Pitt Wrestling
Pitt Wrestling gets first 2023 Commit in Grant MacKay
Keith Gavin’s Pitt Wrestling squad is not taking a break on the recruiting trail. After putting together a monster 2022 class, the first member of this year’s juniors has committed. Grant MacKay, PIAA State Champ and the current 34th ranked wrestler in his class (nationally), announced his intentions to attend Pitt on Twitter this week.
Thank you to everyone who has helped me though this process. I am honored to announce I will be furthering my academic and athletic career at the University of Pittsburgh. Go Panthers #H2P 🟦🟨 @Pitt_WRES @PAPowerWrestle
— Grant MacKay (@OfficialGMacKay) October 6, 2021
MacKay won the PIAA AA State Championship last season as a sophomore at 152 pounds defeating Dalton Gimbor 1-0 in the finals while wrestling for Laurel. His freshman season he competed for North Allegheny where he qualified for states but did not place. His record through two seasons is 79-15 with 35 falls.
In an interview with PA Power Wrestling MacKay mentioned his friendship with Mac Stout (2022 commit) and Luca Augustine (current freshman) as factors drawing him to Oakland, as well as the plethora of other good local wrestlers staying “home” as he put it.
“Those aren’t just guys I know,” MacKay said. “Those are my good friends. You have a chance to compete with WPIAL guys and have a chance to win national titles with guys you’ve been on teams with since you were little. I think that’s really special, and I want to be part of that.”
Cornell, Navy, Rutgers, and WVU also pursued MacKay, but in the end, Pitt “just felt like home and it felt like a good time to commit,” he told PA Power Wrestling.
MacKay will likely wrestle around 160 this year, and could slot in nicely at 165 for Pitt after Jake Wentzel graduates. Or perhaps beefing up to 184 is in the cards, as that spot will be available when Gregg Harvey departs. Either way, Pitt got another good, local wrestler to stay “home”, and with the momentum from the 2022 recruiting effort already carrying over, it seems possible – if not probable – Gavin will continue to have success in this regard.
Three of the top remaining uncommitted wrestlers in that class are WPIAL natives with Mac Church of Waynesburg coming in at No. 26, Vinny Kilkeary of Latrobe at No. 17, and Rocco Welsh of Waynesburg at No. 3. It’s not difficult to guess where Gavin’s eyes will turn next.
If they can land Kilkeary and Church, that would change the WPIAL landscape for a long time, in my opinion.. H2P!!
Those two and Welsh would be game changers for sure. Would also love to see Dylan Evans come to Pitt.
Yes welsh too, how could I forget haha… and I love how Evans wrestles.. Pitt would finally dominate the WPIAL and show how strong we are if they all stayed home… fingers crossed haha