Take 5: Colts, Contracts and Corruption
By The Pitt News Staff
August 28, 2019
With football season just around the corner, The Pitt News sports staff tackles everything from Andrew Luck’s retirement to the NCAA’s questionable transfer rules.
Take 5: Contract conversations headline April’s introduction
By Staff
April 4, 2019
From NFL contract negotiations to March Madness to the beginning of the MLB regular season: the first week of April provides action from all around the sports world. Russell WIlson demands an extension while Ronald Acuna cashes in. While Carsen Edwards was lighting up the NCAA Tournament, the NCAA made billions off the labor of student athletes. And the AAF collapses after a promising start.
Take 5: March is lacking madness
By Staff
March 27, 2019
Even with Rob Gronkowski announcing his retirement, the Steelers still seem to be in the spotlight when it comes to drama. According to one of our writers, that may never end, even after losing Bell and Brown.
Penn State tops Pitt Softball 8-3
By Tessa Sayers, Assistant Sports Editor
March 27, 2019
Pitt Softball still does not have a home win this season. The Panthers lost to rival Penn State 8-3 at home on Wednesday to extend their losing streak to five game.
Sweet, Sweet Victory: A Sweet Sixteen Update
By Nick Carlisano, Staff Writer
March 25, 2019
The field has been lowered from 64 to 16 and your bracket is probably already broken. If you found yourself missing basketball, don’t worry. We have a look back at the top moments from last weekend and a look at what you can expect in the Sweet 16.
New baseball, softball coaches get rude awakening
By Stephen Thompson, Staff Writer
March 25, 2019
Pitt’s baseball and softball teams both welcomes new head coaches this past off season. With the first month of games almost under their belts, it’s clear both teams are having some trouble finding their footings.
Take 5: Baseball is Boomin’
By Staff
March 20, 2019
The largest contract in baseball history lasted 20 days before it was beaten out by the largest contract in baseball and American sports history. So who got the better deal, the Philadelphia Phillies and Bryce Harper or the Los Angeles Angels and Mike Trout?
Pitt’s Hermanek set to face former team for first time
By Michael Nitti, Staff Writer
March 18, 2019
After spending 10 years as Ohio University’s head coach, Pitt’s softball head coach will be facing her former team for the first time on Tuesday.
Pitt announces date for Nike rebranding reveal
By Tessa Sayers, assistant sports editor
March 18, 2019
After much speculation that Pitt would be reverting back to its retro colors, things are expected to become official on April 7 at the Bigelow Bash.
Bracket Buster Breakdown
By Nick Carlisano, Staff Writer
March 18, 2019
The March Madness Brackets are finally announced which means it’s time for you to pick your Cinderella team. Find out the teams most likely to make a run here.
March Madness Predictions
By Nick Carlisano, Staff Writer
February 18, 2019
Appropriately dubbed “March Madness,” the tournament is one of the most exciting events in sports and is known for its buzzer beaters, cinderella stories and ridiculous individual performances.
What are the Odds: Pittsburgh wins in Oakland, Army beats Navy
By Colin Martin, Staff Writer
December 7, 2018
Another weekend, another opportunity to make some money. After going 2-4 last week, our in-house betting expert is looking to redeem himself with picks in the NFL, NBA and NCAA.
Mike Bell named new Pitt baseball head coach
By Hannah Schneider, Sports Editor
July 14, 2018
Former associate head coach at Florida State Mike Bell will take over as head coach of Pitt Baseball.
Oregon State wins College World Series
By Michael Nitti | Staff Writer
July 11, 2018
Billy Buckner is a name that lives in infamy throughout the baseball world. Remembered for letting a ground ball pass right between his legs during the 1986 World Series, he cost the Boston Red Sox what would have been their first World Series Championship in 68 years. Instead, the New York Mets took...
Joe Jordano resigns as baseball coach
By Hannah Schneider and Joanna Li
June 21, 2018
Joe Jordano resigned as head coach of Pitt’s baseball team Thursday night, according to a report from the Post-Gazette. An official announcement released by the University Friday afternoon confirmed his resignation. “I am honored to have had the opportunity to lead this program with integrity, pas...
Column: Women’s sports need female leaders
By Jordan Mondell | Senior Staff Writer
May 23, 2018
Pitt’s new women’s basketball head coach Lance White — who was hired April 18 to replace former coach Suzie McConnell-Serio — seems like a great snag for the program. The former Florida State assistant has it going on — a 350-145 overall record, 12 seasons with 20 or more wins with the Se...
