UNIVERSITY OF PITTSBURGH ATHLETICS MAGAZINE SPRING 2024 A Legacy of WINNING and PERSONAL GROWTH ALSO IN THIS ISSUE: The Pitt Bond of Brotherhood Pitt Launches Louis Riddick Collection Katie Kasprzak: ACC Diving Coach of the YearUNIVERSITY OF PITTSBURGH ATHLETICS MAGAZINE SPRING 2024 FEATURES 6 Salute to Graduates 10 The Pitt Bond of Brotherhood 12 Pitt Launches Louis Riddick Collection 14 ACC Coach of the Year Kasprzak Leads Groundbreaking Year for Pitt Diving 18 Former Athletes Find Careers in the Business World of Sports 34 Cooking with Champions ON THE COVER: The paths of Pitt Men’s Basketball and Blake Hinson crossed for a reason. The Panthers needed Blake. Blake needed Pitt. The result was an unbelievable journey and an incredible bond between the two. See the cover story beginning on page 22. Departments Message from Pitt Women’s Soccer Head Coach Randy Waldrum .......................................... 2 Top Moments of 2023-24 ............................................... 26 Panthers United ............................................................ 38 Varsity Letter Club ........................................................ 40 Pitt Memories................................................................ 44 H2P (Hail to Pitt), the official magazine of the University of Pittsburgh Department of Athletics, is published by the Office of University Communications and Marketing and Pitt Athletics. Send correspondence to University of Pittsburgh, Department of Athletics, H2P, Petersen Events Center, 3719 Terrace St., Pittsburgh, PA 15261. ©2024 University of Pittsburgh #114716. H2P magazine accepts no responsibility for unsolicited contributions of artwork, photography or articles. The University of Pittsburgh is an affirmative action, equal opportunity institution.2 UNIVERSITY OF PITTSBURGH ATHLETICS A MESSAGE FROM PITT WOMEN’S SOCCER HEAD COACH RANDY WALDRUM Dear Panther nation, B ehind every fearless player is a coach who refuses to let them be anything but their best. This is the mindset that the University of Pittsburgh women’s soccer coaching staff has each day as we strive to help our players reach their goals and, we hope, their greatness. Not only was 2023 the most successful season the Panthers have seen on the pitch in our history, but it also set new milestones for the program. We saw our very first two Panthers ever to be drafted into the National Women’s Soccer League. Pittsburgh native Landy Mertz signed on with the North Carolina Courage, while leading Pitt goal scorer Amanda West signed with the Houston Dash. These two believed in the vision my staff and I had for Pitt and truly paved the way for others to follow. Our coaching staff had to get creative in terms of recruiting when I was brought on board to lead Pitt women’s soccer, as recruiting happens two years in advance. So we decided to venture up north to recruit, and that is where we found West. We needed someone who would believe in our vision for the program and make an immediate impact, which, clearly, she did. West was not only a stellar athlete on the field, she also was an encouraging leader for our team. The history maker completed her collegiate career ranked second in the nation for total goals (50), holding the Pitt program record; third in the nation for 30 goals and 20 assists and points per game (1.72); and fourth in the nation for total points (127) and goals per game (0.68). She collected 11 goals this season while posting 89 shots with 47 on target and posted two game-winning goals for the Panthers. Her efforts in the historic game against the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill secured the Panthers’ spot in the semifinals of the ACC Championship. She capped her collegiate career with a list of accolades, including United Soccer Coaches Scholar All-America honors and being named to the United Soccer Coaches All-Atlantic Region Second Team and All-ACC Second Team. Our other Pitt pioneer, Mertz, made her name known with four incredible years as a Panther. She capped her collegiate career ranked in the top 10 in the nation for assists per game (0.58) and total assists in a season (14). She also left Pitt with her name in the record book, tied for the most assists in a single season. She secured four goals and 14 assists this past season, posting a total of 58 shots with 33 on target. She notched three assists and a goal in the first round of the NCAA tournament against Ohio State to help propel the Panthers past the Buckeyes and into the second round. Mertz found herself ranked 47th on the TopDrawerSoccer Women’s Postseason Top 100 list after an impressive 2023 season. This honor was in addition to being named to the United Soccer Coaches All-Atlantic Region Third Team and All-ACC Third Team. West and Mertz’s efforts in the 2023 season helped the Panthers set school records for most wins overall (17), ACC wins (6), home wins (9), points (194), goals (64) and assists (68). The Panthers posted five top-25 wins, including defeating three teams ranked in the top 10. Pitt also advanced to the ACC championship semifinal and the NCAA Elite Eight fields for the first time in program history. All their successes throughout their time at Pitt have paved a road for others to follow. Both West and Mertz achieved the ultimate goal of a student-athlete at Pitt by