Panther varsity sports competitive in all areas

It’s true. Pitt is not the University of Florida. But just because we’re not swimming in… It’s true. Pitt is not the University of Florida. But just because we’re not swimming in national titles doesn’t mean you have to wear your Oakland Zoo T-shirts with a brown bag to cover your face.

Many of the Pitt varsity sports performed well during the 2006-2007 season, and should be able to repeat or improve upon their success next year.

Baseball (record as of May 2 – 20-20)update this to most current stats before printing! AT

Heading into summer vacation, the Pitt baseball team has had a roller coaster-type season up until this point.

The Panthers dropped their first eight games, but then came back to win their next six. Pitt finally reached .500 on April 10 against Akron after a thrilling 14-inning win.

While the team does have a few seniors, the Panthers feature a core of young players that, if they stay together, could mature into a contender for the Big East title.

Starting pitchers Rob Brant and Mike Wood could potentially anchor next year’s staff, while reliever Kyle Landis has provided an extremely trustworthy back end of the bullpen for head coach Joseph Jordano.

The Panthers should also retain Gary Bucuren and Sean Conley, who were two of the top hitters on the team. Starters Jordan Herr, Daniel Lopez and Morgan Kielty should all suit up next year for Pitt.

Men’s basketball (2006-2007 record – 29-8)

Last year the Pitt men’s basketball team followed what is becoming an all too familiar script – good regular season, lose in the Big East Championship game and then in the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Tournament.

The Panthers started the year strong, beating out-of-conference opponents on their way to a 10-0 start and the No. 2 ranking in the country. Pitt faltered toward the end of the season, though, dropping three of its last six games.

In the Sweet 16, the Panthers’ season ended against former head coach Ben Howland’s UCLA Bruins.

With the loss of senior starters Aaron Gray, Levon Kendall and Antonio Graves, Panther fans may see a much quicker and more up-tempo team this season.

The backcourt of junior point guard Levance Fields and senior shooting guard Ronald Ramon should make for an exciting tandem, with both players’ ability to bring the ball up court and go on impressive shooting streaks from beyond the 3-point arc, which is set to be a foot further back starting this season.

Senior Mike Cook and junior Sam Young can both play on the wing to supplement the speedy Fields. Tyrell Biggs and Keith Benjamin should also see a significant rise in minutes with the departing seniors in the upcoming season.

Women’s basketball (2006-2007 record – 24-9)

While the men’s team seemed to follow a trend in recent history, the Pitt women’s basketball team was busy creating one.

In its greatest season ever, the Pitt women’s basketball program not only made the NCAA Tournament for the first time, but it won its first ever tournament game, too. Its 24 wins was also an all-time best.

In its first ever NCAA Tournament game, Pitt defeated James Madison by 10 points. The Panthers then faced the tough challenge of playing Tennessee in the second round. Pitt lost to the eventual national champions, but the Panthers could build on last year’s impressive run.

Not only will the Panthers retain nearly their whole team, but they will also reclaim a star who couldn’t play this year. After the season ended, point guard Mallorie Winn was granted a sixth year of eligibility by the NCAA after suffering a knee injury that sidelined her all year.

The 2005-2006 second-team All-Big East point guard will return to a team featuring All-Big East performers: senior center Marcedes Walker and junior guard Shavonte Zellous, who were integral parts in Panthers success last year.

With all but one player, senior Danielle Taylor, returning, head coach Agnus Berenato and her team should not only continue to improve in the Big East, but on a national level.

Football (2006 record – 6-6)

The Pitt football team appeared on its way to a bowl game after its first seven games last year, with a 6-1 record. Five straight losses to end the season crushed any dream of Panther football in late December or January.

The Panther offense started the year very strong with senior quarterback Tyler Palko’s leadership and the emergence of Derek Kinder and Oderick Turner as a reliable receiver duo.