Kent State clobbers Pitt, 4-1
By Michael Nitti | Staff Writer
April 10, 2018
After falling behind early in the game, the Pitt baseball team was unable to catch up to Kent State, ultimately falling 4-1 to the Golden Flashes Tuesday. The Panthers (17-12 overall, 6-9 ACC) lost to the Golden Flashes (18-10, MAC) in an out-of-conference matchup at the Charles L. Cost Field. ...
Gymnastics competes at NCAA regional competition
By Dominic Campbell | Staff Writer
April 8, 2018
The Pitt gymnastics team competed in the NCAA Regional Championship in the St. John Arena at Ohio State University Saturday, placing fifth overall out of six teams and finishing with a score of 195.125. This season — Samantha Snider’s first year as head coach — was the first time since 2013 ...
Weekend sports: Panthers provide weak performances
By Jon Shaiken | Staff Writer
March 26, 2018
Basketball season may be officially over for Pitt, but it was still a packed weekend for athletics, as four teams took the stage with varied results. Gymnastics saw strong individual performances once again and softball swept their series. Baseball had a mixed bag against a ranked Duke, and tenn...
Hear me out: The sexiest mascots in college sports
By Jordan Mondell | Assistant Sports Editor
March 21, 2018
During the first media time-out of No. 2 seed Duke against No. 15 Iona in the NCAA men’s basketball tournament last week, the mascots from both teams hit the court for a dance-off. As I looked on in boredom, waiting for the game to resume again, my mind wandered, and I got to some serious thin...
Column: When it comes to Stallings’ firing, the blame should be shared
By Brandon Glass | Staff Writer
March 14, 2018
In a time of uncertainty for Pitt basketball, one thing is for sure — former head coach Kevin Stallings’ tenure will go down in Panther history as an unmitigated disaster. In two years, the widely criticized coach managed to win just four conference games, go winless in the ACC during the 20...
Column: Potential picks for Stallings’ successor
By Colin Martin | Staff Writer
March 14, 2018
Pitt men’s basketball and the athletic administration are officially on the quest for a new head coach to replace Kevin Stallings. The mission is straightforward — find the perfect person to rejuvenate the program and return Pitt to its status as a basketball school. Just like any hiring proces...
A year of firsts: Young team works to make change
By Trent Leonard | Staff Writer
March 12, 2018
Pitt first-year guard Marcus Carr is no stranger to rookie success. As a first-year at St. Michaels in his native Toronto, Carr once scored a season-high 49 points in one game — and was instrumental in leading his team to the quarterfinals of the Ontario Federation of School Athletic Association...
Narduzzi rounds out staff for 2018 season
By Trent Leonard | Staff Writer
February 28, 2018
Pitt head football coach Pat Narduzzi announced three coaching appointments Saturday, finalizing his 2018 staff. Narduzzi promoted defensive line coach Charlie Partridge to assistant head coach, hired Cory Sanders as safeties coach and brought in Paris Johnson Sr. as assistant director of player perso...
NCAA should leave the past alone
By Colin Martin | Staff Writer
February 23, 2018
The last time the Louisville men’s basketball team won the NCAA tournament was 22 years ago — at least according to the NCAA. The NCAA vacated 123 wins from Louisville’s program — from between 2011 and 2015 — on Tuesday. The Cardinals will also be stripped of their 2013 NCAA championship win after bei...
Interactive graphic: Sexual assault and college sports
By Jordan Mondell | Assistant Sports Editor
February 14, 2018
Weekend sports: records set on the track, in the pool
By The Pitt News Staff
January 29, 2018
Though Pitt athletics experienced a few bright spots this weekend — which included record-setting performances and wins — there were usual losses for Pitt’s struggling teams. While both Pitt men’s and women’s basketball suffered double-digit defeats at home and wrestling lost a grapple to ...
Lyke announces creation of Pitt Hall of Fame
By Jordan Mondell | Assistant Sports Editor
January 22, 2018
Heather Lyke announced the creation of a Pitt Athletics Hall of Fame on Monday morning, according to a release from Pitt athletics. The Hall of Fame — the first of its kind at the University — will honor collegiate athletes and coaches who have built a legacy while at Pitt. “[Pitt athletics has] a his...
Q&A: Pitt diver Meme Sharp makes history
By Dominic Campbell | Staff Writer
January 16, 2018
Finishing up her final season on the Pitt diving team, senior diver Meme Sharp will leave a legacy as one the greatest divers in the program’s history. Sharp has acquired a number of accolades and set several records during her diving career at Pitt. She currently holds the record in the 3- an...
