Pitt Athletics Five Best Moments of 2023

Pitt athletics had a fantastic year in 2023, with many standout moments that saw programs improve vastly and student-athletes make great achievements for their programs.

While there were so many brilliant moments in 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.

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Nino Bonaccorsi Wins National Title at 197 Pounds at NCAA Wrestling Championships

It’s hard for almost any moment to top a National Title and Nino Bonaccorsi did just that in March, as he won the National Title at 197 pounds at the NCAA Wrestling Championships at the BOK Center in Tulsa, Okla.

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.

In that final match against No. 7 South Dakota State’s Tanner Sloan, he fell behind initially before using two crucial takedowns to earn a 5-3 decision and the National Title.

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.

The importance for Bonaccorsi winning that National Title is that it now gives other Pitt wrestlers the belief that they can do the same and for potential recruits the confidence they do it as well.

Pitt Volleyball Reverse Sweeps Louisville

Pitt volleyball faced a great Louisville side in a must-win match on Saturday, Nov. 18 at the Petersen Events Center. The winner would not only have the chance for another ACC Title, but also a shot at a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament, allowing them to host through the Elite Eight.

The Panthers fell behind early in the match, losing the first two sets and looking like they’d fall once again to their biggest rival, who had a three-match winning streak coming into this one.

Despite the early troubles, Pitt would fend off Louisville for a close, 26-24, third set victory and then take set four 25-21 to force a fifth set.

The Cardinals took a 10-6 lead, but the Panthers tied it back up at 10, and then a 14-13 match point, but the Panthers once again responded to make it 15-15. Two attack errors from the Cardinals would give the Panthers the five set victory.

Pitt made that incredible comeback in front of a program record 8,856 fans, serving as one of the most important regular season wins in program history. They also would secure a second straight ACC title and that No. 1 seed over Louisville, their second in the past three seasons. 

First-year outside hitter Torrey Stafford led the Panthers with a .453 hitting percentage, while also finishing second with 21 kills. Junior setter Rachel Fairbanks also had a brilliant game, setting new career highs with both 58 assists and 19 digs.

Pitt Volleyball Reverse Sweeps Louisville…Again

Louisville got drawn into Pitt’s quadrant in the NCAA Tournament as the No. 2 seed and the two teams met for the third time in 2023 at Fitzgerald Field House on Dec. 9.

The Cardinals once again started out the better of the two teams, taking the first two sets and looking to make it to their third straight Final Four.

Pitt had to make changes, to avoid losing to Louisville for the second straight season in the NCAA Tournament, if they wanted to keep their season alive. They would do so, dominating the final three sets, 25-16, 25-19 and 15-7 to make it to their third straight Final Four.

Pitt volleyball head coach Dan Fisher came into his 11th season in charge in 2023 with just one reverse sweep ever. This past season he had three, two against the biggest rival in Louisville and another at home against Georgia Tech in early October.

The victory turned the momentum for the Panthers in the rivalry and gave them bragging rights for next season, and having the nation see the greatness of ACC volleyball.

Pitt Women’s Soccer Takes Down Arkansas 4-3 en route to First Elite Eight

Pitt women’s soccer had their best ever season in 2023, making it to the ACC Semifinals and the Elite Eight for the first time in program history.

While the 3-0 victory over Memphis in the Sweet 16 was a great moment in their season, the 4-3 victory over No. 2 Arkansas made for the top moment of the season.

The Panthers came into the NCAA Tournament as the No. 7 seed, despite finishing in the top four in the ACC, the best conference in the country.

They dominated Ohio State 6-0 but would face a great Arkansas side in the Second Round on the road in their next challenge.

Pitt and Arkansas came into the match as great attacking teams and showed it in the first half, with a 2-2 scoreline.

The Razorbacks took a 3-2 lead in the 69th minute, but then Panthers junior midfielder Ellie Coffield showed up and took over. The Mars scored a great free-kick goal in the 77th minute and then the winning goal off a header in the 89th minute to put Pitt in the Sweet 16 for the second straight season.

Defeating such a talented team not only proved that Pitt was meant to play in these big matches, but that they deserved a much better seed in the NCAA Tournament. It also showed the growth of the program under head coach Randy Waldrum in his six seasons since starting in 2018, taking them from the bottom of the ACC to the Elite Eight and competing with the best teams in the country.

Panthers Makes it Back to NCAA Tournament, Defeats Mississippi State

Pitt basketball had six straight seasons under .500 since the departure of longtime head coach Jamie Dixon in 2016 and things didn’t look like they’d go anywhere better.

The 2022 offseason allowed head coach Jeff Capel to rebuild his team, using the transfer portal to bring in graduate transfers in guards Nelly Cummings and Greg Elliot, as well as forward Blake Hinson. It also included seeing the growth of guards in Jamarius Burton and Nike Sibande, who had transferred in previous seasons.

The result was a 24-12 overall record and 14-6 in the ACC, just one win shy of the conference regular season title. It also put the Panthers back in the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2016, with a First Four matchup against the Mississippi State Bulldogs.

The game went back and forth between the two sides, but a jumper from Burton with 10 seconds left put Pitt up one point. Mississippi State had a few chances left in those final 10 seconds that they should have put away, but failed to do so, giving Pitt the 60-59 victory.

The win served as the first in the NCAA Tournament for the program since 2014, getting them back to where they used to be consistently in the 2000s. It was also important because the Panthers have a history of losing late in the NCAA Tournament, but they managed to hold on and take the victory for themselves.

Pitt would defeat No. 6 Iowa State 59-41 in the First Round before losing to No. 3 Xavier in the Second Round, ending a great season back in March Madness.