Nobody knows what it takes to win in wrestling at the University of Pittsburgh better than Keith Gavin.

After years of competing as a professional on the international stage while building his reputation as a coach, Gavin returned to his alma mater in 2017 with the goal of helping young men at Pitt achieve what he did in 2008: win a national championship.

And in 2023, that aspiration became a reality when Nino Bonaccorsi broke a 15-year national title drought for Pitt wrestling by winning the 197-pound championship in Tulsa to complete his undefeated season and join Gavin as one of 17 Panthers to stand atop the NCAA podium.

Since being named the 11th head coach of the Pitt wrestling program, Gavin's leadership has seen the Panthers return to the upper echelon of wrestling in the Atlantic Coast Conference — and nationally.

Pitt's progress on the mat has been on full display for all of college wrestling to see during recent seasons.

In addition to securing a share of the ACC dual title in 2023, the Panthers have posted six consecutive Top 30 finishes at the NCAA Championships from 2021-25, with four semifinalists, three finalists and one champion at the national tournament during that stretch. Cole Matthews (141), Jake Wentzel (165) and Nino Bonaccorsi (197) each have won multiple ACC titles and earned All-America status wrestling under Gavin's consistent and focused tutelage.

The 2021 NCAA Championships in St. Louis saw Pitt send Wentzel and Bonaccorsi to the Saturday night stage before each settled for runner-up places. However, with two NCAA finalists for the first time since 1963, Pitt's All-American runs helped the Panthers take 11th at nationals for their best team finish since 1970.

For his role in leading the Panthers to historic success at nationals in 2021, Gavin was named the ACC Co-Coach of the Year.

In 2024-25, the Panthers finished second at the ACC Championships to match their best team finish since joining the conference. Pitt had three individual conference champions in Reece Heller (184), Mac Stout (184), and Dayton Pitzer (285). Pitzer was named the Most Outstanding Wrestler after defeating both the No. 1 and No. 2 seeds en route to his first title. Stout continued the postseason success for the Panthers, becoming the programs 85th All-American after finishing in seventh place at the NCAA Championships in Philadelphia.

Along with notable successes on the ACC and NCAA postseason mats, including 56 NCAA qualifiers, 15 ACC champions and nine All-Americans, Pitt's wrestlers have flourished off the mat as well.

Three wrestlers have earned ACC Wrestling Scholar Athlete of the Year honors under Coach Gavin: Wentzel (2021), Bonaccorsi (2023), and Luca Augustine (2025). Augustine also received the NCAA ELITE 90 Award in 2025, becoming the first student-athlete from the University of Pittsburgh to earn the honor. Several other Panthers have earned numerous All-ACC Academic Team and NWCA Scholar All-America honors. While getting their arms raised in matches, Pitt wrestlers have also raised their GPAs and garnered academic awards on a regular basis under Gavin.

Furthermore, achievement in international and freestyle competition has become a priority for Pitt's program. Bonaccorsi and Matthews each won United States U23 championships and represented their home country at the U23 World Championships in Europe, while Augustine also won a USA U20 title and Pan-American U20 freestyle title. Since the founding of the Pittsburgh Wrestling Club under Gavin, several Pitt wrestlers have competed for medals at national and international tournaments while pursuing the ultimate goal of making an Olympic team in the future.

When Gavin was hired as head coach at his alma mater, Pitt's proud program was floundering towards the bottom of the ACC and well outside the Top 25.

Gavin stepped into his first head coaching role and returned to his alma mater after spending a year with the Oklahoma Sooners as an assistant as well as three years with the Virginia Cavaliers also as an assistant.

Gavin, a 2008 graduate of the University of Pittsburgh, brought valuable coaching experiences as well as a notable competition background to the Panthers.

While with the Sooners, Gavin assisted in qualifying eight wrestlers for the 2017 NCAA Championships in St. Louis, while the team earned a second-place finish at the Big 12 Championships. Prior to making the move to OU, he spent three seasons with the Cavaliers, guiding them to the 2015 ACC Championship title. That same year, seven wrestlers qualified for the NCAA Championships with one earning All-America status.

After graduating from Pitt, Gavin remained on the staff for a season to work with the middle to upper weights. He then started training for his freestyle career and began by training at the Lehigh Valley Athletic Club in Bethlehem, Pa., until 2012 when he made the move to the Ohio Regional Training Center in Columbus, Ohio. His early trainings led him to numerous top finishes at the international level including a runner-up finish at the 2010 and 2014 U.S. World Team Trials, and, in 2011, placed third at the World Team Trials and placed second at the Pan-American Games.

Gavin was a member of the U.S. national team for over six years, placing third at the 2012 U.S. Olympic Trials before capturing the U.S. National Championship in 2013 and 2014.

As a Pitt Panther, Gavin was the 2008 174-pound NCAA national champion and a two-time All-American. His 120 career wins rank Top 10 in program history. Gavin was a two-time EWL champion, two-time EWL Wrestler of the Year and earned a place in the EWL Hall of Fame.

Gavin leads a historic Pitt wrestling program that has produced 85 All-Americans and 17 national champions. He and his wife, Carrie, have four children.

Gavin Year-by-Year
2017-18: 4-11, 2-3 ACC (6th at ACC, 31st at NCAA)
2018-19: 13-3, 3-2 ACC (4th at ACC, 34th at NCAA)
2019-20: 10-4, 3-2 ACC (2nd at ACC, NCAA canceled)
2020-21: 3-4, 1-4 ACC (5th at ACC, 11th at NCAA)
2021-22: 8-6, 2-3 ACC (3rd at ACC, 24th at NCAA)
2022-23: 10-4, 4-1 ACC (3rd at ACC, 22nd at NCAA)
2023-24: 10-8, 2-3 ACC (4th at ACC, 26th at NCAA)
2024-25: 10-6, 3-3 ACC (2nd at ACC, 27th at NCAA)
2025-26: 11-4, 3-3 ACC (5th at ACC, 26th at NCAA)
TOTAL: 79-50 (.612), 23-24 ACC (.489)

2023 ACC Co-Dual Champions
56 NCAA Qualifiers, 15 ACC Champions
1 NCAA Champion, 9 All-Americans

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