PITT ATHLETICS THROUGH THE CAMERA LENS
GOT PLENTY OUT OF 2020
The University of Pittsburgh unveiled plans for its Victory Heights initiative, a series of state-of-the-art athletics projects that will provide Pitt student-athletes with national-caliber competition, training and sports performance and medicine facilities on Jan. 14, 2020.
New facilities to be built in the coming years include; a 3,500-seat arena for gymnastics, volleyball and wrestling; an eight-lane, 300-meter indoor track for the men's and women's programs as well as a band facility; and a cutting-edge athletic performance center.
Gallery: Pitt Athletics Victory Heights
Junior Greg Lauray capped his stellar indoor campaign with his first career All-America honors in the high jump.
Lauray became the first high jumper in program history and the first Panther overall since 2016 to earn All-America recognition. The junior finished the season clearing a school record height of 7’3.75” (2.23m), the ninth best mark in the country. Lauray was poised to make his first appearance at the NCAA Indoor Championships before being canceled due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
Freshman guard Dayshanette Harris had her signature moment of her first season on the biggest stage in the ACC Tournament as she was able to knock down the game-winning floater over a defender with 2.7 seconds left to give the Panthers the 67-65 upset victory over Notre Dame, just Pitt’s second ACC Tournament win in program history.
Harris stole the ensuing inbound pass to seal the win and celebrate with her teammates as she finished off the game with a game-high 20 points and 10 rebounds, her first career double-double.
Pitt hosted the 2020 ACC Wrestling Championships at the Petersen Events Center and led all teams with three individual champions: Micky Phillippi, Jake Wentzel and Demetrius Thomas.
The Panthers challenged NC State for the conference’s team title before eventually finishing second.
CHARLES L. COST FIELD
Charles L. Cost Field now features the AstroTurf Diamond Series RBI System which includes multiple artificial turf components that have been specifically engineered to emulate the look, feel and performance of both the grass and clay portions of a baseball field. The facility was also upgraded to implement the new Pitt athletic logos and colors with the panther head in centerfield and updated scoreboard, bullpen and dugout banners.
VARTABEDIAN FIELD
Vartabedian Field, located on the Petersen Sports Complex, was newly renovated in the summer with brand new artificial turf, updated scoreboard logo, bullpen and dugout banners and a centerfield ‘City of Champions’ banner that encompasses the outfield. Pitt and its new facility will host the ACC Softball Championship Tournament in May of 2022.
UNTIL WE UNITE. BLACK LIVES MATTER.
#UntilWeUnite along with the three-fists raised together logo evolved through the collaborative efforts of Pitt students Jaylyn Aminu (T&F), Adrianna Baker and Dontavius Butler-Jenkins (FB) and the athletic department. Pitt Athletics is in full support of this movement and continues to work with students-athletes, campus groups and the community to build unity and togetherness.
The Volleyball team wore Until We Unite decals on their shoes during the 2020 fall season, in addition to warm-up T-shirts featuring the logo.
Women’s soccer wore Black Lives Matter and #UntilWeUnite t-shirts while warming up for every game in the fall. For each ACC game, both teams kneeled at the first whistle for a moment of silence for to push for social justice.
The Pitt women’s basketball team will be wearing shooting shirts with “Equality” on the front to show their support for the Black Lives Matter Movement and the push for social justice in the country
Sophomore divers Serena Buchwald and Amy Read along with junior swimmer Blaise Vera each received their first career All-America recognitions by the College Swimming & Diving Coaches Association of America (CSCAA).
Each athlete was set to compete at the NCAA Championships after stellar seasons for the Panthers, the first for Buchwald and second-straight for Read and Vera
HAILIING FROM HOME
During the 2020 football season, Panther fans participated in the action by submitting pictures of themselves “hailing from home.” Each week, winners were selected and won prizes for the content they shared.
COVID-19 T-SHIRTS
The Pitt athletic department sold “over fate and foe victorious” t-shirts with a portion of the proceeds benefitting the Center for Vaccine Research. $37,500 was raised for the CVR from the sale of shirts and royalties earned from the sale of face coverings.
Pitt Lacrosse held its first practice in preparation for its inaugural season in 2021-22 on Aug. 31, 2020.
Therese Pitman delivers a leaping overhead finish during a shooting drill during fall practice.
