University of Pittsburgh Athletics
Pitt Varsity Letter Club Announces 2026 Awardees of Distinction
11/20/2025 9:00:00 AM | Panther Club
PITTSBURGH – The University of Pittsburgh Varsity Letter Club is proud to announce the 2026 Awardees of Distinction, continuing a tradition of recognizing former student-athletes who have made significant impacts in their professions or communities and have enhanced the legacy of Pitt Athletics.
The 2026 Awardees of Distinction class includes:
DJ Cavanaugh, Football
Cavanaugh was a four-year member of the Panthers football program, earning a varsity letter in 1983. A 1984 communications graduate, Cavanaugh currently serves as the General Sales Manager at WTAE-TV/Hearst Broadcasting in Pittsburgh. Cavanaugh began his career in the broadcasting business in sales at WTAE in 1987 and moved to KDKA in 1991. In 2000 he was part of starting a new company, Matrix Solutions, that provides sales analytics, CRM and other reporting tools. Cavanaugh was with Matrix until 2016 when he sold his equity stake in the company and returned to WTAE.
Jonna Burke, Women's Basketball
A four-year member of the women's basketball program, Burke is a two-time graduate of the University of Pittsburgh. The 1991 Big East Rookie of the Year and a two-time All-Big East first-team member (1993, 1994), she was named Pitt's 1994 recipient of the Mike Ditka Award. She was inducted into the Bethel Park High School Hall of Fame in 1995 and has gone on to a long and successful career as an educator and girls basketball coach since leaving Pitt. In 29 years as a girls basketball coach, she has racked up nearly 550 victories. Among her other accomplishments, Burke was named to the 2016 ACC Legends class, inducted into the Pittsburgh Basketball Club Hall of Fame in 2016, the PA Western Chapter Sports Hall of Fame in 2016 and the WPIAL Hall of Fame in 2016.
Julie Gaul, Volleyball
A two-time graduate of the University of Pittsburgh, Gaul helped the Panthers to the first Big East Championship for any program at Pitt and was named MVP of the Big East. In 2004, Gaul was inducted into the Pennsylvania Sports Hall of Fame, Washington/Greene County chapter. She has spent her career directing and managing recreation, fitness and sport all around the country. After two years as an assistant volleyball coach at Pitt, Gaul's career took her to the New York Athletic Club and Equinox Fitness Club in New York City, before returning to the Steel City as the Director of Wellness and Fitness Services at Carlow University.
Mike Bacasa, Men's Soccer
Mike Basaca served as a men's soccer captain in 1993 after earning Team MVP during the 1992 season at Pitt, the Big East regular season runner up. He graduated with a B.S. in biology in 1993 and went on to earn his master's in physical therapy from Chatham College in 1996. Basaca has stayed involved in the game since that time, serving as a volunteer coach at Pitt from 1994-2010. He has also been a long-time head coach for both Hampton Boys and Girls soccer programs. In 2002, Bacasa founded Wellness for Life, and he's served as President, Owner, Founder and Physical Therapist at Wellness for Life, Inc. since then.
Teryl Austin, Football
A four-year letterwinner at Pitt, Terryl Austin graduated with a degree in communications in 1988. For the last 21 years, Austin has coached in the National Football League, the last three as defensive coordinator of the hometown Pittsburgh Steelers. Austin has also served as defensive coordinator of the Cincinnati Bengals (2018), Detroit Lions (2014-17) and University of Florida (2010). Prior to his time in the NFL, Austin spent 12 seasons coaching in the college ranks at Michigan, Syracuse, Wake Forest and Penn State. A three-year starter at safety for Pitt, Austin played for the Montral Machine of the World League of American Football in 1991, after attending training camps with the Washington Football Team and the Hamilton TigerCats (CFL).
Ken Silay, Track & Field/Cross Country
A four-year letterwinner at Pitt, Silay was a member of a World record-breaking and NCAA Championship distance medley relay team in 1971 and served as a team captain in 1972. He graduated with a B.S. in industrial engineering in 1973 and was commissioned as an Air Force Officer that same year. He served for 20 years, completing his service as a commander of the communications squadron at the 911th airlift wing. In 1981, Silay earned his master's in engineering management and went on to a long career in innovation and technology management, retiring in 2015 as the Director of Technology Research and Innovation from Chico's FAS, Inc.
