An All-American Summer

Sept. 21, 2007

PITTSBURGH - Pitt's two All-Americans from 2007, Keith Gavin and Matt Kocher, took time out of their summer schedules to participate in this year's edition of the All-American Tour, which was sponsored by the National Wrestling Coaches Association. The tour was staged from June 1-10 and took a team of approximately 20 wrestlers to Istanbul, Turkey and Varna, Bulgaria.

The American squad competed in exhibition matches against various club teams from both cities, but also took some time to enjoy the culture of Eastern Europe.

"It was really a great experience for both Matt and I," said Gavin (Factoryville, Pa./Lackawanna Trail), last year's national runner-up in the 174-pound weight class. "It was nice to go over there, meet some new people, see the different sights and wrestle in the process. It's definitely something that I would love to do again."

Gavin competed in six matches during the 10-day trip, while Kocher (State College, Pa./State College), a three-time NCAA qualifier, wrestled in seven.

"I really didn't know what to expect heading into the tour, " commented Kocher, who placed fifth at last year's NCAA meet in the 157-pound division. "In my first few matches I was waiting for them to hit me with some move that I'd never even seen before, but then I realized it's just wrestling and it's the same no matter what part of the world you come from."

Gavin and Kocher are now back on American soil and are looking to build on their successes from 2007. Pitt will begin its regular-season schedule on Nov. 11 in Bethlehem, Pa. against Lehigh at 1 p.m.

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Players Mentioned

Keith Gavin

Matt Kocher

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