PITTSBURGH – Pitt is holding its own in the LEARFIELD Directors’ Cup Winter Standings. The Panthers rank 22nd overall in the NCAA, garnering 469 points and are 27 points away from reaching the top 20 schools.
Pitt earned 309 points during the fall sports season led by strong seasons from football, volleyball, and both soccer programs, plus 160 points in the winter. Wrestling (52) paced the Panthers in total points this winter, followed by men’s basketball (50), men’s swimming & diving (39), and women’s indoor track & field (19) to become one of 28 athletic departments to reach over 400 points. Bethel Park native and redshirt senior wrestler Nino Bonaccorsi won a National Championship at 197 pounds and the men’s basketball team won two games in the NCAA Tournament after being projected to finish 14th in the ACC preseason poll to help power the Panthers up the charts.
Heather Lyke’s department has already exceeded last year’s total (298) and by far established a new Panther record, even before the conclusion of spring sports. The Panthers’ best finish in the LEARFIELD standings came during the 1994-95 campaign, finishing 48th in the county.
Ohio State (858) far and away leads the pack, followed by Texas (758.75), Stanford (754.50), North Carolina (686.50) and Alabama (634.25). The Atlantic Coast Conference leads all conferences with seven schools represented in the top 25. UNC sits atop the ACC leaderboard, ahead of NC State (9th), Notre Dame (12th), Louisville (15th), Duke (17th) and the Panthers at 22nd overall.
Pitt baseball, softball, track & field and women’s lacrosse are in the midst of putting a close to the 2022-23 athletic season.
