Mt. Lebanon wrestler Mac Stout commits to Pitt
An injury kept Mt. Lebanon junior Mac Stout from defending his WPIAL Class AAA 189-pound wrestling title in 2021. But his success on the mat didn’t stop Stout from being heavily recruited by NCAA Division I programs. Stout announced on Instagram Sunday that he’s committing to Pitt, where his brother...
Pitt notebook: Backup offensive lineman Liam Dick enters transfer portal
Liam Dick, recruited from Milton, Ontario, in the class of 2019, became the second Pitt offensive tackle to leave the program since the end of spring ball when he entered the NCAA transfer portal, according to Rivals.com. Dick, rated a two-star prospect by Rivals.com, redshirted in 2019 and did not...
First Call: Why JuJu Smith-Schuster is motivated for 2021; will Ravens or Patriots get Julio Jones?; odd praise for Aaron Donald
Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster is channeling the criticism he got last year. Will the New England Patriots or Baltimore Ravens land Julio Jones? Odd praise for Aaron Donald. And a big night for ex-Pittsburghers in the NHL playoffs. Better luck this year JuJu Smith-Schuster says he’s using last...
No. 10 Pitt will play North Carolina on Tuesday in ACC baseball tournament
Pitt’s baseball team, ranked as high as No. 14 in the nation after taking two of three games from Virginia in March, will carry a seven-game losing streak into the ACC Tournament that begins Tuesday at Truist Field in Charlotte, N.C. The Panthers (22-19, 16-17 ACC) are seeded No. 10...
Pitt volleyball’s Kayla Lund will train with U.S. National Team for 3rd consecutive year
Pitt’s Kayla Lund, the ACC’s first two-time Volleyball Player of the Year, will train for the third consecutive year with the 2021 USA Volleyball Women’s Collegiate National Team. One of 29 players chosen by the U.S. Women’s National Team staff and National Team Development Program, Lund will work with top...
If WVU can play Penn State, Duquesne, Pitt on consecutive football Saturdays, why not Pitt vs. Duquesne?
A random tweet about West Virginia opening the 2023 football season with consecutive games against Penn State, Duquesne and Pitt raised this question Wednesday afternoon (also on Twitter): Why not Pitt vs. Duquesne in football? Major pats on the back to West Virginia for scheduling the first three games of...
Pitt’s NCAA College Cup run ends with semifinal loss to Indiana
No. 3 Indiana has been to the NCAA College Cup 21 times, winning eight national titles, and although No. 2 Pitt put up a fight in the semifinals Friday night in Cary, N.C., the Hoosiers showed why they’ve had so much success. In the 79th minute, Indiana sophomore Herbert Endeley...
When Scott Barnes heard Jay Vidovich was available, he stopped looking for Pitt’s next soccer coach
They come from the pitches of Nis, Serbia and Greensburg; Nirot, France and Brooklyn, N.Y. Connellsville, Sewickley and Rabat, Morocco, too. Somehow, Jay Vidovich has blended a roster with roots in 11 countries into one of the finest college soccer teams in the U.S. Fans across the country will get...
Pitt freshman forward John Hugley reinstated to team after felony counts dropped
Prosecutors on Thursday withdrew felony charges against Pitt basketball freshman forward John Hugley, making him eligible for a program that ultimately will allow the case against him to be expunged from his record. He was subsequently reinstated to the team. Hugley was initially charged with criminal conspiracy and receiving stolen...
After tough year, Heather Lyke said it’s time for Pitt athletics ‘to stand back up’Video
Heather Lyke tells the story of basketball coach Jeff Capel purposely buying a house in Shadyside — mere blocks from Pitt’s campus — with the intent of having his players close enough to visit. Then, covid-19 happened. Not only were dinners with the coach discouraged for the next year, but...
Pitt’s Jay Vidovich carries Hoosier ties into College Cup match with Indiana
Jay Vidovich readily admits the truth about his one-year stay as a player at Indiana under legendary soccer coach Jerry Yeagley. “I wasn’t good enough for the program,” Pitt’s coach said. “I was coach Yeagley’s East Coast experiment.” So, after that 1978 season, Vidovich, a graduate of New Canaan (Conn.)...
Greensburg Central Catholic grads Nate Ward, Luke Mort to face off in NCAA College Cup
Nate Ward and Luke Mort pondered about the two of them meeting in a college soccer game, but chances seemed slim with them playing in different conferences. If they did meet, it could likely have to be in the postseason, maybe a few years down the road. The former Greensburg...
