Building the Pitt Program: Therese Pitman

PITTSBURGH – Unlike most collegiate lacrosse players, Therese Pitman didn't pick up a lacrosse stick until her sophomore year of high school. But, as soon as she learned how to play, she knew she never wanted to stop.

"Lacrosse was not an option at my high school until my sophomore year and no one in my family ever played," Pitman said. "When I started 10th grade, my high school team at Vernon-Verona-Sherrill High School created our first ever varsity program. I thought it was cool then to be a part of an inaugural program and now, being in the same position on a bigger stage is even more exciting."

At VVS, Pitman is the all-time leading scorer and holds the record for most goals scored in a single season. She was also named the 2016 Tri-Valley League Player of the Year and team MVP as a senior. After having such a successful high school career, Pitman knew she wanted to continue playing lacrosse in college.

"I knew I wanted to be a college athlete and follow in my older brother Simon's footsteps," she said. "However, lacrosse was not really on my radar until high school. After completing my first season in 10th grade, I was in love with the sport."

Pitman spent her first two years of college at Binghamton University where she appeared in 13 games for the Bearcats. Pitman then transferred to Siena College, where she was named to the All-MAAC First Team after starting 19 games and leading her team in caused turnovers (23), second in draw controls (39), and fourth in ground balls (37) as a junior. Pitman was named to the IWLCA Academic Honor Roll as a junior and later became team captain, and was a 2020 Preseason All-MAAC Team selection as a senior.

"My junior year in college was huge considering I was a non-recruited walk-on transfer to Siena," Pitman added. "It was amazing to think that I had this impact on the team in the 2019 and 2020 seasons."

After her senior season was cut short, Pitman knew she wanted to take advantage of playing lacrosse as a graduate student.

"In April, my senior season at Siena was cut short and I was in the transfer portal looking for graduate schools and programs that I was interested in at a place where I could also play high level women's lacrosse," said Pitman. "Coach Emily Boissonneault reached out to me via email and it was one of the most exciting emails I have ever received."

From her four years of undergraduate study, Pitman had an idea of what her perfect graduate school looked like. When she was researching different degree possibilities, she wanted to find a university that fit her athletic and academic plans.

"After having completed my four years of undergrad at Binghamton and Siena, I was able to take my two very contrasting college experiences and combine them to give me my desired graduate school destination," Pitman said. "I have learned that a larger campus, such as the one at Pitt, combined with the smaller class size in Pitt's Graduate School of Public and International Affairs program is my ideal combination. Pittsburgh is such an exciting city with so much to explore and the academic rigor of school is exactly what I want."

Pitman is enrolled in the GSPIA program and plans to study Public Administration with a major in Public and Nonprofit Management.

"My dream is to someday become an Athletic Director at a college," Pitman said. "I believe I have strong organizational and interpersonal communication skills and have always wanted to combine my passion for leadership and athletics together. The world of sports brings together people of all ages, sexes, ethnicities, and so on, and that's what I love about it. People are supposed to follow the path that brings them the most joy and I envision myself involved with athletics in some way, shape or form throughout my adult life."

For Pitman, being a part of Pitt's inaugural team is a dream come true. Since she has experience building a program, the opportunity to be on Pitt's first varsity team is perfect for her.

"I was a part of my high school's inaugural girl's lacrosse program and that was the beginning of my lacrosse career, now as a graduate student with one year of eligibly left, it is fascinating to think my lacrosse career will come to a close being a part of an inaugural program again," Pitman said. "I think starting a program from scratch is great, the coaches and players have the ability to create a culture exactly the way they would like it from the get-go. It is also a challenge to create a program from scratch and I am a person who stands up to a challenge no matter the size."

Pitman is confident she is ready to put in the hard work and dedication it takes to be part of a new program. Her love of the sport has pushed her to be the best she can, and she is ready to see what she can bring to the Panthers.

"I would really like to see the program gel and take shape," Pitman said. "I realize that we will not be winning the national championship the first year, but I want to assist in getting the momentum going and try to get some significant wins under our belts so that the program can draw in more and more talent and flourish," she added. "I want to one day sit in the stands at the national championship and cheer on my team as they fight for and grab the title."

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Building the Pitt Program: Therese Pitman

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Therese Pitman

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