Key losses for the Panthers include Palko, Big East Defensive Player of the Year, and All-American linebacker H.B. Blades, linebacker Clint Session and first-round NFL Draft pick Darrelle Revis.

It looks like it will be either junior Bill Stull, who saw extremely limited action last year, or Kevan Smith, a redshirt freshman with no game experience at all, taking snaps for the Panthers. So no matter who wins the starting position, it will come with a large side of inexperience.

Pitt’s defense will feature a lot of new faces this year as well. Trying to replace Revis at cornerback are sophomores Aaron Berry and Elijah Fields. The linebacking core features junior Scott McKillop and two converted offensive players: Shane Murray, who moved from quarterback to safety and now to linebacker, and Dorin Dickerson, the once-prized wide receiver recruit turned defensive.

While the Panthers’ out-of-conference schedule is less than attractive, featuring teams Grambling and Eastern Michigan, the Panthers still have to deal with the rest of the Big East, where they were 2-5 last year.

Gymnastics (2006-2007 record – 8-10)

While the Pitt gymnastics team’s record worsened by a few games last year, the team only loses two seniors this year.

Unfortunately, one of those seniors finished in the NCAA Championships last year, and the other was a vital performer on the floor exercise.

Andrea Arlotta, who went to the NCAA Championships, ended her career at Pitt as the school’s all-time leading scorer with 1,609.18 career points. Jessica Garber ended her career after four solid years of performing the floor exercise and on the balance beam.

The Panthers as a team finished in fourth in the Eastern Atlantic Gymnastics League Championships with Arlotta finishing first in the uneven parallel bars and Dani Bryan finishing first in the vault.

In its regional NCAA Championship, Pitt finished fifth out of the six teams competing. Arlotta finished fourth in the all-around results.

The Panthers will bring back a strong team next year, despite the loss of the two seniors. Along with Bryan, Pitt will still have Samantha DeBone, Anya Chayka, Alix Croop and many others.

Men’s soccer (2006 record – 5-11-2)

Although the record could be a bit misleading, the men’s soccer team did improve its record from the previous year. After starting off the year 0-4-1, the Panthers captured their first win against Cincinnati. That win started a four-game winning streak to lift Pitt’s record to 3-4-2. That was the apex of last season for the Panthers, but with some young talent returning, the upcoming season has a positive vibe. Coming back for Pitt is sophomore Matt Baker, who led the team in points with nine. Matt Langton, who was second on the team in points with eight, will also be back. E.J. McCormick and Mike McDade, who both had game-winning goals this year, will return, along with Brendon Smith, who tied for second on the team in goals. The Panthers will lose a few key players from this year’s team, though. Keeyan Young, who was third on the team in points and tied for first with three goals, will not return. They will also lose Mike Cunha and starting goalie Andy Jorgensen.

Women’s soccer (2006 record – 8-8-3)

The women’s soccer team saw a drastic improvement last season from the previous year, and with a majority of the team returning, appears ready to make some noise in the Big East. The women’s soccer team season ended with a heartbreaking double-overtime loss to the No. 25-ranked Louisville Cardinals. While a disappointing end to the year, it also showed that Pitt can hang with top tier-talent, and is on the cusp of major strides. The Panthers have a young team, but they will still lose some of their top players from last year, one of which is senior Corina Sebesta, who led the team in points with 15 and tied for the team lead in goals with six.

Forward Ashley Habbel was second in points with 13 and tied for first in goals with six. Habbel, as well as fellow freshman goalies Katelyn Bakanowsky and Alison Finch, will be back next year.

Softball (record before Big East Tournament – 23-34)

It was a rocky year for the Panthers, and the brittle field conditions of Trees Field weren’t exactly comfortable thanks to the cold temperatures that lasted well into April.

The softball team took a step backward this year after an impressive 2005-2006 season, but things look like they could improve next season. A few of the top performers from this year’s squad won’t be back, but many players will suit up again for Pitt.

