Senior Reflections: Libero Johnny Gomez

Men's Volleyball 4/11/2018 6:45:00 AM

Editor's Note: Leading up to Senior Night on April 14, the men's volleyball players who are playing their last season in 2018 will share a reflection about their time in the Green and Gold. Today, we have libero Johnny Gomez.
Previous entires include Brian Negron.

    Senior week is upon us once again. Only this time, I will be one of the few moving onto what God has in store for me in life without collegiate volleyball. Looking back, I realize that my volleyball career is unlike any other.

    Starting out on my mother's girls u10 team at age eight, traveling three hours (each way) for practice once or twice a week for eight years, undergoing femur surgery my junior year of high school, committing to Division II Belmont Abbey College (BAC), transferring to Division I George Mason, undergoing knee surgery, and finally becoming a three year starter was not exactly what I had in mind as a kid growing up in our small little beach town of Indialantic. As I have matured both athletically and mentally, I now reflect on the outrageous amount of sacrifice my family endured in order for me to become successful.

            My dream was to play a Division I sport in college, but it took me awhile to figure out that volleyball was truly what I wanted to pursue. Randy Dagostino was a great mentor throughout my young volleyball career and gave me the tools to become an NCAA men's volleyball player. As a high school senior though, I was very late to the recruiting process for men's volleyball because I decided to pursue this dream a little too late, or so I thought. I had zero offers going into my second semester of senior year and was ready to give up. Then, Evan Young, a great friend who played for Belmont Abbey at the time, convinced me to give them a chance. As a true freshman at a second-year program in the NCAA, I did not know what to expect. I was a small-town kid with wide eyes and a good heart looking to find my place and plant roots and although Belmont Abbey provided me with the opportunity, I felt that it wasn't meant to be.

    I was once told, "Don't attend a college or university that you would not attend if it did not have your respective sport." After attending BAC for a full year, I decided that I needed a better place to fulfill my dream. As I was searching for other universities, Christian Malias was the x factor that really attracted me to George Mason. Christian and I have known each other for 12 years now. We both grew up in the same hometown, went to grade school together, and played club ball together. He connected me with Eli Hunter and Fred Chao who ultimately gave me the keys to my future as an athlete, but also as a man, and this, was only the beginning…

    Over these years here, I have learned Mason Men's Volleyball isn't about the wins or losses. Mason Men's Volleyball is truly a brotherhood filled with guys with many diverse backgrounds who all are striving to reach their potential. I have learned that no matter the outcome of a practice or game, we are right by each other's sides ready for another battle. The men that I fight and have fought alongside with, the men that I have made history with, and the men that I will make more history with, will be my brothers for life.

    As I continue to reflect, these past four years have changed the course of my life and I have many people to thank. I first thank God. Secondly, I thank my family for the sacrifices they have made both financially and timely in order for me to be where I am today. Next, Fred Chao, Jay Hosack, Joe Norton, Jharred Tulloch, Joey Sierzega, Justin Fegley, Danielle Saltarelli, and Alex Milton have all been, or are on the front lines grinding day in and day out to keep us on track and keep us healthy in order to reach our potential. Without the dedication they have to this program and its individuals, I, nor any of my brothers, wouldn't be the men we are today.

    Furthermore, I thank the alumni that have come before us have created an indestructible foundation for this current generation of brothers. More specifically, Hunter Stevens, Paco Velez, Jack Wilson, and Graham Gresham have had the biggest impact on me and my success and for them, I am forever grateful. And lastly, to my fellow seniors and captains Brian Negron and Christian Malias, I love you. You two have taken this program and helped turn it into an EIVA champion.

    As this regular season comes to a close, and potentially playing in the RAC for the last time, I look back only to realize that this journey may be ending, but it has opened so many doors and has created so many memories that I will never forget.

Thank you, Mason Nation. #letsmakehistory

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