Pitt Hosts Second Annual Panthers’ Choice Awards

Pitt Hosts Second Annual Panthers’ Choice Awards

4/15/2019 11:10:00 PM | Baseball, Cross Country, Football, General, Men's Basketball, Men's Soccer, Softball, Swimming & Diving, Women's Basketball, Women's Gymnastics, Women's Soccer, Women's Tennis, Volleyball, Wrestling, Track & Field

Panthers Announce Athletics Department Awards for 2018-19

PITTSBURGH – The University of Pittsburgh Department of Athletics hosted the second annual Panthers' Choice Awards at Petersen Events Center Monday night in celebration of student-athlete achievements in academics, athletics and citizenship made during the 2018-19 academic year.

The Panthers' Choice Awards honor Pitt's top athletic performances, community service participation as well as the top teams in terms of both athletic and academic accomplishment.

Additionally, the prestigious Panther Awards and Blue-Gold Awards were presented during the program. The names of the recipients are forever recognized on Pitt's Varsity Walk between the Cathedral of Learning and Heinz Memorial Chapel, in a tradition that dates back to 1950.

Celebrating our teams tonight!#PanthersChoice19 pic.twitter.com/uRUYQZaNA0
— Pitt Athletics (@Pitt_ATHLETICS) April 16, 2019

Below is a full list of awards presented Monday evening.

Top Overall Academic Teams of the Year

Reserved for the male and female team with the highest cumulative GPA for the spring and fall semesters of 2018.
Winner: Men's Soccer (3.201 GPA), Women's Cross Country (3.509 GPA)

Bridge Builder Award

Presented to the team whose student-athletes demonstrate the strongest commitment to making an impact in the community.
Winner: Gymnastics

Heart of a Panther Award

Presented to the student-athlete who best embodies the spirit of service through the Pitt Promise and is involved in the community above and beyond what is required.
Winner: Cheyenne Hudson (Women's Soccer)

Panthers Unite Award

Presented to the team whose passion and dedication to Pitt Athletics is found in its support of other Pitt teams through participation in the Panthers Unite initiative.
Winner: Women's Swimming & Diving

Gold Standard Teammates of the Year

Presented to the third, fourth or fifth-year student-athlete who most effectively inspires his or her team through exemplary commitment, composure and integrity.
Winners: Aysia Bugg (Women's Basketball), Jared Wilson-Frame (Men's Basketball), Grant Jones (Men's Track & Field), Nate Sloan (Men's Cross Country), Sam Shields (Women's Cross Country), Rachel Brown (Women's Swimming & Diving), Brian Lovasik (Men's Swimming & Diving), Cheyenne Hudson (Women's Soccer), Craig Bair (Men's Soccer), Nico Popa (Baseball), Marissa DeMatteo (Softball), Mike Herndon (Football), Claudia Bartolome (Tennis), Miranda Salvo (Women's Track & Field), Demetrius Thomas (Wrestling), Emily Horner (Volleyball), Alecia Petrikis (Gymnastics), Colton Byerly (Cheer), Dina Perlic (Dance)

Gold Standard Administrators of the Year

Presented to a non-coaching staff member of the athletic department who has gone above and beyond to ensure success of student-athletes, from either an athletic, academic or personal development perspective.
Winners: Ali Hoesly (Women's Basketball), Matt Plizga (Men's Basketball), Jackson Martin (Men's Track & Field), Molly Trott (Women's Track & Field), Taylor Gossman (Men's Cross Country), Darryl Weston (Women's Cross Country), Kelsi Schaer (Women's Swimming & Diving), Penny Semaia (Men's Swimming & Diving), Tyler Carpenter (Women's Soccer), Christina "Tilly" Sheets (Men's Soccer), David Stark (Baseball), Jen Tuscano (Softball), Chris LaSala (Football), Mandy Mahramas Matson (Tennis), Auburn Weisensale (Wrestling), Kate McCartney (Volleyball), Shawn Mueller (Gymnastics)

James Conner Comeback of the Year

Presented to a student-athlete who, having recovered from an injury, illness or hardship, returns to make a noteworthy contribution to their teams' athletic success.
Winner: George Aston (Football)

David Sandberg Champion Award

In memory of the former Pitt wrestler and assistant coach, this award is presented to the senior who best exemplifies the qualities that Sandberg embraced: dedication to academic and athletic excellence, with an unyielding spirit and passionate commitment to the improvement of the University of Pittsburgh and its surrounding communities.
Winner: Dennis Briggs (Football)

Male and Female Performance of the Year

Presented to a male and female student-athlete for the most remarkable or significant performance achieved in 2018-19.
Winners: Greg Lauray (Men's Track & Field), Layne Van Buskirk (Volleyball)

Newcomer of the Year

Presented to the student-athlete who has made an immediate impact at Pitt in their first year of intercollegiate competition. Nominees may include freshmen and redshirts.
Winner: Demetrius Thomas (Wrestling)

Team Moment of the Year

Presented in recognition of a striking performance by an individual or group in a specific competition that led to a shift in momentum.
Winner: Football (Coastal Division Clinching Win vs. Wake Forest)

Male and Female Athlete of the Year

Presented to a male and female standout student-athlete who has demonstrated outstanding athletic performance during competition and has been instrumental to their teams' success.
Winners: Qadree Ollison (Football), Nika Markovic (Volleyball)

Team of the Year

Reserved for the team that exemplified outstanding athletic achievement in the 2018-19 season.
Winner: Volleyball

Carson Fellowship

The George I. Carson Graduate Fellowship was stewarded to the University of Pittsburgh to provide graduate scholarships to recent University of Pittsburgh graduates, including opportunities for full scholarship beginning in fall 2019. The full-scholarship recipient must be of high moral character and have shown outstanding undergraduate academic achievement at the University of Pittsburgh. They must also demonstrate the potential for outstanding graduate study in continuing their graduate or professional education at the University of Pittsburgh.
Winner: Brian Lovasik (Men's Swimming & Diving)

Blue-Gold Award

Presented to the male and female senior student-athlete who best represents the student-athlete "ideal" based on academic scholarship, athletic achievement, leadership qualities and citizenship. These recipients will be forever recognized on the Varsity Walk.
Winners: Darrin Hall (Football), Javi Perez (Men's Soccer), Gillian Schriever (Women's Track & Field/Cross Country)

Panther Award

Presented to the male and female senior student-athlete who has promoted Pittsburgh Athletics through his or her outstanding athletic achievement. These recipients will be forever recognized on the Varsity Walk.
Winners: Qadree Ollison (Football), Kamalani Akeo (Volleyball)