Junior running back Darrin Hall completed a 92-yard rush — the longest touchdown run in the history of Pitt football — during the team’s defeat of Duke. (Photo by Anna Bongardino | Assistant Visual Editor)
Fall sports at Pitt are in full swing, with several teams reaching the season’s midpoint. The Panthers have had a bevy of standout performers across all sports this season. Here are a few recent top student-athletes:
Darrin Hall
The Panthers football team earned their first ACC win of the season this weekend by beating Duke 24-17, and no player had more of an impact than junior running back Darrin Hall.
Hall turned in a career performance, rushing for 254 yards and three touchdowns against the Blue Devils’ defense. Hall’s second touchdown run was a 92-yard rush, which is the longest touchdown run in Pitt football history. His third touchdown was a four-yard score that put the Panthers ahead for good.
Hall now has 367 yards on the season and is averaging 6.6 yards per carry, leading the Panthers in both of those categories. Saturday’s performance was Hall’s career best, eclipsing his previous career-high of a 103-yard performance against Miami in 2015. His Saturday performance even earned him the ACC Offensive Back of the Week title.
The Panthers will try to get their second ACC win of the season Saturday when they play Virginia at Heinz Field at 12:30 p.m.
Alexander Dexter
After years of struggling, the Pitt men’s soccer team is having a breakout season — beating several ranked opponents and holding a winning record. First-year forward Alexander Dexter deserves credit for much of the improvement.
Dexter is the team leader with six goals this season, three of which have been game winners. He has contributed 14 points in the 14 games he has played for the Panthers, making him the highest scorer on the team.
Dexter scored Pitt’s second goal in the team’s matchup with Penn State, assisting in the Panthers’ 3-2 overtime victory and added another in Pitt’s 1-0 win over No. 7 Notre Dame. Dexter also scored the Panthers’ lone goal in their 2-1 double overtime loss at No. 10 Virginia on Friday.
The men’s team looks to improve its ACC record as the Panthers take on Virginia in Charlottesville Friday at 7 p.m.
Callie Frey
The Pitt women’s tennis team had little success at the Intercollegiate Tennis Association Atlantic Regional Championships last week, but in the previous two tournaments, the Panthers found success in Miami and Evanston, Illinois.
Senior Callie Frey was a consistent force for the Panthers through those two tournaments. In Miami, Frey went 2-0 in singles play, picking up victories against Florida Gulf Coast’s Laura Falceto Font and Miami’s Ulyana Shirokova.
At the Wildcat Invite in Evanston, Frey won her first two matches in straight sets before losing in a three-set marathon to Michigan State’s Ava Thielman in the finals. Frey also registered a win with freshman partner Camila Moreno in the doubles tournament in Blacksburg, Virginia. Frey is currently 4-2 in singles play and 5-3 in doubles play on the season.
The women’s tennis team travels to Cambridge, Massachusetts, Nov. 3-5 for their final invitational of the year.
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