WRESTLING BLOG By Brian Kuppelweiser for WVUsports.com May 10, 2012 12:38 PM

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Ryan Kehler finished his career with 29 pins, which still stands as the program's all-time record

All-Pro Photography/Dale Sparks

Senior Night.

It is a night that many Mountaineer grapplers never expect to come so soon.

A wrestler will talk about the hard work, dedication and commitment that was crucial to their success over the past four or five years, but all too often, they never expect the end to come so quickly to their career with the WVU wrestling program.

For former Mountaineer heavyweight Ryan Kehler, his final match on the Coliseum mat still stands as a significant moment in WVU wrestling history.

On Feb. 15, 2002, Kehler stepped to the mat tied with former WVU grappler Mark Cagle on the program’s all-time pins list with 24 victories by fall apiece.

Just 22 seconds into his last match at the Coliseum, however, Kehler etched his name into the program’s record book for a record that still stands today.

The Klingerstown, Pa., native pinned Pitt’s Jacob Lininger for the 25th pin of his career, which put him in sole possession of the record.

With the No. 11-ranked Mountaineers already thrashing the Panthers by a 16-3 margin, Kehler’s pin was also significant in the fact that it helped put the dual meet out of reach from the visiting Panthers, who entered the match with a 12-4 overall mark and a 4-1 ledger in the Eastern Wrestling League.

The 32-2 dual match win over Pitt, which was also coach Craig Turnbull’s 200th win as head coach, was crucial to WVU’s team success, as it helped propel the Mountaineers to their fourth of six EWL dual meet titles in team history.

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