Senior Sheena Hellon will certainly be hard for the Panthers to replace, as she captured numerous stolen base records this season. On May 2, she stole four bases in a game, breaking the previous record of three. Her 31 this season were a school record, and she also owns the record for career steals.

Along with Hellon, seniors Joey Scarf and Morgan Howard have also finished up their careers at Pitt. Senior pitchers Laura Belardinelli and Meghan Bostick tied for the team lead in wins this year with eight each, but neither will return.

But coming back for Pitt is Jessica Dignon, who led the team in batting average and hits. They will also still have Alex Shoemaker, who led the team in RBIs, and Samantha Card, who led the team in home runs.

Swimming and diving (2006-2007 records: Men – 4-4, Women – 3-4)

Both the men’s and women’s swimming and diving teams featured many standout performances over the course of last year, especially down the stretch during the year-end tournaments.

At the Big East Championships, senior Jeff Leath swam the quickest 50 freestyle time for the Panthers all year, doing it in 20.39 seconds. Leath also completed the team’s quickest time all season in the 100 and 200 backstroke.

Also at the Big East Championships, junior Patrick Mansfield swam team-best times in the 100 and 200 freestyle events.

The women’s team took fourth place at the Big East Championships, where senior Andrea Shoust became the first Panther to sweep both backstroke events in 20 years. Fellow senior Kristin Brown set school records in the 500 freestyle, and also won the 200 freestyle.

Women’s tennis (10-7)

The women’s tennis team took a huge step forward last season, and with the departure of only one senior, Annie Davis, it’s very likely it’ll improve further.

Leah Friedman led the team in wins last year, going 40-39 in singles matches. Kristy Borza went 27-6 as the team’s top singles player. Sabrina Visram was also 14-2.

The Panthers should be able to improve next year while only losing one player, even though Davis became Pitt’s all-time wins leader this season.

Men’s track and field

In a season where poor weather dominated the track more than Pitt did, many members of the track team competed in the Big East Outdoor Championships.

The men’s track team has a collection of talent that has performed well for years, and while the team has some seniors who have graduated, many will still be on the team this upcoming season.

Some of the returning runners that should lead Pitt in its quest for a Big East title are junior Sam Perkins and seniors Mike Wray and Sam Bair. Eric Jones and Brandon Turner will also be back with the Panthers competing in the jumps, as well as A.J. Kielinski, who participates in the throws.

Women’s track

Heading into the Big East Outdoor Championships, the Pitt women’s track team looks to win its third straight conference title.

A few runners participating in the Big East Outdoor Championships this year aren’t seniors and will be back next year for Pitt.

Sisters Shanea and Shantea Calhoun both had impressive junior years. Along with them, Mycaiah Clemons will compete in the hurdles again, and Kendall Butch will partake in the jumps.

Volleyball (2006 record – 22-9)

Last year the Pitt volleyball team improved its record but also lost in the first round of the Big East Tournament to Marquette.

But the Panthers only lost one player to graduation from last year’s team, so they return a core of players familiar with each other. Backed by senior outside hitter Diana Andreyko, sophomores Meagan Dooley, Kim Kern and Michelle Rossi, and juniors Kelly Campbell and Jessica Moses, the Pitt team could make a Big East title run.

Wrestling (2006-2007 record – 7-7)

Last season the Panthers had no seniors on the team, so every wrestler should be back.

This team already took its record from 4-9 two years ago to 7-7 last year, so if the trend continues, the Panthers should have a winning season.

In last year’s NCAA Wrestling Championships, fifth-year-senior-to-be Keith Gavin finished in second place and was named the Pennsylvania Collegiate Wrestler of the Year by the Wrestling Report.

He joins Matt Kocher, who finished fifth at last year’s NCAA Wrestling Championships. Drew Headlee won the Eastern Wrestling League title last year in the 133-pound. division.

With the whole team returning, the Panthers have a shot at placing numerous wrestlers at the NCAA Championships at the end of the year.