Pitt athletes you need to know: a primer

Aren’t you glad you chose Pitt? With three nationally ranked teams, new and loyal faces… Aren’t you glad you chose Pitt? With three nationally ranked teams, new and loyal faces among the coaching staffs and phenomenal athletes, it has never been a more exciting time to be a Panther fan.

For when you are standing amid the masses of Pitt fans at game time, here is a guide to the athletes who most deserve your cheers.

Football

The Panthers football team, playing their second season in Heinz Field this fall, is considered by The Sporting News to be one of the “Top 13 Teams to Play in the Sugar Bowl.” With high expectations, head coach Walt Harris is returning 17 of his starters from the 2002 team, which compiled a 9-4 record and an Insight Bowl victory, as well as a final ranking of 18th in the nation.

Larry Fitzgerald

Pitt’s success can be largely credited to the stellar play of their top wide receiver. Fitzgerald, last year’s Big East Rookie of the Year, led the Panthers with 12 touchdowns, 69 catches and 1,005 yards receiving.

Fitzgerald also led the Big East conference in touchdowns and finished second in receiving yards per game with 77.3. Fitzgerald was the first Big East freshman to reach 1,000 receiving yards in a season, which led to his unanimous selection to the All-Big East First Team.

Fitzgerald hopes to continue racking up the accolades, and to maintain his string of six consecutive games with a touchdown, when Pitt opens its season against Kent State at Heinz Field on Sept. 6.

Rod Rutherford

A team can’t make use of a stellar wide receiver without a solid quarterback. Despite some shaky moments last season, Harris found his ace in Rutherford.

Rutherford was an All-Big East Second Team selection last season. With his 2,783 passing yards, 22 touchdowns and 192 completed passes, Rutherford hopes to silence all doubts of Pitt fans with his ability this season.

With his 22 touchdowns, Rutherford ranks third in school history, behind Dan Marino and Pete Gonzalez, for most touchdown passes in a season. He also ranked second in the Big East by passing for 244.7 yards per game.

Claude Harriott

An All-Big East team selection, Harriott has already been placed on the watch list for the 2003 Bronko Nagurski Trophy. This award is handed out to the top defensive player in college football.

As long as Harriott continues his pace from 2002, which included finishing second in the Big East in tackles for loss and tops in the conference with seven forced fumbles, the honor is within his grasp.

Harriott made his mark on a national level, ranking second in forced fumbles and 23rd in tackles for loss. He was also the Defensive Most Valuable Player of the Insight Bowl, with seven tackles and two sacks.

Jamie Pelusi

The women’s soccer team had a disappointing 4-15 season in 2002, earning no conference victories. Goalkeeper Jamie Pelusi nevertheless gave the Panthers hope for the future.

As a freshman, Pelusi finished second in the Big East in saves, with 139 total and an average of 7.32 per game, and recorded two shut outs against Duquesne and Lehigh early in the season.

Starting in all 19 games, Pelusi faced 17.84 shots per game and gave up a mere 48 goals out of 139 shots.

Alyse Zeffiro

The senior gymnast is an all-around threat to the Panthers’ opponents, having led her team in scoring on the balance beam and floor exercise during her junior season.

Pitt finished 26th in the GymInfo National Rankings, sixth at the NCAA Northeast Regional and seventh at the East Atlantic Gymnastic League Championships, largely thanks to the hard work of Zeffiro.

Her numerous accolades and accomplishments will be difficult to top in her final season. Zeffiro was a unanimous selection to the first-team All-EAGL for the balance beam. She also picked up first-team honors for the floor exercise and second-team honors on the vault.

Jordan Sianni

As a freshman, Jordan Sianni was one of the most productive wrestlers for Pitt. He received a wild card for his first NCAA Championships, but was unable to attend the meet because of an injury.

Sianni finished his first season with team-best records of 27-7 overall, 10-1 in dual meets and 17-6 in tournaments. He also led the team with seven major decisions and eight pins.

Men’s Swimming and Diving

No athletic team at Pitt can parallel the success of the men’s swimming and diving team. Head coach Chuck Knoles has led the Panthers to 18 Big East Conference titles in 21 years.

After finishing with a No. 17 ranking in the College Swim Coaches Association of America, the Panthers look to win their eighth consecutive conference title in the upcoming season.

Pitt will look to sophomore diver Denis Nemstanov, who placed 18th at the NCAA Championships in March and received Honorable Mention All-American status, to help continue its success.

Carolyne Savini

Although the women’s swimming and diving team hasn’t recorded as many victories as their counterpart, senior Carolyne Savini has emerged as a team leader.

Savini holds six individual and three team-relay records at Pitt. She also received recognition in the 200-backstroke in her first NCAA Championship in March.

Savini placed 11th in the event and was named an Honorable Mention All-American.

Men’s Basketball

In 2003, Pitt finished 28-5 with their first Big East Tournament title. The Panthers will take a 22-game home winning streak into the Petersen Events Center, where they were 16-0 in the inaugural season.

Jaron Brown

Perhaps one of the most underrated players in the conference, this senior was named the team’s Most Inspirational Player.

Brown is a returning leader in many offensive and defensive categories for Pitt. He brings multi-faceted play to the floor, having averaged 10.7 points, five rebounds and two assists per game in 2003.

Julius Page

As a guard, senior Julius Page is considered one of the Big East’s top defensive stars. He also was the Panthers’ top scorer in 2002-2003, with 12.2 points per game.

With the loss of Brandin Knight, the team will look to Page to take over many of the offensive responsibilities for the Panthers. Page also averaged 2.2 assists and 4.5 field goals per game, and was second on the Panthers in three-point attempts and shots made from behind the arc in 2003.

Carl Krauser

Known during his freshman year as “the Future,” sophomore guard Carl Krauser will step up as the team’s point guard in 2003-2004.

He was second on the team, following Page, in three-point percentage, with 38.9 percent shooting from downtown. Krauser is also the top returning shooter from the free-throw line; he made 72.9 percent of his free throws.

Chevon TroutmanM

A former Mr. Pennsylvania Basketball, Troutman returns after averaging 11 points per game and leading the team in rebounds with 5.1 per game.

Troutman finished the season shooting 71.8 percent from the field and was in the running to become the single-season field goal percentage leader in NCAA history. After reaching a high of 73.5 percent, Troutman finished just short of the mark set in 1981 by Oregon State’s Steve Johnson, who shot 74.6 percent.