Everything of note in Pitt and Pittsburgh sports since our last print edition.
Stanley Cup Tracker
In a competitive six-game Stanley Cup Final, the Pittsburgh Penguins beat out the San Jose Sharks for the Stanley Cup with a 3-1 win in Game 6, June 12, in San Jose, California. As one of the perks of winning the trophy, each player is given 24 hours to spend with the Cup –– except captain Sidney Crosby, who receives a full 48 hours.
Google has been tracking the cup’s movement over the past few months and reporting on the locations the players have visited. So far, the Cup has traveled to 10 American states, six Canadian provinces and three European countries. The Cup was last seen with winger Evgeni Malkin in Moscow, August 23.
Pitt Takes the Track in the Rio 2016 Olympics
Former Pitt track and field sprinter Carvin Nkanata represented Kenya in the men’s 200-meter dash at the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro. Nkanata, who ran for the Panthers from 2012 to 2014, was eliminated in the eighth heat of the qualifying round after posting a time of 21.43 seconds. Nkanata finished No. 72 overall, with Jamaica’s Usain Bolt winning the gold medal for a record third straight Olympic Games.
Record Breaking Pitt Football Ticket Sales
Although Pitt’s football season hasn’t started yet, records are already being broken — not on the field, but in the stands. On Aug. 6, Athletic Director Scott Barnes announced on Twitter that Pitt Athletics sold more than 53,775 tickets last football season, eclipsing the school’s existing ticket sales record from 2003.
Last season’s record included a 93 percent retention rate for season ticket holders and more than 10,000 new tickets sold. Additionally, Pitt’s official football student section, The Panther Pitt, confirmed via Twitter that all student section season tickets were sold out as of Aug. 23.
Pitt Football Wraps up Training Camp
Two days after news broke of the record-breaking ticket sales, the football team got to work at the UPMC Rooney Sports Complex. The annual summer training camp signaled Pat Narduzzi’s return for a second year stalking the sidelines as Pitt’s head coach, as well as a reintroduction to contact football for the newly cancer-free running back, James Conner.
Offensive coordinator Matt Canada took the reins of Pitt’s offense and wasted no time letting his voice ring out on the practice field. In the meantime, Narduzzi roamed between practice stations, Conner bounced around the field with a glowing smile and players jockeyed for position on the depth chart, with most position battles still up for grabs. The release of the team’s finalized depth chart is expected sometime this week.