Gabriel Mendez '20 Recruiting Profile

I’m thankful my parents introduced me to football and wrestling at the young age of 5. As I’ve matured in each sport, I’ve learned the value of teamwork, commitment, sacrifice and leadership. Most importantly, I’ve learned my best attribute is being able to play with heart. When faced with adversity, I’ve learned to rise above it and continue to forge forward. This is especially true for me academically. As a small child, I suffered from chronic ear infections. It resulted in surgery and a small hearing impairment. This ultimately affected my speech and reading abilities. I’ve learned to overcome the disability but will continue to work harder so I can achieve my academic goals. One of those goals is to find a program that will be a good fit for me both athletically and scholastically.

These last two years, I have been fortunate enough to go to an excellent high school and be part of two amazing athletic programs winning the State Championship in football as well as winning both State and National Championships as part of the varsity wrestling team. It has been an immense amount of work on and off the field, but a challenge I look forward to every day. As a two-sport student-athlete, I believe I not only have the talent to compete on a college level, but the character, work-ethic and leadership skills to make an impact on your program.