Get familiar with the big names in Pitt sports

Athletics are a big part of Pitt, so as an incoming student, you’re going to have to… Athletics are a big part of Pitt, so as an incoming student, you’re going to have to familiarize yourself with some of the top individual athletic performers in order to hold up your end of the conversation.

Below are four of the top athletes Pitt athletics has to offer:

Kristy Borza, tennis

If there’s one tennis player you ought to know, it’s Kristy Borza. This junior from Beaver, Pa., is a relentless all-court player who possesses the ability to change the pace of a match at any time.

As a freshman in the 2005-2006 school year, Borzo was named the team’s No. 1 singles player and was also part of the top doubles unit. She tied school records for single-season singles and doubles as well as combined wins with 47. Borza started her career as a Panther with eight straight victories.

It was much of the same for Borza in her 2006-2007 sophomore campaign. As the team’s No. 1 player for the second consecutive year, she helped the Panther women’s tennis program earn its 300th career victory.

While helping the team achieve a milestone, she also racked up some personal accomplishments. Borza set a Pitt record for singles wins in a season with a 27-2 record, upping her career total to 53-12 (a .791 winning percentage), putting her just 13 behind Julie LoPrinzi on the career singles wins list, with two years of play still to come. Along with her statistical accolades, Borza was elected team MVP of the Panthers’ squad for the second straight year. She has not yet declared a major.

Marcedes Walker, women’s basketball

A high school standout, Walker attended University City High in Philadelphia where she was a McDonald’s All-American honorable mention selection. As head coach Agnus Berenato’s signature recruit, she has become the foundation of Pitt’s rapidly rising program and has made a name for herself throughout the country.

This 6-foot-3 senior center had a monster junior year. In the 2006-2007 season, Walker averaged a double-double in Big East Conference play with 16.1 points per game and 10.0 rebounds per game. She had 15 total double-doubles, was the top offensive rebounder in the league and posted a .604 field goal percentage, ranking her second in the Big East.

Walker was a first-team All-Big East selection in both her sophomore and junior seasons. As a junior, she propelled the Panthers to their first NCAA Tournament victory in the school’s history. Against James Madison, she scored 20 points and ripped 15 rebounds, earning her ESPN.com Player of the Day honors. At the conclusion of the season, Walker was also named to the Kodak/WBCA District 1 All-America Team. Walker is an administration of justice major.

Derek Kinder, football

At 6-1 and 205 pounds, Kinder was originally regarded as a possession receiver, but in 2006 he proved he could do more than move the chains. As former quarterback Tyler Palko’s favorite target, Kinder displayed an ability to stretch the field and provide the team with a legitimate deep threat.

Last season, he led the team in both receptions (57), and receiving yards (847). He was second in the Big East with six touchdown catches, and he was also second in the conference with 4.75 receptions per game. Against Michigan State, Kinder caught three balls for 172 yards and two TDs.

As a result of his breakout junior season, Kinder was honored as a First Team All-Big East selection. More impressively, he was a semi-finalist for the Biletnikoff Award, which is given to the nation’s top receiver– a distinction captured this year by Calvin Johnson, who was selected second overall in the NFL Draft and was previously awarded to former Pitt receiver-turned-pro Larry Fitzgerald.

But Kinder is more than a gifted receiver, he’s also a tenacious blocker and a special teams standout. He proved it against West Virginia last year in the Backyard Brawl with an electrifying block that sprung Darrelle Revis for a 73-yard punt return touchdown, a play that would earn ESPN’s “College Football Play of the Year” honors. Kinder is an economics major from Albion, N.Y.

Levance Fields, men’s basketball

Showing why his nickname is the “General,” Fields was Pitt’s floor leader last year, commanding the 2006-2007 Panthers to a ranking as high as No. 2 in the nation. Fields, a 5-10, 195-pound point guard, attended the prestigious Xaverian High school in Brooklyn, N.Y. Prior to signing with Pitt in December 2004, The New York Daily News and Newsday named him New York’s Player of the Year.

Fields is a true point guard who has the ability to create off the dribble but can also knock down the 3-point shot. His motor never stops, and he posseses one of the best qualities a point guard could have – a short memory.

Against Virginia Commonwealth in the second round of the NCAA Tournament, after missing two free throws in regulation that would have sealed the game, Fields drilled a huge 3 in overtime to help preserve a Panther victory and punch their ticket to the Sweet 16 to face UCLA.

As a sophomore, Fields started all 37 games for the Panthers and averaged 9.2 points, 3.6 rebounds and 4.6 assists per game. His 2.41 assist-to-turnover ratio ranked him fourth in the conference.

Fields was selected an All-Big East second-team performer and was one of 17 finalists for the Bob Cousy Award, which honors the country’s best point guard. Fields is enrolled in the School of Arts and Sciences and has yet to declare a major.