College athletes shouldn’t get a free pass for sexual assault
By Jordan Mondell | Assistant Sports Editor
January 8, 2018
When Tampa Bay Buccaneers starting quarterback Jameis Winston takes the field, the crowd is focused on one thing — the game. Winston, at only 24 years old, is one of the best in the league. A former Florida State Seminole, he has had a stellar professional career so far — 12,149 all-purpose ya...
Pitt tops Towson, 63-59
By Grant Burgman | Sports Editor
December 23, 2017
After trailing for most of the game, Pitt took a late lead on a teardrop floater from redshirt senior guard Jonathan Milligan with 51.7 seconds left in the game. Milligan’s shot would be the deciding score as Pitt defeated Townson 63-59 in comeback fashion. Pitt (8-5) had to fight back after finding t...
Pitt lands two recruits before signing day
By Grant Burgman | Sports Editor
December 19, 2017
With no bowl games to look forward to over the holiday season, the Pitt Panthers football team got to work improving next year’s team early this year. Two recruits announced their intent to sign with Pitt via Twitter on Monday. Marquis Williams, a senior cornerback at Cardinal Gibbons High School in Fort ...
Panthers back on track
By Dominic Campbell | Staff Writer
December 7, 2017
After breaking six school records during the 2016-17 season, the Pitt track and field team enters this season needing to retool after the departure of several key contributors from last year’s team. The Panthers return five of the seven athletes that made it to the NCAA Outdoor Championships last...
Weekend sports: swimmers compete at nationals, volleyball goes dancing
By TPN Staff
December 4, 2017
It was a high-stakes weekend for Pitt sports, with celebrated wins and heartbreaking losses. As the volleyball team went dancing at the NCAA tournament, the swim team competed against former Olympians and men’s basketball reclaimed the City Game title. Volleyball Despite winning the ACC champion...
Pitt volleyball makes NCAA championship tournament for second year in a row
By Jordan Mondell | Assistant Sports Editor
November 26, 2017
After claiming the ACC Conference title this past weekend on a nine-game winning streak, the Pitt women’s volleyball team has secured a slot in the NCAA championship tournament. This is the second year in a row they have qualified for the NCAA tournament, the last time before that being 2004. The Panthers look to extend their season as the NCAA tournament begins Friday. Pitt wi...
Katie Hazelton brings fighting spirit to Pitt diving
By Trent Leonard | Staff Writer
November 9, 2017
When an athlete suffers a severe, life-altering injury, it usually means the end of a career — time to hang up the jersey, pack up the gym bag and abruptly find a new way to pass the hours. Unless that athlete is Katie Hazelton. Hazelton, the new head coach of Pitt diving — brought on by Athletic Director Hea...
Change the system to avoid pay-for-play scandals
By Will Schulman | For The Pitt News
November 1, 2017
The Federal Bureau of Investigation made headlines in the sports world when it arrested 10 people Sept. 26 for a pay-for-play scandal, in which coaches, agents and shoe company employees sent and received bribes involving college basketball recruits. Among the arrested were multiple college basket...
Don’t punt on LGBTQ+ inclusion in sports
By Henry Glitz | Opinions Editor
September 7, 2017
When Pitt’s football team faces off against Penn State tomorrow at Beaver Stadium, both teams will continue a tradition which began in the 19th century — but in a vastly different culture. At the teams’ first meeting in 1893, Pitt had yet to integrate, and Penn State had never admitted a black s...
Former Pitt FB Conredge Collins files lawsuit against AAC, NCAA
By Steve Rotstein | Sports Editor
October 6, 2016
Former Pitt fullback Conredge Collins joined athletes from 42 other universities in a class action complaint on Tuesday against two national athletic entities regarding the lasting effects of concussions. The complaint — filed against the NCAA and the American Athletic Conference, formerly called the Big ...
Selection Committee could tweak rules to curb surprises
By Chris Puzia / Contributing Editor
March 15, 2016
Every Selection Sunday, some teams and fan bases will inevitably call foul on why their squad misses its shot to, well, take more shots. Part of this frustration likely comes from the NCAA Selection Committee’s explicit, yet complicated, method for selecting teams. While the committee has spruced...
Editorial: Colleges must ensure that all student athletes graduate, injured or not
By The Pitt News Editorial Board
October 27, 2015
When star running back and ACC Player of the Year James Conner sustained an MCL tear during the first game of the season, Pitt’s football team seemed doomed. But what about Conner’s career and quality of life after the season-ending game? Injuries in college sports can often lead to unfortunate outcomes,...
