As a prep, Tiger distance runner Patrick Gavin was no stranger to success. A member of the St. Paul\'s High School cross country team in Covington, Gavin helped the Wolves to four consecutive Louisiana 5A state titles, while claiming top individual honors during both his junior and senior seasons. Riding the coattails of a successful high school campaign, Gavin was looking forward to continuing his career at the University of Georgia after graduation.
However, once at Georgia, Gavin suffered a hip injury that caused him severe pain from the accumulation of scar tissue in the effected area. Unable to run, Gavin sought the opinion of several medical professionals in an attempt to get back to racing. After an extended layoff, and seemingly no cure for the pain, doctors told Gavin it was unlikely that he would return to competitive running again.
\"They (the doctors) didn\'t think I was going to be able to come back on the collegiate level. Even my coach at Georgia didn\'t think it was possible,\" said Gavin.
But Gavin wouldn\'t give up without a fight. With the help of his father he pushed through the injury and returned to running form.
\"My dad was always there for me,\" said Gavin. \"He\'s a doctor, and when other doctors would give up on me he would get me to see other doctors. He always kind of pushed me to keep going even though a lot of people told me that I was probably done.\"
Gavin also credits LSU distance coach Mark Elliott with his comeback. Elliott gave Gavin an opportunity to get back into competitive running even when he wasn\'t sure how he would be able to perform.
\"Like any athlete, when you get a serious injury it takes you awhile to overcome it,\" said Elliott. \"Pat became a little more apprehensive and began listening to his body a little bit more than normal. Any aches and pains he got from any athletic activity he would interpret as the injury coming back, so he could never get consistency in training. For a talented runner like him it was just one of his obstacles he had to overcome.\"
Besides the support from his father and Elliott, upon his arrival at LSU, Gavin was welcomed by former St. Paul teammate Jimmy Wiggins, who had been the leader of the Tiger cross country the previous fall. The duo, who had finished 1-2 on several occasions at the high school level, would now be back together running again.
\"Jimmy has been a leader figure for me since I have been here,\" said Gavin. \"It was nice to come back here and run with someone I knew that I could look up to and train with. In Louisiana we were kind of on top, me and Jimmy, so it is hard for us to expect anything less than success.\"
So when Gavin\'s first collegiate cross country meet rolled around on Sept. 11, 2004, he was excited not only about finally running competitively again, and doing it with a familiar teammate, but also about what he and his team might be able to accomplish.
\"Last year in New Mexico it was my first time racing in two years and I did not know what to expect,\" said Gavin. \"It was just really nice being able to race again.\"
Gavin and the Tigers didn\'t disappoint. Gavin placed seventh overall, finishing the 8K course in 26:03, while LSU placed third in the final team standings.
\"With practice you could tell Pat was going to run well, so I knew what he was capable of doing,\" said Elliott. \"I think it was exciting because once he ran well he was in my office more, wanting to run more. I think that first race helped him realize what he was missing all of those years.\"
LSU head track and field coach Dennis Shaver has also been impressed with Gavin\'s performances since returning from his injury.
\"Pat has had some adversity, and when he came back here he was pretty persistent on being on the team,\" said Shaver. \"I think he wanted to prove to us that he was going to do well.
\"Pat is a bright young guy, and we are trying to get him to understand that the biggest thing that is limiting him from being successful is himself,\" added Shaver. \"I know Pat knows that and he\'s been working on it.\"
Now healthy, Pat is working to improve upon his top time of 24:30.52 and his 22nd-place finish at the 2004 SEC Cross Country Championships.
\"I have been hurt the last three years so I haven\'t been training as hard as I could have and it was always kind of holding me back,\" said Gavin. \"Since this is my last season here at LSU, I am going to be training really hard and just really pushing it again. I feel really good now and I would say that I am in the best shape of my life.\"
Looking towards the season, Gavin is very positive about the team\'s chances of success as he believes the Tigers are fielding one of their most talented teams in quite some time.
\"It is last year for a lot of us, and as long as we hold it together, this is probably going to be the best team LSU has had in awhile,\" said Gavin.
Gavin, who has been among the Tigers\' top-two finishers in each of the first two races of the season, will be counted on heavily to help LSU reach its goals this season.
\"As an athlete, Pat is our best cross country runner right now, so obviously he means a whole lot to the team,\" said Elliott. \"I think Pat can be very, very good in the conference. He has the talent to break any of the records I have here at LSU, but for Pat he needs to be consistent if he wants to do it. Talent-wise, I think he has it.\"