Before Saturday’s Blue-Gold Scrimmage, the Pitt football team presented a pair of rising… Before Saturday’s Blue-Gold Scrimmage, the Pitt football team presented a pair of rising seniors with the 2012 Ed Conway Spring Award.

Head coach Paul Chryst and his coaching staff selected offensive lineman Ryan Turnley and defensive end Shayne Hale as the two winners of the annual award, which recognizes the most improved players of the Pitt football spring drills.

Chryst said that he is pleased with the progress that Turnley and Hale have made in practice over the past few weeks.

“Ryan Turnley and Shayne Hale did a really good job this spring,” Chryst said in a press release. “If we are going to be the best team we want to be this year, we are going to need senior leadership.”

He also added that winning the award raises expectations for the two seniors next season.

“Certainly every time we give an award like that, there are a lot of guys that deserve it, but no one was more worthy than they were,” Chryst said. “I think it also puts a little bit of pressure on them. The bar is set high for them, but they are two deserving winners and I’m very proud of them.”

Turnley, who started at center for the Panthers last season, said that Chryst motivated him to become a leader on the offensive line prior to the start of spring practices.

“Coach Chryst came up to me before the spring and said,‘We’re going to rely on you because you’re one of the seniors, you’ve been here, you’ve played before. We need you to set the tone and show these guys how to work,’” Turnley said. “I just went out every day and tried to work as hard as I could.”

Turnley follows several former Pitt offensive linemen, including Russ Grimm and Jeff Otah, in winning the award.

Hale said that the award was a testament to the hard work he has put in since last season ended.

“I worked hard during the offseason and definitely during the spring,” he said. “To get that award meant a whole lot to me. I definitely tried to come out and work on something different every day and get better every day. The coaches just told me to keep working, keep working, and that’s what I did.”

Some former Pitt defenders who won the Ed Conway Spring Award include Torrie Cox, Clint Session and Max Gruder.