Swim and dive sends 12 to NCAA Championships, softball throws no-hitter during spring break

Pitt athletics stayed active during spring break, with swimming and diving, baseball, men’s basketball, softball, women’s gymnastics and women’s lacrosse competing throughout the week.

From crushing losses to qualifying for championships, here is how the Panthers held up in their competitions.

Swimming & Diving

Pitt swimming and diving competed at the NCAA Zone Diving Meet March 6-7 in Morgantown, West Virginia. As a result of the competition, 12 members of the men’s swimming and diving team qualified to compete at the NCAA Championships — Pitt’s highest number of qualifiers in more than 20 years.

Pitt is sending three divers, nine swimmers and four relay teams to the Jean K. Freeman Aquatic Center in Minneapolis, Minnesota to compete on Tuesday, April 4, at the NCAA Championships.

Baseball

Pitt baseball continued their Florida road trip during spring break, finishing up their non-conference schedule and kicking off ACC play. They split a two-game series with Stetson, losing 6-5 and winning 9-2. 

The Panthers also lost to South Florida 2-1 and took one of three games against No. 21 Florida State in their conference opener.

Pitt’s leading home run hitter, senior infielder Noah Martinez, continued his power surge, hitting two home runs during spring break, his fifth of the season against Stetson and his sixth against South Florida. Junior outfielder C.J. Funk also swung the bat well, hitting a home run against Florida State.

Graduate student outfielder Kyle Hess made his return to the lineup from injury over the break, tallying a home run and five RBI in his first five games back in the lineup.

Pitt will return home on Wednesday to take on Youngstown State.

Men’s Basketball

Pitt men’s basketball struggled last week in Greensboro, North Carolina. They defeated Georgia Tech in the second round of the ACC Tournament before taking a massive loss to Duke in the quarterfinals. Despite the rough result, individual Panthers made out well with season awards.

Senior guard Nike Sibande won ACC Sixth Man of the Year, graduate guard Jamarius Burton was named to the All-ACC First Team, junior forward Blake Hinson was named to All-ACC Second Team and head coach Jeff Capel was named ACC Coach of the Year.

Softball

Pitt softball went three and three during spring break in contests against Kent State, Marshall, Indiana State, North Alabama and Memphis.

The Panthers pulled off an impressive run-rule win against Memphis, ending the game after only five innings thanks to an offensive explosion and no-hitter. Sophomore Adriana Romano and sophomore Kendall Brown combined for the no-hitter and Romano earned the win after pitching three perfect innings. The offensive fireworks came thanks to three home runs from graduate student Yvonne Whaley, graduate student Sarah Seamans and senior Bailey Drapola. Seamans now leads the team with a .444 batting average and six home runs.

The Panthers will take on Louisville next in Louisville, Kentucky from March 17-19.

Gymnastics

Pitt gymnastics ended their regular season at the Fitzgerald Field House, losing a close match against the LIU Sharks. After the loss, Pitt fell to 10-15 on the season.

Sidney Washington took the first-place title overall on Bars with a career-high score of 9.900 and junior Faith Lerro also posted a career-high score of 9.775 on the bars. Sophomore Jordan Ewing took the first-place title overall for the floor with a score of 9.875.

The Panthers will compete in the EAGL Championships hosted by New Hampshire on Saturday.

Women’s Lacrosse

The Pitt women’s lacrosse team fell to 0-3 in the ACC after losing 19-6 to Virginia Tech. It’s their second loss in a row, dropping them to 3-4 overall on the season.

The Panthers struggled from the beginning. Virginia Tech took a 5-2 lead in the first period and expanded that lead to 11-3 after the second. Graduate Molly Carter and sophomore Maeve Murray scored the early goals for Pitt. From there the Hokies added on eight more goals before the end of the game.

Women’s lacrosse hosts Liberty at Highmark Stadium on Tuesday for the start of a five-game homestand.