Lee earns national recognition for Pitt

Pitt senior kicker Conor Lee was named the Big East football Scholar-Athlete of the Year late… Pitt senior kicker Conor Lee was named the Big East football Scholar-Athlete of the Year late last week, after helping to lead the Pitt football team to a 9-4 overall record while pursuing a master’s degree at the Katz School of Business.

Lee, a first team all-Big East selection this past season, was a second team Academic All-American. He’s the most accurate kicker in Pitt history, and went a perfect 113 for 113 on point-after-touchdowns in his career. He’ll earn a $2,000 scholarship toward graduate or professional academics.

Meanwhile, Pitt men’s basketball players Sam Young and Levance Fields were nominated for awards of their own.

Young, a senior forward, is one of 10 finalists for the Lowe’s Senior Class Award, which combines four areas: classroom, community, character and competition. Young leads the Panthers in scoring and, along with the rest of his team, is heavily involved in several charities.

‘We always do stuff as a team,’ said Young. ‘We visit veterans and other people with illnesses [and] kids who have leukemia. That was all a big part of me giving back.’

Young said he’s also involved with setting up a charity for the blind.

‘It’s hopefully going to be a big part of my future,’ he said. ‘You want to see what the community is lacking as far as helping blind people. Then you want to cater to what’s lacking. Right now we’re in the process of finding what’s not being as carefully looked at, as far as blind people’s needs.’

Young, along with center DeJuan Blair, was also chosen as a candidate for the 2009 John R. Wooden Award, which is given annually to the nation’s top player.

Aside from Young, Pitt senior guard Levance Fields also earned honors. For the third time, Fields was named a finalist for the Bob Cousy Award, which honors the nation’s top point guard. Fields averages 7.4 assists per game. In the last three games, he’s put together 36 assists to just three turnovers.

Fans nationwide can vote for any of the candidates at www.cousyaward.com and www.seniorclassaward.com.