Female athlete of the week

Name: Shannon Benic Sport: Tennis Year: Sophomore Major:… Name: Shannon Benic Sport: Tennis Year: Sophomore Major: Communications Favorite Oakland spot: Chipotle Favorite food: Mexican Favorite sport besides Tennis: Lacrosse

When Shannon Benic walked into her first class at Pitt, a psychology lecture of 350 people, she knew she was in a different world.

“I was used to 25 people in class,” she said. “It was a big shocker and something to get used to.”

Benic, a native of nearby Fox Chapel, transferred to Pitt this year from John Carroll University in Cleveland. At John Carroll, where she played singles, she helped her team to a conference title. Benic was also on the soccer team. But despite her active athletic schedule, Benic wasn’t satisfied with the small, commuter school.

“It was a bummer because you couldn’t do anything on the weekend. No one was around,” Benic said.

So, when Benic decided to transfer, she knew that a school change wouldn’t be her only adjustment.

A lifelong athlete who was recruited at various schools for four different sports – tennis, soccer, lacrosse and basketball – Benic was ready to focus on her first passion: tennis.

She knew that playing for a varsity team on the Division-I level would be more difficult than at Division-III John Carroll, where she practiced only three times a week.

“It’s harder. There aren’t any easy matches here,” Benic said. “I equate it to playing your hardest match every day. It’s tennis all the time.”

At John Carroll, Benic amassed an 18-2 singles record, while going undefeated in doubles play. In coming to Pitt, Benic was prepared to prove herself to her new teammates.

This past week at the Hampton Roads Invitational at Old Dominion, Benic seized the opportunity.

Alongside fellow sophomore Anna Broverman, Benic took home the Flight D doubles title.

“I had someone tell me at the beginning of the weekend that I had a negative attitude,” Benic said. “I took that and used that for the whole tournament to see what I could do. With Anna’s steady play we won the matches.

And