March 17, 2007

DETROIT - Pitt's No. 2 seed Keith Gavin placed second today in the NCAA Wrestling Championships. He faced two-time national champion Ben Askren in the championship finals which were televised live on ESPN. His second-place finish makes him Pitt's 43rd All-America honoree as he joins teammate Matt Kocher who finished fifth earlier today.

Gavin (Factoryville, Pa./Lackawanna Trail) was Pitt's first wrestler since Carl Fronhofer in 2003 to make it to the championship finals of the tournament. Things started out looking good for Gavin as he got off to a two-point lead with about 1:25 left in the first period, and Askren came back with a point on an escape. In the second period, Askren chose down and scored again on an escape to tie the bout up at two heading into the final period. A stall warning for Askren gave him the motivation he needed as he collected five points and received a point for riding time for the 8-2 decision. Undefeated this season, Askren is a formidable opponent, and he had already pinned Gavin twice this season making tonight's matchup even more exciting.

Not only was Gavin the No. 2 seed in the tournament, but he stood at No. 2 in the national rankings for the better part of the season. With a 28-4 record, his only losses came against Askren (three times) and Michigan's Steve Luke (once). Gavin got off to a good start this season, placing second at the Cornell Body Bar and third at the Las Vegas Invitational. He went six for six in EWL duals and went on to win the league title at 174 pounds. Gavin had a 13-1 dual meet record this season and earned three falls, four technical falls and four major decisions. He is now 12th among Pitt's career pin leaders and his four technical falls this season made up half of the team's total. Gavin also tied for seventh for Pitt's most wins by a junior.

With the two placewinners, the Panthers will have earned a top-25 finish in the tournament, their first since 2003 when they tied for 19th with 30 points.