When Jay Vidovich took over as the head men’s soccer coach at Pitt five seasons ago, the team had not yet won an ACC game. The top-ranked Panthers defeated Virginia 5-0 on Thursday night to clinch the ACC Coastal division title.

Punxsutawney Phil may have had Pitt in mind when he predicted six weeks of winter before one of the most “beautiful and brightest” springs ever. The Panthers got the spring started in great fashion with a slew of accolades across multiple sports.

As Pitt Athletics has undergone changes in staff, facilities and athletes over the past 28 years, custodian Lance Aiken has remained.

A double overtime win for men’s soccer and multiple top-10 placements for track and field highlighted this weekend of Pitt sports. Panthers swimming and diving also concluded its season with a 26th-place finish at the NCAA Championships.

Track and field’s Felix Wolter and Greg Lauray headlined this weekend of Pitt athletics, each of them earning All-American titles for their performances in the heptathlon and the high jump, respectively. Elsewhere, Pitt baseball took part in multiple slugfests against West Virginia, and Pitt gymnastics split a series against West Virginia.

Pitt’s weekend in athletics saw cancellations in softball and soccer. However, the weekend was not without its standout performances. Wrestling’s Jake Wentzel and track and field’s Evan Addison and Greg Lauray did Pitt sports proud.

The No.1 Pitt Panthers opened the ACC Tournament in Raleigh, North Carolina, with a strong 2-1 win over Duke. It was unclear how Pitt would play without star first-year forward Bertin Jacquesson, who missed the game due to coronavirus-related protocols, but the Panther offense still found enough success to pull out a win.

Men's and women's cross country also concluded their seasons over the weekend, traveling to North Carolina to compete in the ACC Championships.

Pitt men’s soccer announced on Wednesday afternoon that they had paused all team-related activities “due to COVID-19 related protocols.”

Soccer in the United States has typically taken a back seat to other sports, but Pitt fans should take notice of the high-level soccer being played in Oakland.