adding degrees to their list of accomplishments. West majored in biology and graduated in December 2022 and earned a master’s degree in management in December 2023. Mertz majored in rehabilitation science in the School of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences and graduated in April 2023. As my letter ends, I will leave you with this: Coaching requires discipline not only from athletes but also from coaches themselves. Leading by example sets the tone for a culture of dedication, hard work and ethics. Here’s to many more historic seasons ahead of us. Hail to Pitt! Randy Waldrum From left to right are Landy Mertz, Randy Waldrum and Amanda WestH2P MAGAZINE SPRING 2024 34 UNIVERSITY OF PITTSBURGH ATHLETICSH2P MAGAZINE SPRING 2024 5 Career Records at Graduation: • At-Bats (731) • Hits (237) • Runs (148) • Home Runs (46) • RBIs (198) • Doubles (44) Single-Season Records at Graduation: • Hits (76) • RBIs (66) Senior Season Stats: • Batting Average .369 • 18 home runs • 43 runs scored Awards: • Senior of Distinction • First Team All-Big East • All-American Current Career Records: • Home Runs (46) • Total Bases (428) • RBIs (198) Pitt’s All-Time Home Run Leader Has Disrupted the Tire Industry Brad Rea started all four years during his Pitt baseball career and concluded his time as “the most prolific offensive performer in the history of the Panther program.” CHAMP TIRES Rea has transformed how businesses and consumers spend money on tires: • One of the largest companies selling premium used tires in the U.S. • Two retail locations in Pittsburgh-area • Warehouses along the east coast www.champtires.com/pitt Brad Rea Champtires President and Founder6 UNIVERSITY OF PITTSBURGH ATHLETICS SALUTE to GRADUATES More than 100 Pitt student-athletes received their degrees from the University of Pittsburgh during the 2023-24 academic year. Pitt Athletics celebrated these student-athletes prior to the formal ceremony by hosting a reception and photo opportunity with their coaches, teammates and fellow Forever Panthers. Congratulations to our Class of 2024 Forever Panthers! BASEBALL Nathan Beimel Tyler Bischke Logan Evans Matthew Fernandez Justin Fogel Carter Funk Turner Grau Ben Kovel Ryan Partridge Holden Phelps Domenic Popa Josh Spiegel BASKETBALL–MEN’S Blake Hinson William Jeffress Keith Marshall BASKETBALL–WOMEN’S Rapuluchi Ayodele Ioanna Chatzileonti Gabby Hutcherson Liatu King FOOTBALL Rashad Battle Bam Brima Dante Caputo Daniel Carter Jason Collier Luke DelGaudio Solomon Deshields Marlin Devonshire David Green Cameron Guess Dayon Hayes Aydin Henningham Ryan Jacoby Karter Johnson Deandre Jules William King IV Jake McConnachie Terrence Moore Jahvante Royal Benjamin Sauls Branson Taylor Christian Veilleux Nathaniel Yarnell GYMNASTICS Erin Hutchison Faith Lerro Arayah Simons Ciara Ward LACROSSE Samantha Giroux Madigan Lublin Maureen McNierney Camdyn O’Donnell Abby Thorne SOCCER–MEN’S Mathys Lefebvre Fabian Grau Filip Mirkovic Joao Pedro Peterlini Souza SOCCER–WOMEN’S Mackenzie Evers Ashton Gordon Chloe Minas Sarah Schupansky Amanda West SOFTBALL Cameron Compson Rachael Fuerst Kylie Griggs Katherine Rodriguez SPIRIT: PITT CHEER & DANCE Katie Bacco Kate Brennan Emma Burglund Brooke Busche Riley Carroll Vic Chiusano Alexis DiNardo Carly Dowiak Katheryn Falsetti Riley Finnegan Kaylea Gallagher Claire Gendron Giavanna Gulino William Kim Kamryn Kostelnik Alison LambrightH2P MAGAZINE SPRING 2024 7 Ramsey Lewand Ashanti McLaurin Julia Palus Kathryn Perkins Ma'kiihl Plunkett Hannah Salgado Gabrielle Sharp David Somay Abbey Taylor Courtney Wells Danielle Yakubisin Hannah Zeffiro SWIMMING–MEN’S Jerry Chen Wesley Kephart Adam Mahler Paul Dylan Reed Jack Salisbury Dominic Toledo Sanchez SWIMMING–WOMEN’S Afroditi Agathokleous Tara Culibrk Emma Gravgaard Abby Licht Olivia Livingston Maddie London TRACK & FIELD/CROSS COUNTRY–MEN’S Erick Daniel Barbosa Amaya Stephon Brown Raymond Oriakhi Luke Henseler Ethan Maher Graduates for the Swimming and Diving teams. Front row: Emma Gravgaard, Abby Licht, and Afrodite Agathokleous. Back row: head coach Chase Kreitler, Dominic Toledo, head diving coach Katie Kasprzak, Wesley Kephart, Olivia Livingston, Adam Mahler, and academic advisor Chris Byland caption Jack Miller Trell Williams TRACK & FIELD/CROSS COUNTRY–WOMEN’S Lanie Bainter Lydia Bottelier Emily Brown Reagan Flannery Taylor Newton Folake Olujide-Ajibade Foluke Olujide-Ajibade Jazmyn Potts Caroline Rusinski Ilse Steigenga Anais Williams VOLLEYBALL Lexis Akeo Julianna Dalton Catherine Flood Emily Klika WRESTLING Tyler Badgett Colton Camacho AJ Crews Holden Heller Reece Heller James Lledo Geoffrey Magin Cole Matthews Antonio Petrucelli Head Coach Emily Boissonneault and Sport Administrator Jennifer Brown pose with Lacrosse graduates Abby Thorne, Madigan Lublin and Maureen McNierney. Pitt Director of Athletics Heather Lyke with graduating Wrestling student-athlete AJ Crews. 68% of the seniors graduated with a 3.0+ GPA 5 Pieces of Graduation Advice from Heather Lyke 1.There is no substitute for hard work. 2.Change is inevitable, and the ability to adapt to change is essential, so that you don’t become obsolete. 3.Always remain curious. 4.Nothing great is ever accomplished alone. Teamwork is essential to the success of any organization. 5.There are no limits to what you can accomplish.Next >