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.

The five Panthers who competed in the NCAA Championships have one thing in common — they’re all from Pennsylvania. In fact, 27 of the 31 wrestlers on Pitt’s roster hail from Pennsylvania. Pitt’s head coach, Keith Gavin, is also from Pennsylvania and had a successful career as a Panther wrestler.

Pitt baseball and volleyball capped off a packed weekend of Pitt sports with wins over ACC opponents. Earlier in the weekend, Pitt wrestling finished 11th in the NCAA championships.

The remaining three will compete in the quarterfinals on Friday, starting at 11 a.m.

Pitt athletics enjoyed an eventful and successful weekend. Men’s swimming competed in Greensboro, North Carolina, during the second round of the ACC Championships as the wrestling team competed in Raleigh, North Carolina, for ACC Championships of its own. One state over, the track and field team also competed for its conference championship in Clemson, South Carolina.

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.

A cold and overcast weekend was capped off with disappointment from Pitt wrestling and gymnastics. Stellar individual performances were not enough to turn the tide on any front.

The weekend was a mixed bag for Pitt sports teams. The high-powered wrestling team continued to struggle in a tight loss against Virginia, even as the track and field team finished last at the Notre Dame invitational. Nevertheless, Pitt swimming and diving furthered its unprecedented success in a dual meet sweep, and the gymnastics team earned its first win of the season.

NCAA winter sports have begun to wrap up, but many important matchups remain for several of Pitt’s athletic programs.

The high-powered Pitt wrestling team took its first loss of the season in a blowout. Meanwhile, women’s basketball and gymnastics both suffered close losses against favored opponents. That said, the women’s diving team remained a bright spot by picking up a dual meet win over Duquesne.