Gomez's second match, he edged West Virginia's Angelo Zegarelli, 3-2, before dropping a 14-8 decision to Sean Kim of Cal State Fullerton. Gomez suffered an MCL strain at the Big 12 Championships that forced him to wrestle at less than 100 percent at the NCAA Championships. He finished his first appearance with a 1-2 record.

Big 12 Championships
2000-Gomez claimed third with a 2-1 mark at the 2000 Big 12 Championships. He lost a 3-1 overtime decision to second-seeded Jeff Ragan of Oklahoma State in the semifinals, but rebounded with a 6-4 decision over Missouri's Jesse West in the consolation semifinal and earned third-place with an 8-2 decision over Iowa State's Matt Azevedo.

1999-As the No. 3 seed at 125 pounds, Gomez finished third with a 2-1 record. He lost his first-round match to second-seeded Shane Valdez of Oklahoma, 10-2, but bounced back with wins in the consolation semifinal and final. In the semifinal, Gomez downed Iowa State's Jesse West, 6-2, and earned third-place honors with a 15-6 major decision over Jake Lapinski of Missouri.

1998-The fourth seed entering the meet, the 118-pound Gomez finished fourth after losing two matches. No. 1 seed and eventual Big 12 and national champion Teague Moore of Oklahoma State handed Gomez an 11-5 loss in the semifinals. In the consolation, Iowa State's Cody Sanderson held on for a 6-3 decision over Gomez, who suffered an MCL sprain that later affected his national championship competition.

Career Notes
2000-Gomez went 13-11, including 6-7 in duals, at 125 pounds during the 1999-2000 season. He earned 22 dual points courtesy of 26 dual takedowns. He ended the season with two pins, one technical fall and one major decision.

1999-For the second consecutive season, Gomez earned a national championship berth while recording career-best records of 23-5 and 16-2 in duals, to go with a team co-leading No. 5 national ranking (with Bryan Snyder). At the NCAA Championships, Gomez compiled a 2-2 record before being eliminated in the third round of wrestleback matches. In 18 dual matches, Gomez outscored opponents, 69-11, earned 37 takedowns to nine for opposing wrestlers and recorded three pins and three major decisions. Gomez won four matches by forfeit during the season, including three consecutive matches from Jan. 24 to Jan. 31. After aiding Nebraska to a one-point upset win over Oklahoma on Feb. 4 with a 7-6 win over fourth-ranked Shane Valdez, Gomez continued his winning ways with victories over North Carolina's fifth-ranked Chuckie Connor and Minnesota's seventh-ranked LeRoy Vega in his next two outings. Gomez did not lose back-to-back matches during the season and won 14 of his last 17 matches, including three victories over wrestlers ranked in the top seven. Gomez completed the year with a 7-3 mark against unranked opponents and a 3-3 mark against even- or higher-ranked foes.

1998-Gomez compiled a 19-13 record in his first season as Nebraska's starter at 118 pounds, while earning a trip to the NCAA Championships. Gomez finished the year with a 6-6 dual mark, one pin, three major decisions and a No. 14 AWN ranking. He earned titles at the Navy Classic and the Congressional Cup.

Before Nebraska-Gomez spent his first two seasons at Lassen Community College in Susanville, Calif. He captured the NJCAA 118-pound national title during the 1995-96 season, while helping Coach Rex Branum and Lassen to the team title. Gomex redshirted his second year in the the program.

Personal-The son of Graciela Gutierrez, Paul has one sister, Lupe. Paul was born Nov. 23, 1977, in La Aldea, Guanajuato, Mexico. He is majoring in Spanish.