By Mike Finn

No 2009 NCAA Division I wrestling champion traveled farther … literally … than 133-pound titlist Franklin Gomez to earn such an honor.

            From the moment the Michigan State junior was born Aug. 5, 1986 in the Dominican Republic until March 21, 2009 — when the Spartan defeated Ohio State’s Reece Humphrey, 5-4, for the NCAA championship in St. Louis’ Scottrade Center — Gomez has either floated, flown or driven at least 6,000 miles.

            A simple map will tell you that distance is the combination of air, nautical and highway miles of his lifetime:

            • from the Dominican Republic to Puerto Rico, where he and his two brothers and mother, Margarita Matos, moved after the death of his father when he was five and where he was introduced to freestyle wrestling by club coach Pedro Rojas;

            • to Richland, New Jersey, where he attended St. Augustine Prep as a sophomore;

            • back to Puerto Rico one year later after he had a hard time adjusting to the winter chills of New Jersey;

            • to Brandon, Fla., where he was introduced to folkstyle wrestling by coach Russ Cozart and the legendary high school wrestling program. While there, he won the “triple crown” of high school wrestling in 2005 when he captured the high school national championship and both freestyle and Greco-Roman titles at the Junior Nationals. It was also in Florida, where he met his guardians Mike and Debbie Joyce;

            • to East Lansing, Mich., where he committed to compete at Michigan State, and became a starter as a redshirt freshman;

            • and most recently to St. Louis, Mo., where Gomez became the first Spartan wrestler since 1995 and 25th overall to claim an NCAA crown.

            Of course, there were countless other miles — many of dejection — that Gomez has travelled, especially during his four years in East Lansing, where he found solace in his local church.

            The MSU coaching staff knew they couldn’t bring the atmospheric warmth of Puerto Rico to chilly Michigan but tried to create a healthy existence in East Lansing.

            “One of the things with Franklin, when he chose Michigan State, was that he wanted to be in an environment where he felt like he was with family,” said assistant coach Roger Chandler. “He has a very close bond with his church up in Michigan.”

            “It’s been a good experience,” said Gomez, who won his final 14 bouts of 2008-09 and will return next season with a 91-12 career record. “No matter where I am, I always go to church and keep my mind focused. That tells me that God is everywhere. I’ve been through really hard times and some really difficult times. The church helped me a lot.”

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