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Sophomore Franklin Gomez’s bid for a national championship fell short, as he fell to Iowa’s Joey Slaton by a 3-1 decision in overtime in a national semifinal at the NCAA National Wrestling Championships in St. Louis.

After a scoreless first period, Gomez elected to begin the second in the down position and escaped to take a 1-0 advantage, which stood through the remainder of the second. Slaton tied up the match 1-1 after escaping at the start of the third period after beginning the period in the down position, resulting in overtime.

Slaton came out in overtime and got a quick takedown for the two-point score.

Gomez, who falls to 32-2 overall, will now face the winner of Navy’s Joe Baker and Cornell’s Mike Grey Saturday morning. Gomez can finish no better than third in the tournament.

The final day of the NCAA Championships begins at 11 a.m. Saturday.

Published on Friday, March 21, 2008