Susan Stewart, Women's Basketball
A three-year letterwinner in women's basketball, Stewart graduated with a B.S. in healthy and physical education from Pitt in 1967. She went on to earn a master's degree in physical education from the University of Maryland in 1969 and a paralegal certificate in general practice and corporate law from Duquesne University. She began her career as a professor in physical education, also serving as the head coach of women's volleyball, basketball and softball at Penn State-Beaver. She was named Skyline Athletic Conference Volleyball Coach of the Year in 1975. From 1988-93 she worked as a paralegal in Pittsburgh before working as a senior mortgage loan specialist from 1993 until retirement in 2007. She is a member of The Script Society and has established two endowed scholarships – the Helen, Bill and Susan Stewart Endowed Women's Athletic Scholarship for softball and the George Stewart and Bernadette Tunno Mazza Endowed Women's Basketball Scholarship.
This year also marks the third presentation of the Pitt Varsity Letter Club Rising Star Award, celebrating forever Panthers within 10 years of their final competition who have distinguished themselves in their careers or communities.
The 2026 Rising Star Award recipients are:
Ellie Pikula, Gymnastics
Ellie Pikula is a former Pitt gymnast and track and field athlete whose career has been shaped by a lifelong commitment to service and safety. After graduating from the University of Pittsburgh, she served as an FBI Special Agent, where she worked complex criminal and cyber investigations and supported national security operations. She later continued her work in public service as a Senior Intelligence Analyst supporting the U.S. Department of State. Pikula is now the Co-Founder and CEO of Vigilant, a safety-intelligence technology company focused on delivering real-time threat alerts and protective tools to individuals and organizations. She also remains involved with Pitt Athletics through the Panther to Pros mentorship program, supporting student-athletes interested in careers in government service.
Lindsay Offutt, Gymnastics
Lindsay Offutt is a Pittsburgh-based employment attorney whose career has been defined by advocacy, precision, and a deep commitment to justice. A former Pitt Gymnastics team captain and decorated student-athlete, she earned her J.D. from the University of Pittsburgh School of Law before building a diverse litigation background representing both plaintiffs and defendants. Her experience spans employment discrimination, whistleblower claims, fraud and misrepresentation, contract disputes, personal injury, medical malpractice, and appellate work before the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit. Offutt's career is also shaped by leadership and service that began during her years at Pitt, where she was named Northeast Regional Gymnast of the Year and led Pitt to its first EAGL championship. She later supported the program as Director of Operations while completing law school, reinforcing her ability to manage complex responsibilities with discipline and purpose. Today, she remains active in the legal community through the Western Pennsylvania Employment Lawyers Association and the Allegheny County Bar Association. Through her blend of legal expertise, trial experience, and longstanding ties to Pitt, Offutt continues to champion fairness, accountability, and strong representation for the individuals and communities she serves.
The 2026 Awardees of Distinction and the Rising Star Award recipients will be honored at the 64th Anniversary Varsity Letter Club Awards Dinner, taking place Friday, Feb. 20, 2026. The event will be held at the Petersen Events Center and is set to begin at 6 p.m. The honorees will also be recognized at the Pitt vs. Notre Dame Men's Basketball game on Saturday, Feb. 21, tipping off at 2 p.m.
Since 1961, the Pitt Varsity Letter Club has honored those members who have distinguished themselves in their profession or community and who, by their accomplishments, have enhanced the value of the intercollegiate athletic programs at the University of Pittsburgh.
To be eligible, a nominee must have earned a varsity letter in intercollegiate athletics from the University 25 or more years ago.
The Awardees of Distinction is one of the longest-standing traditions in Pitt Athletics and among the highest honors the University of Pittsburgh and the Varsity Letter Club can bestow upon former student-athletes.
$90 per person | $45 for Young Alumni (graduates of last 10 years)
www.PittsburghPanthers.com/VLC
