Three of the top wrestlers at Kinkaid went to Lehigh University in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania to compete at the National Preps wrestling tournament that includes only the top wrestlers in the country.
Senior Nico Gomez, sophomore Morgan Tannery and sophomore Garrett Clark won SPC in their respective weight divisions and placed top three at state.
Gomez had to come out of the gate ready to go as he faced the No. 1 seed in the tournament. However, he could not beat him and ultimately went 0-2 and was eliminated.
“It was a great experience seeing very high level wrestling,” Gomez said. “It was super cool to see how good the top kids in the country are. Going in with no expectations was nice because then you can’t be disappointed. You are going to soak in the once-in-a-lifetime experience.”
Clark led the way for the Falcons winning three matches in the double-elimination tournament. He was one round away from the blood round, which would have placed him in the top 12.
“It was a great experience to go as an underclassman and have success, but I’m looking forward to returning next year with a few other teammates,” Clark said.
Tannery had a solid performance at Lehigh going 1-2. He had a tough first match that he eventually lost, but he was able to keep his head up and win his next match to stay in the race. He lost his third match, but he said he enjoyed getting to “compete with the best guys in the country.”
These wrestlers had great experiences traveling up north to compete against the best competitors after dominating in the South.
Gomez finished his wrestling career and Morgan and Garrett look to make more trips back to Bethlehem in the future as they are only sophomores.
