Pitt
Top Five Pitt Athletes That Stood Out in 2023
Pitt Athletics had another outstanding year in 2023, with student-athletes, coaches and fans coming together to create incredible moments and memories that will last a lifetime.
While many players had a solid 2023, there were five student-athletes that stood out from their peers, demonstrating their individual athletic abilities, while also greatly improving their team as well.
Pitt Basketball-Blake Hinson
Blake Hinson struggled in his early college seasons with injury and lack of playing time prior to coming to Pitt for the 2022-23 season. A new change of scenery and a chance to prove himself saw both him and Pitt basketball excel last season and into this current one as well.
Hinson led the Panthers with 15.3 points and 6.0 rebounds per game, respectively, 97 3-pointers, nine games scoring 20 points or more and five double-doubles last season, en route to Second Team All-ACC honors. His 97 3-pointers, many of which came from well behind the arc, rank third most in a season for a Panther. His pivotal play throughout last season helped the Panthers make their first NCAA Tournament since 2016 and first under head coach Jeff Capel, changing the trajectory of the program.
He has continued his great play this season, scoring a Pitt-high 20.9 points per game. Hinson hasn’t stopped shooting 3-pointers either, still in lead of the team with 45 made, but is also a more efficient 3-point shooter, with a team-high .459 percentage. His 47.6% shooting from the field shows his improvement from 2022-23, as he attempts to bring Pitt back to the NCAA Tournament again in 2024.
Hinson has become one of the more well-beloved Pitt basketball players in recently memory and with ACC play starting full-time this weekend, he’ll have more opportunities to create moments that fans will forever remember.
Pittsburgh Panthers forward Blake Hinson (2) February 25, 2023 David Hague/PSN
Wrestling-Nino Bonaccorsi
It’s hard for almost any Pitt athlete to have a better season than Nino Bonaccorsi did in 2022-23, as he won the National Title at 197 pounds at the NCAA Wrestling Championships at the BOK Center in Tulsa, Okla. on March 18.
The win gave the Panthers their first National Champion since head coach Keith Gavin did at 174 pounds in 2008. It also gave Bonaccorsi a perfect season with 21 wins and no losses, joining Gavin as one of just six Pitt wrestlers to do both.
Bonaccorsi dominated his competition throughout the entire season, with 15 of his 21 wins coming against wrestlers who made the Championships. He also only gave up two takedowns during the Championships en route to the National Title.
The Bethel Park alum finished his Pitt career as a five-time NCAA qualifier, three straight ACC Titles at 197 pounds and a career record of 110-25. He also placed second at 197 pounds at the 2021 NCAA Championships, losing to Oklahoma State’s A.J. Ferrari.
The importance that Bonaccorsi’s season had for Pitt wrestling is something that will become more visible over time. During his six seasons with the program, he changed it from one that had embarrassing moments, to one that now has a National Champion that future wrestlers can emulate and look up to as a source of pride for the program.
Pitt Wrestling Nino Bonaccorsi January 8, 2023 Photo by David Hague
Olivia Babcock
Few first-year players have ever had the impact that Olivia Babcock did for Pitt volleyball in 2023.
Her great top spin serve and athletic play all around made her one of the most feared right-side hitters in the country. Her play in the back row also allowed the team to play a 5-1, with junior setter Rachel Fairbanks excelling as well, earning First-Team All-American honors.
Babcock’s 51 service aces rank No. 2 all-time in a season in Pitt volleyball history in the 25-point scoring era (2008-present) and No. 6 all-time, while her 0.44 service aces per set is level with the best in a season. Her 420 kills and 3.62 kills per set rank No. 8 and No. 9, respectively, while her 119 block assists, also rank ninth best in the 25-point scoring era for Pitt. She also finished fifth with 159 digs, 1.37 per set.
She received National Freshman of the Year, the first in Pitt history, and First Team All-American honors from the American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) for her play in 2023.
Her great play in the NCAA Tournament put Pitt back into the Final Four for the third straight season. She finished with 11 service aces, program best in an NCAA Tournament, 25 total blocks and 24 block assists, second best and 71 kills, third best.
