Volleyball
Pitt Volleyball opened the season by winning 36 consecutive sets (a program best) en route to a 33-2 record overall that included its fifth consecutive NCAA Regional Final and fourth straight National Semifinal appearance. The Panthers went 19-1 in ACC play and won the ACC Championship for the third consecutive season. Pitt earned the No. 1 spot in the AVCA polls for the first time in program history, holding the spot for 13 straight weeks. The Panthers also earned the number one overall seed in the NCAA tournament for the first time in program history. This marked the third time in four seasons that Pitt has hosted up until the National Semifinal. All four matches were held at the Petersen Events Center for the first time in program history, seeing NCAA Tournament record breaking crowds.
Men's Soccer
Men’s Soccer won its first outright ACC title and reached the national quarterfinals for the fourth time in the past five seasons. The Panthers earned the No. 2 overall seed in the NCAA Tournament after being the lone team nationally to record six or more Quad 1 wins (6-2) in the regular season.
Wrestling
Pitt Wrestling spent the entire season ranked in the Top 25 of the national polls and finished the season with four wins against Top 25 ranked opponents. The Panthers had eight qualifiers, including seven automatic qualifiers, at the NCAA Championships in Philadelphia. The eight qualifiers marked the most under head coach Keith Gavin and the most since also having eight qualifiers in 2014.
All-Americans
Four Panthers were named AVCA All-Americans as a nation best three Panthers (Rachel Fairbanks, Olivia Babcock and Torrey Stafford) earned a spot on the First Team, and Bre Kelley was named to the Second Team.
Casper Svendby became the third All-America selection in program history and the 25th All-American coached by Jay Vidovich overall.
Desmond Reid and Kyle Louis each earned All-America honors from four different organizations, highlighting a standout year for the Panthers, who reached the postseason for the 38th time in program history and the seventh under head coach Pat Narduzzi. Ben Sauls also received All-America recognition from Pro Football Focus.
Mac Stout (197) finished the year with a 27-4 record and placed seventh at the NCAA Championships to earn All-American honors.
Je’Nyia Burton claimed Second Team All-America honors at 2025 NCAA Indoor Championships to become the fourth Panther in the past three years and 31st Panther in women's program history to receive All-American recognition.
Eva Baldursdottir posted a personal best 1.84 meters in the women’s high jump to finish 12th at the NCAA Outdoor Track & Field Championships to collect Second Team All-America honors. Pitt’s 4x100 relay team of Darren McQueen, Jr., Nigel Hussey, Malik Ricketts and Stephon Brown also earned Honorable Mention All-America recognition in the men’s championship. Ricketts also earned individual All-America honors as he competed in the 400-meter race and concluding his career as a three-time All-American.
Two Panthers earned All-America status for Pitt’s swimming and diving program. Sophie Yendell was an All-American in the 50 Free and honorable mention All-American in the 100 Fly, becoming Pitt's first female All-American swimmer since 1986. Cameron Cash won two bronze medals (3M & Platform) at the ACC Championships and earned All-America status on the 3M. He was the first men's diver in program history to earn All-America honors in back-to-back seasons.
National Player of the Year
Olivia Babcock
Babcock was named the program's first AVCA National Player of the Year and the University of Pittsburgh’s first Honda Award winner. She also received an ESPY nomination as Best College Athlete in Women’s Sports, becoming the first female athlete at Pitt to claim that honor. Babcock’s extensive resume from her sophomore campaign also included ACC Player of the Year, First Team All-ACC, AVCA East Coast Region Player of the Year, East Coast Region Team, NCAA Tournament Pittsburgh Regional Most Outstanding Player, and Sullivan Award Semifinalist accolades.
NCAA Leaders
Sarah Schupansky led NCAA Women’s Soccer in assists (15) and assists per game (0.83). She matched a program record with four assists in a 6-1 win over Dartmouth (Sept. 5) and became the second player in Pitt history to record 100 career points during the 7-0 win over Mercyhurst (Sept. 8). Schupansky also recorded two assists in Pitt's win over Syracuse (Oct. 13) to set the school single-season assists record.