Gallery: Women's Lacrosse: First Practice
Amanda West eludes a defender against The Citadel on Sept. 24. West scored the golden goal on a penalty kick to give the No. 12 Panthers their first win as a ranked team in program history.
During the fall, the sophomore forward broke the school’s career points record with 59 and also set new single-season records for goals (13) and points (30) to earn an All-ACC Second-Team selection.
PITT FOOTBALL
The Pitt football team debuted its alternate anthracite uniforms at the September 26 Louisville game, where the No. 21 Panthers outlasted the No. 24 Cardinals, 23-20, at Heinz Field.
PITT VOLLEYBALL
The 10th-ranked Pitt volleyball team debuted its alternate anthracite uniforms at a match against No. 6 Louisville, where it swept the Cardinals, 3-0, at Fitzgerald Field House in October.
Gallery: Pitt Football Alternate Uniform Reveal
Gallery: Volleyball vs. No. 6 Louisville
Voting Matters Campaign
In collaboration with The University of Pittsburgh, Pitt Athletics announced a Voting Matters campaign geared toward voter registration, voter education and voter participation for all student-athletes, coaches and staff.
"We all have the ability to make an impact in this country by exercising our right to vote," said men's basketball head coach Jeff Capel. "Voter registration and educating yourself on the voting process is an integral part of making sure your voice is heard. I look forward to experiencing this with my team and watching young leaders continue to emerge at Pitt."
The Pitt women’s cross country team hosted rival West Virginia for the Panther Open at Youthtowne in Clinton, Pa. on Friday, Oct. 16.
Senior captain Ally Brunton was the highest finisher for the Panthers as she collected the third place finish with a season-best time while sophomore Lily Robertson also collected a top-10 finish, crossing the finish line in seventh place overall.
The 10th-ranked Pitt volleyball team earned its second-highest ranked victory –in addition to its second-highest ranked road win –in program history with a 3-1 upset of No. 5 Notre Dame in October.
The Panthers handed the previously unbeaten Fighting Irish their first loss of the shortened 2020 fall season.
The men’s soccer team rewrote history in 2020, earning the number one ranking Oct. 20 in the United Soccer Coaches Poll for the first time in program history.
The Panthers ended the fall season 7-1 overall and booked a trip to the ACC Men’s Soccer Championship Final for the first time in school history Nov. 22. Pitt will continue its record breaking season starting in February of 2021.
The Pitt gymnastics team held a team photoshoot at the iconic Pennsylvanian building in downtown Pittsburgh.
The venue showcases the ideals of grace and strength, both of which are integral to the sport of gymnastics, as well as the Steel City itself.
Pitt dominated Virginia Tech on Senior Day at Heinz Field, shellacking the Hokies 47-14.
The seniors led the way for the Panthers as quarterback Kenny Pickett, wide receiver DJ Turner and kicker Alex Kessman accounted for much of the production, while safety Damar Hamlin, cornerback Jason Pinnock and defensive linemen Rashad Weaver and Patrick Jones II limited Virginia Tech to just 14 points.
The Pitt Band, Cheerleaders, and Dance Team had the opportunity to perform during football games at Heinz Field.
Roc became the face of the department’s cookbook, “Panther Plates By Pitt Greats."
This cookbook showcases the culinary talents of our athletics family.
Toy Drive
Pitt junior gymnast Olivia Miller, Community Service Chair for the Pitt Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC), organized a toy drive that collected more than 300 gifts from staff and student-athletes. The toys were wrapped by Pitt student-athletes before they were distributed to the Hill District and Homewood with help from the Pitt Office of Community and Government Relations.
Food Drive
Pitt staff donated Thanksgiving meals, including turkeys, sides, and other items for more than 70 families as part of a food drive in November. The gymnastics team helped package the meals to be distributed in the Hill District and other parts of Pittsburgh.
Justin Champagnie’s dunk with 5.8 seconds remaining propelled Pitt to a 71-70 road win over Northwestern and capped off the first 20/20 game by a Panther since the 2008-09 season.
Champagnie followed that effort with 24 points and 21 rebounds in a win over Gardner-Webb to join Caleb Swanigan (Purdue) and Blake Griffin (Oklahoma) as the only NCAA Division I players in the past 25 years to record consecutive 20/20 games