Pitt swim and dive splashes Nittany Lions, spring sports finish fall exhibition schedules

Swim and dive

Pitt swim and dive traveled to Penn State last weekend for a two-day meet. The Panthers took a 390-316 overall victory over the Nittany Lions after a dominant 248-105 victory from the women’s team.

The Pitt women cruised to victory, winning 17 of their 19 swim events while the diving team swept all four of its events. 

Sophomore swimmer Avery Kudlac took first place for Pitt in the women’s 100 free (50.94), 100 fly (53.50) and 200 free (1:49.96). Pitt sophomore diver Mariana Osorio Mendoza took first place in both the women’s 1m and 3m dives, while first-year diver Noah Bernard took first in the men’s 1m and 3m dives. 

Pitt hosts its first meet next weekend as ACC opponent Georgia Tech comes to town. The teams will face off in Trees Hall on Nov. 1-2, with diving events kicking off on Friday at 5 p.m.

Women’s soccer

Pitt fell to No. 2 Wake Forest 2-0 in its final home game of the season on Thursday. With just one regular season match remaining, the Panthers are ninth overall in the ACC.

Less than 10 minutes into the match, Pitt had two unsuccessful shots on goal from its standout midfielders, senior Keera Melenhorst and sophomore Deborah Abiodun. Despite Pitt’s offensive aggression, it was Wake Forest who scored first with a goal at the 24–minute mark to make it 1-0. 

The Demon Deacons notched their second goal early in the second half to put the match away. The Panthers couldn’t find the back of the net despite their 14 attempted shots compared to just 11 from Wake Forest. 

This marks the second loss in a row for Pitt, who hasn’t tallied a win since its 3-0 domination over Syracuse on Oct. 13. 

The Panthers travel to South Bend this Thursday to take on No. 7 Notre Dame in their final game of the regular season. The top six ACC teams will compete in the ACC tournament beginning Nov. 3., but it seems unlikely that Pitt will sneak in while currently holding the ninth spot. 

Baseball

Pitt baseball finished off its fall exhibition schedule last week with a three-game intrasquad scrimmage. Team Gold came out victorious in the “Blue and Gold World Series” with a three-game sweep. 

Game one was a 3-0 victory for Team Gold, led by assistant coach Brandon Romans and director of player development Matt Gilbertson. Sophomore catcher Sebastian Pisacreta led Gold by going 2-2 with a double and home run to account for all three runs scored.

Gold won game two 9-8 behind sophomore pitcher Gavin Chillot who accounted for two shutout innings, a strikeout and no runs. First-year outfielder Julian Irizarry put up a good fight for Team Blue with a home run and two walks, but it wasn’t enough to take the victory.

The third and final game took place on Saturday afternoon, concluding in a high-scoring 16-14 victory for Team Gold. Senior pitcher Kyle Demi earned co-MVP of the series after pitching two shutout innings, allowing only one hit. Pisacreta earned co-MVP after drawing three walks in the final game of the series. 

The Panthers have yet to release their official 2025 schedule, but they return to the diamond in mid-February for their spring season. 

This Week at Pitt:

Oct. 30 – 6 p.m. Women’s Basketball v. Pitt-Johnstown

Oct. 31 – 7 p.m. Women’s Soccer @ Notre Dame

Nov. 1 – Cross-country @ ACC Championships

Nov. 1, 2 – Swim & Dive v. Georgia Tech

Nov. 1 – 7 p.m. Men’s Soccer @ Syracuse

Nov. 1 – 7 p.m. Volleyball @ Virginia

Nov. 2 – 2 p.m. Wrestling v. Navy

Nov. 2 – 8 p.m. Football @ SMU

Nov. 3 – Wrestling @ Clarion Open

Nov. 3 – 1 p.m. Volleyball @ Virginia Tech