Olivia Babcock led NCAA Women’s Volleyball in total points (677.5), while also recording 538 kills to set a 25-point scoring era individual season record at Pitt. She also established school records for single season aces (71) and single match aces (12 against Boston College - Oct. 4). In the National Semifinal match, Babcock recorded 33 kills for another 25-point scoring era record and the most by a Panther in an NCAA Tournament match.
Pitt Volleyball led the nation in team hitting percentage (0.332)
ACC Top Honors
Olivia Babcock and Dan Fisher collected ACC Player of the Year and ACC Coach of the Year honors after another dominant run through the conference.
Men’s Soccer Head coach Jay Vidovich and defender Casper Svendby won ACC Coach of the Year and ACC Defensive Player of the Year accolades as Pitt claimed its first outright ACC regular season title.
Dayton Pitzer earned the ACC Most Outstanding Wrestler award after a dominating run through the heavyweight division at the 2025 ACC Championships.
ACC Individual Champions
Transfer student-athlete Je'Nyia Burton set three school records (200m, 300m, 400m), was crowned the ACC Champion in the indoor 400-meter race and became a 2x All-ACC honoree (1st Team, 400m; 2nd Team, 200m). She broke her own 400-meter program record en route to the ACC title crossing the line in 51.82 to become the only woman in program history to run the 400-meter race in under 52 seconds. The senior standout followed up with a 23.39 fifth-place performance in the 200-meter race, breaking Cambrya Jones' 13-year school record in the process.
Reece Heller (184), Mac Stout (197) and Dayton Pitzer (285) each claimed individual ACC titles as Pitt finished in second at the 2025 ACC Wrestling Championships. The Panthers matched their best team finish since joining the ACC, also finishing second at the 2015 and 2020 ACC Championships. The three individual champions also matched a program best, with the Panthers having three wrestlers claim titles in 2015, 2017, and 2022.
Devin Nugent won a pair of ACC Outdoor Track & Field titles running sub-50 seconds for the first time of his career with a personal best 49.52 to earn first place in the 400m hurdles before anchoring the 4x400 relay team. The 4x400 relay team - Malik Ricketts, Nigel Hussey, Thomas McDonough and Nugent – led wire-to-wire in posting a facility record with a time of 3:03.96.
CARDIAC CATS
Dramatic Wins from Grittsburgh
VOLLEYBALL
The Panthers claimed sole possession of the 2024 ACC Volleyball Championship with a win over rival Louisville in the KFC Yum! Center on Nov. 27, 2024, in front of over 12,000 fans. Olivia Babcock and Rachel Fairbanks recorded match highs in kills (23) and assists (47), respectively. Middle blocker Bre Kelley was the match leader in blocks with seven as Pitt recorded first road win in the series since 2019.
MEN'S BASKETBALL
Zack Austin buried his fifth three-pointer of the game with 0.4 seconds remaining as Pitt overcame a double-figure halftime deficit en route to a 91-90 win over Ohio State at Value City Arena on Nov. 29, 2024. The Panthers, ranked 25th in the USA Today Coaches Poll, trailed by 12 with 17:40 left in the contest before Papa Amadou Kante entered the contest and helped shift momentum. Amadou Kante finished the day with a career-high 12 points to go along with four offensive rebounds and a blocked shot as his energy and enthusiasm ignited the Panthers.
FOOTBALL
Pitt Football delivered back-to-back comeback victories that signaled a turning point for the program. First, the Panthers erased a 21-point deficit at Cincinnati, Pitt’s largest comeback since 1971, behind three fourth-quarter touchdown passes from quarterback Eli Holstein and a game-winning field goal by Ben Sauls. One week later, in the Backyard Brawl against West Virginia, Holstein again led a dramatic late-game drive, capped by a 40-yard touchdown pass to Daejon Reynolds, securing a 38–34 win and Pitt’s first back-to-back home victories over WVU in over 40 years.
