Pitt athletes compete on national stage

Kendall to try out for Team Canada

Pitt men’s basketball player Levon Kendall has… Kendall to try out for Team Canada

Pitt men’s basketball player Levon Kendall has been invited to attend training camp for the Under-21 Canadian National Team. This will be Kendall’s third summer playing with the team.

Team Canada will compete in three summer tournaments, including the Tournament of the Americas, the Summer Series Maritime Exhibition Tour and the Global Games. Last year, Kendall averaged 7.8 points and 4.8 rebounds in five Global Games.

The tournaments begin June 25 and end Aug. 1. For more information, go to www.basketball.ca.

Siuda wins Poland’s 400 individual medley National Championship

Pitt swimmer Kathy Siuda won the Polish National Championship in the 400 individual medley, and came in fourth in the 200 IM. While her times did not qualify her for the Olympics, the sophomore will have one final shot when she competes in the Canadian Olympic trials in July.

Siuda is from Waterloo, Ontario, but has dual citizenship in Poland and Canada. She has competed in 22 Junior National Championship events, and placed fourth at the European Junior Championships in the 400 IM.

Three Panthers named to ECAC All-Star teams

Pitt’s baseball program continues to receive post-season recognition; seniors P.J. Hiser, Nick Evangelista and Bryan Spamer have been named to the Eastern Collegiate Athletic Conference All-Star team.

Hiser was named Big East Player of the Year, and was taken in the 29th round of Major League Baseball’s First-Year Player Draft by the Cleveland Indians. He broke single-season school records for home runs with 21 and RBI with 67. On the mound, Hiser was a stellar performer as well, finishing 5-1 with 49 strikeouts.

Evangelista became the first Panther ever to be named Big East Pitcher of the Year. He was drafted by the Philadelphia Phillies in the 26th round of the draft. Evangelista had an 8-3 record and led the team in strikeouts with 70.

Spamer was a three-time All-Big East selection, and finished his career at Pitt as the all-time leader in at-bats, hits and runs scored. In 203 career games, Spamer batted .334.

Preseason All-American

Senior offensive tackle Rob Petitti has been named to several All-American teams this off-season. Street ‘ Smith’s named him a second-team All-American and called him the Big East Conference’s “Top NFL Prospect.” Additionally, Athlon has also named Petitti to its All-America team.

Petitti comes into his senior season with an active streak of 38 consecutive starts at left tackle.