College athletes require a union
By Dan Sostek / Sports Editor
September 11, 2015
You don’t have to scour the landscape of collegiate athletics to find examples of malpractice and mistreatment. Recently, the Virginia Tech Hokies football team’s fine implementation system became a peak point of the college athletic terrain, as defensive coordinator Bud Foster revealed in an...
Litany of rule changes in place for upcoming men’s, women’s basketball seasons
By Dan Sostek / Sports Editor
June 9, 2015
On Monday, the NCAA announced the implementation of significant rule changes in both men’s and women’s basketball. Highlighted below are some of the key developments, as well as the NCAA’s rationale for doing so.MEN’S BASKETBALL30-second shot clockWHAT: In a move that has been in the making for som...
Five key obstacles to tackle for new AD Barnes
By Dan Sostek / Sports Editor
May 28, 2015
When Pitt introduced Scott Barnes as Pitt’s athletic director in late April, he assumed the face of an entire athletic department fielding numerous questions — especially following the dismissal of former director Steve Pederson.As Barnes prepares to begin his tenure at Pitt on June 15, here are the ...
Pitt softball drops tournament opener to California
By Stephen Caruso / Contributing Editor
May 16, 2015
An early lead doesn’t always mean success. Though Pitt struck first in their first game of the NCAA Tournament yesterday, the University of California, Berkeley Golden Bears responded immediately, sealing a mercy rule loss in Ann Arbor, Mich. After first pitch at 3:30, Pitt scored two runs in the top of th...
Hypocrisy apparent in recent Todd Gurley suspension
By Dan Sostek / Assistant Sports Editor
November 12, 2014
“The only guy that has stopped [Georgia running back Todd Gurley] was the autograph guy,” Auburn defensive coordinator Ellis Johnson was quoted as saying earlier this week.This happens to be the case more and more often in college athletics: The titans of the NCAA are being toppled not by strong def...
Playing the ball
By Courtesy of Pitt Athletics
October 29, 2014
Julian Dickenson in action in 2013. He has missed nearly all of the 2014 season due to a foot injury.
Leading the way
By Photo courtesy of Pitt Athletics
August 19, 2014
Senior Hilary Boxheimer is a key runner this season.
College Sports: Judge rules against NCAA in antitrust case
By MCT Campus
August 8, 2014
OAKLAND, Calif._U.S. District Judge Claudia Wilken dealt a major blow Friday afternoon to the NCAA and its long-held value of amateurism, ruling in an antitrust case that the association's policies banning athletes from profiting from their own names, images and likenesses "unreasonably restrain trade."Wil...
Colllege Sports: Ex-UCLA star O’Bannon takes stand in antitrust suit vs. NCAA
By Lee Romney and David Wharton / MCT Campus
June 10, 2014
Oakland, Calif.— As a much-anticipated federal trial began here Monday, the walls that have long separated college athletes from the riches of a multibillion-dollar sports enterprise began to show some cracks.The occasion was the opening of an antitrust lawsuit filed on behalf of current and former men’s b...
Matt Johnson
By Photo courtesy Pitt Athletics
March 17, 2014
Matt Johnson is hitting .246 and has started all of the Panthers games but one.
Hobie Harris
By Photo courtesy Pitt Athletics
March 17, 2014
Hobie Harris has posted a 3.15 earned run average in his team-high eight appearances.
XC
By Pete Madia / Pitt Athletics
September 20, 2013
PITTSBURGH, PA - AUGUST 31: The Pitt Panthers cross country team runs in the Duquesne Duals in Schenley Park on August 31, 2013 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
Maria Nicholas
By Courtesy of Pitt Athletics
September 18, 2013
Senior Maria Nicholas will play a key role this weekend.
Roosa Arvas
By Pete Madia / Pitt Athletics
August 25, 2013
Roosa Arvas has been one of the Lady Panthers top scorers since arriving in the United States.
Rob Blanc recognized as Head Athletic Trainer of the Year
By Pete Madia / Pitt Athletics
April 19, 2013
Blanc has worked at Pitt for 25 years. (Courtesy Pitt Athletics)
Football: Pitt ends with losing season after bowl game defeat against Ole Miss
By Pete Madia / Pitt Athletics
January 7, 2013
Senior wide receiver Mike Shanahan catches a fourth quarter touchdown in Pitt's bowl defeat against Ole Miss. (Photo Courtesy Pete Madia / Pitt Athletics)