Aliquippa’s Will Gipson decides to transfer from Pitt
Wide receiver Will Gipson, an Aliquippa graduate who spent two years at Pitt without getting on the field, has announced his decision to transfer. 4 years of eligibility left!! Respect my decision. pic.twitter.com/mCj6rfexdd— Will Gipson (@TrxllWill3) May 11, 2021 Gipson plans to join former Pitt teammate Carson Van Lynn, an...
Pitt lands verbal commitment from junior college forward Chris Payton
There’s no denying Pitt will not easily replace Justin Champagnie. But coach Jeff Capel is continuing to replenish the roster, getting a verbal commitment Monday — the same day Champagnie declared for the NBA Draft — from junior college forward Chris Payton. #COMMITTED ‼️‼️ pic.twitter.com/c0V9H72S63— Chris Payton (@chris_payton_) May 10,...
Pitt blanks Washington, 3-0, earns trip to college soccer’s Final Four
The soccer players who wrote a new chapter to Pitt athletics history don’t have far to go to find out how to handle what’s next. All they have to do is turn to the sideline, and there he is: coach Jay Vidovich, who has rebuilt the Pitt men’s soccer program...
Justin Champagnie decides to leave Pitt, declare for the NBA Draft
Jeff Capel received some additional bad news in his quest to reconstruct the Pitt basketball roster when All-ACC forward Justin Champagnie decided to enter the 2021 NBA Draft and hire an agent, ending his two-year college career. The announcement comes the day after five-star center Efton Reid, who Pitt had...
First Call: Steelers’ selection of Quincy Roche getting some national praise; Andrew McCutchen heating up; Pitt hoops news
Monday’s “First Call” features some optimism for a late-round Steelers draft choice. Also, a tough recruiting loss for Pitt basketball, and a look at the Pirates’ upcoming series at PNC Park. Plus, former Pirate Andrew McCutchen is starting to get things right at home plate. Sure would be nice On...
Pitt splits doubleheader with Boston College after landing berth in ACC Tournament
Pitt needed only one victory to nail down its second ACC Tournament berth since joining the league in 2014, but ended up with two in its weekend series against Boston College at Charles L. Cost Field. After securing the berth with a 4-1 victory Friday, the Panthers (22-13, 16-11) split...
Pitt eliminates UCF, eases into NCAA soccer quarterfinals
Over much of the past two decades, Jay Vidovich has coached, analyzed and competed against some of the best men’s soccer teams in the NCAA. He won a championship at Wake Forest in 2007 and 271 other games, plus five ACC championships, while leading his team into 13 NCAA Tournaments....
Kentucky adds former Pitt star Orlando Antigua to coaching staff
LEXINGTON, Ky. — Kentucky has added former Illinois assistants Orlando Antigua and Ron Coleman to the coaching staff. Antigua, who served five years with the Wildcats before becoming head coach at South Florida for 2½ seasons, will be an associate coach while Coleman will be an assistant. In his previous...
Pitt baseball escapes shadow of covid-19 pause
Mike Bell knew it was coming. Football couldn’t escape it. Men’s basketball found its routine disrupted, too. How could baseball, the most successful of those three Pitt sports this academic year, hide from the scourge of covid-19? After winning eight of 11 games in April, No. 14 Pitt (20-12, 14-10...
Renovations underway at Pitt’s Petersen Events Center
Pitt’s Petersen Events Center is getting a bit of a face-lift, with renovations underway to upgrade seating and the fan experience at the on-campus venue in Oakland. Enhancements include the addition of 1,608 padded club seats (sections 107-109 and 120-122) and 1,100 new polymer seats on the court level. There...
Hempfield wrestler Briar Priest makes verbal commitment to Pitt
Hempfield junior Briar Priest wasn’t sure college was in his future before the 2020-21 season. But what a difference six months can make. After becoming a PIAA champion in March, offers from Division I wrestling programs started rolling in. Priest announced on Twitter on Sunday he is making a verbal...
Former Pitt player Rashad Weaver charged with assault in April incident on South Side
Former Pitt defensive end Rashad Weaver — drafted into NFL by the Tennessee Titans over the weekend — is facing assault charges related to an incident last month on Pittsburgh’s South Side. The alleged assault — an altercation with a woman on East Carson Street — happened April 18, according...
Pitt men’s soccer rolls over Monmouth, reaches NCAA Tournament Sweet 16
Jay Vidovich didn’t set any goals or deadlines for his team when he was hired in 2015 to restore pride and competitiveness to Pitt’s men’s soccer. “I just felt that within several years we could be conducting ourselves as a championship program,” he said. “We’re getting closer to doing that.”...