Pitt volleyball is still searching for that first National Title and with Babcock back for the next three seasons, there’s no reason to doubt they will have a great shot each of those years.
Pittsburgh right side hitter Olivia Babcock (5) October 18, 2023 David Hague/PSN
Pitt Women’s Soccer-Sarah Schupansky
Pitt women’s soccer had the best season in program history, making it to their first ever ACC Semifinals and Elite Eight.
While there were so many players that had exceptional seasons, junior forward Sarah Schupansky had the best season of any Panther in 2023.
She scored 11 goals, 14 assists and 36 points in 2023, all team-highs in one of the most proficient attacks in the country. Her 14 assists, which tied senior forward Landy Mertz in 2023, along with her 36 points both set new program records for most in a season.
The North Allegheny alum excelled with her distribution and ambidextrous corner kicks, making her difficult for opposing defenders to account for. She created four assists in the NCAA Tournament, including two in the 4-3 thriller over No. 2 Arkansas in the Second Round.
Schupansky has already played an important role in the Sweet 16 run last season and the Elite Eight run this year. If history and trends say anything, her play should serve crucial for the Panthers to make their first ever College Cup in 2024.
Jamarius Burton
Pitt basketball, prior to last season, was in desperate need of someone to lead it out of the bottom of the ACC and back to relevancy.
Jamarius Burton, who had a solid season on a poor Pitt 2021-22 squad that finished 11-21, became the player that the Panthers could rely on in big moments or even when the team just needed a shot.
His mid-range game made him a great option offensively, not only in scoring points, but also with his efficiency, shooting 48.8% from the floor, second best on the team and best of any guard/forward. One of his best games in 2023 came when he scored 21 points on 10-of-15 shooting from the field in a win against Georgia Tech in the Second Round of the ACC Tournament.
He also earned First Team All-ACC honors for his play last season, joining former forward Justin Champagnie as the only other Pitt player to do so back in 2021.
Burton, along with other graduate student guards in Nelly Cummings, Nike Sibande and Greg Elliott, all helped the Panthers make it back to the NCAA Tournament and give fans joy and pride back into the program. For that alone, Burton is deserving of the praise he earned last season and for years to come.
Are you kidding me. Bunch of 24 year old kids win one game in NCAA tourney and that’s the state of our athletic department that 2 mens hoopers are your top 5 athletes of the year. Rachel Fairbanks is a 1st team all american who has led our team to 3 straight final fours. Olivia Babcock doesn’t get all her accolades without Rachel setting her the ball. Even making the final 4-no way you’re putting 2 volleyball players in your top 5. Have fun sitting in the empty Pete watching mens hoops while we cheer on the volleyball team in… Read more »
Understand you’re upset because the volleyball team was slighted but an empty Pete with 6,000 fans brings in a lot more money than a full Fieldhouse. And the mbb brings in more TV revenue than V.
The article title is not ‘best 24 year olds at their 3rd college in a revenue sport’. I’m sure the 1200 fans at the Pitt/Binghampton MBB game next December at the Pete will cheer when they show Rachel Fairbanks on the big screen cutting the nets down bringing home our 1st of many national championships. Listing Olivia and not Rachel would be like listing Jordan Addison and not Kenny Pickett. Rachel is a 1st team all-american and our best player.
Well, first tournament win since 2014, so yeah, kind of a big deal…when office workers across the country start spending their day filling out brackets for the women’s volleyball tournament, I’ll consider it to be on the same level as men’s basketball.
For those of us who had MBB season tickets for 42 years and remember watching Billy Knight and Sam Clancy play at the Field House-the beauty of women’s volleyball is its what college sports used to be. Our girls are playing for the love of the sport, their teammates and the University. Not to get to the next level. The private boxes on the floor at the Pete are obnoxious. That we’re sitting in the same packed Field House all these years later-just wow.
We’ll be sold out every match when the new building opens in 2 years.
Certainly entitled to your own opinion concerning the selections, just don’t know why you have to crap on the basketball team in order to make your point.
Wasn’t that long ago that the Pete was sold out too…unfortunately, losing tends to have a negative effect on attendance…enjoy the packed stands while it lasts.
Nino Bonaccorsi; that’s all you need in this list. I skipped all the others, lol.