Completed Event: Men's Wrestling versus Harold Nichols Cyclone Open on January 18, 2026 , , One Champ
Final
Men's Wrestling
Harold Nichols Cyclone Open
One Champ
Iowa State University Athletics
Gomez Comes Up Short in Thriller at Junior Trials
06.09.2017 | Men's Wrestling
LINCOLN, Neb. – At the 2017 Junior World Team Trials, incoming freshman Austin Gomez wrestled to the 60 kg championship series. Gomez came up one point shy of qualifying for the Junior World Team, dropping the series 2-1 to Minnesota's Mitch McKee.
Freshmen Kanen Storr and Samuel Colbray were also in action for the Cyclones on day one of the World Team Trials. They two took fourth place at their weights, respectively.
The World Team Trials continue tomorrow morning with senior level competition. Kyven Gadson will be the No. 1 seed in the challenge tournament at 97 kg. Wrestling begins at 10 a.m. and will be streamed live on FloWrestling.org ($). Be sure to follow @CycloneWR on Twitter for live updates and match-by-match results.
60 kg Finals
There was plenty of drama in the final match. In the first period, Gomez went big on a throw, securing four points, catapulting him to a 5-2 lead. McKee clawed back and tied the match at 5-5 at the intermission. Gomez owned criteria at that point.
Mid-way through the second period, Gomez was placed on the shot clock after being hit with his second passivity call. He was unable to score in the 30 seconds, giving McKee the go-ahead point. McKee fended off a late Gomez furry and went on to win the match, 7-5.
Gomez forced a third match between the two for the 60 kg Junior World Team spot. He racked up eight first-period points and held an 8-3 advantage at the break. In the second stanza, Gomez was tactical and defended a late McKee run to take the match 11-8.
The first match of the evening did not go as planned for Gomez. In the opening bout, McKee was dominant and the Gopher went on to win by 10-0 technical fall.
Challenge Tournament
The Junior World Team Trials began with a challenge tournament at every weight. The champion of the challenge tournaments would advance to take on the sitting UWW Junior National Champion or sitting Junior World Medalist.
Gomez was the champion at 60 kg and advanced to the best-of-three championship series against 2017 UWW Junior National Champion, McKee. It was smooth sailing to the challenge tournament championship match for Gomez, as he notched technical fall victories over N.C. State's Tariq Wilson (15-4) and Nick Farro of Lehigh (10-0).
In the finals, Gomez was slated with incoming Cornell freshman, Vitali Arujau. Late in the first period, Gomez trailed 7-2. The two periods were night and day for the No. 11 overall recruit in the class of 2017. Gomez poured on 12 unanswered-points in the second to win the match by 14-7 decision.
Both Storr and Colbray reached the semifinals at their respective weights, but that's all the further they advanced. They would, however, bounce back with victories.
To reach the consolation finals, Storr squared off with Nebraska's Chad Red Jr. It was all Storr, as the Leslie, Mich., native rolled to a 10-0 technical fall. Colbray was decisive in a 7-0 decision over Evan Hansen of Grandview.
In the consolation finals, Storr and Colbray would drop a pair of technical fall losses. David Carr defeated Storr, 10-0, while Colbray fell to Nathan Traxler of Stanford, 14-3.
60 kg Best-of-Three Series
Mitch McKee (Minnesota) TF Austin Gomez, 10-0.
Austin Gomez dec. Mitch McKee (Minnesota), 11-8.
Mitch McKee (Minnesota) dec. Austin Gomez, 6-5.
Challenge Tournament Match-by-Match
Austin Gomez TF Tariq Wilson (N.C. State), 15-4.
Austin Gomez TF Nick Farro (Lehigh), 10-0.
Austin Gomez dec. Vitali Arujau (Cornell), 14-7.
Kanen Storr dec. Brayton Lee (Army), 7-4.
Kanen Storr TF Ben Freeman (Michigan), 10-0.
???????Kanen Storr TF Cole Martin (Wisconsin), 10-0.
Pat Lugo (Edinboro) TF Kanen Storr, 13-3.
???????Kanen Storr TF Chad Red Jr. (Nebraska), 10-0.
David Carr (TMWC) TF Kanen Storr, 10-0.
Samuel Colbray TF Kevin Snyder (Ohio State), 10-0.
???????Kollin Moore (Ohio State) TF Samuel Colbray, 12-2.
Samuel Colbray dec. Evan Hansen (Grand View), 7-0.
Nathan Traxler (Stanford) TF Samuel Colbray, 14-3.
Players Mentioned
/ Men's Wrestling
/ Men's Wrestling
Pollard, Dresser, Metcalf, St. John Wrestling Press Conference
Thursday, April 16
Kevin Dresser Interview (NCAA Championships Session 6)
Saturday, March 21
Kevin Dresser Interview (NCAA Championships Session 4)
Friday, March 20
Yonger Bastida Press Conference (Semifinals)
Friday, March 20