MEN'S SOCCER
Forward Albert Thorsen scored the game-winning goal in the 98th minute as Pitt secured its fourth NCAA Quarterfinal appearance in the past five seasons with a 3-2 win over Kansas City on Dec. 1 at Ambrose Urbanic Field. Pitt took advantage of a restart off a Kansas City foul in the 98th minute. Niklas Soerensen played Arnau Vilamitjana in the midfield and the Girona, Spain native quickly threaded a thru ball between two defenders to Thorsen on a well-timed run towards the right post. The sophomore forward took a soft touch and held off a defender before beating the Kansas City goalie low side into the left side of the net from 15-yards out.
VOLLEYBALL
Pitt Volleyball defeated Oregon in front of a raucous crowd in the Regional Semifinal at the Petersen Events Center on Dec. 12, 2024, in a tight five set match. With the win, the Panthers advanced to their fifth consecutive Regional Final. Olivia Babcock recorded 31 kills in the match, a career high and the most in an NCAA Tournament match by a Panther in program history at that time. Babcock would go one to set a new career high and NCAA Tournament match high for kills in the NCAA Semifinals.
WOMEN'S BASKETBALL
Pitt completed the largest regulation comeback win in NCAA women's basketball history on Jan. 12, knocking off SMU, 72-59, at the Petersen Events Center. The Panthers trailed by 32 points with 1:37 remaining in the second period, before outscoring SMU, 54-10, in the second half. Pitt's defense held the Mustangs to 2-for-24 (.083) shooting in the second half and forced eight Mustang turnovers. The Panthers were paced by guard Mikayla Johnson (22 points) and center Khadija Faye (21 points).
LACROSSE
Senior Day was one to remember for Pitt Lacrosse with the first ranked win in program history defeating No. 25 Notre Dame 13-12 on April 12, 2025. The Panthers scored five consecutive goals midway through the contest to overcome an three-goal deficit in the second quarter. Fourth quarter goals by Jenna Henderickson and Paige Telatovich gave Pitt a two-goal lead that the Pitt defense held the Fighting Irish scoreless over a span of 7:05 in the final quarter.
SOFTBALL
Pitt softball defeated No. 11 Virginia Tech twice in dramatic fashion to record the first series win over a ranked opponent in program history. Kylie Griggs hit a walk-off single in the bottom of the ninth inning in the series opener at Vartabedian Field, ending the Hokies Division I-leading 17-game winning streak. The Panthers bounced back in the second game of a doubleheader the next day with a 6-3 victory to win the series. After surrendering a 2-0 lead in the top of the sixth inning, Pitt countered with four runs, including a solo home run by KK Esparza, in the bottom of the frame to retake the lead. Kyra Pittman finished off the Hokies with a 1-2-3 seventh.
BASEBALL
The Panthers came back in consecutive games to walk-off Virginia Tech and No. 12 West Virginia in dramatic fashion in early May. Against the Hokies, Jackson Cooke launched a pinch-hit, game-tying, two-run blast in the ninth inning to send the game to extra innings. In the bottom of the thirteenth inning, and down a pair of runs again, the Panthers scored three runs to complete the comeback and their sweep of Virginia Tech. AJ Nessler’s walk-off single was his fifth hit of the game and fourth run driven in. His five hits were a career high and tied a Charles L. Cost Field record for hits in a game. Two days later, Pitt found themselves trailing by four runs to rival West Virginia in the bottom of the ninth inning. The Panthers roared back for the second consecutive game and scored five runs to walk-off the Mountaineers on a Gavin Miller groundball up the middle.
BASEBALL
Pitt Baseball’s flare for the dramatic showed itself one last time in 2025 with their ACC Tournament win over CWS participant Louisville. After the Panthers relinquished a late-inning lead, Luke Cantwell blasted a two-run home run in the bottom of the eighth inning which gave Pitt a 13-11 lead. All-Region pitcher, Ethan Firoved, shut the door on the Cardinals in the top of the ninth inning to earn his eighth save of the year as the Panthers moved on to the second round.
WRESTLING
The Backyard Brawl proved to be just that as the 18th-ranked Pitt wrestling team rallied from an 11-0 deficit to defeat No. 22 West Virginia, 25-17, at the WVU Coliseum. Kade Brown (149) and Dylan Evans (157) got the Panthers on the board with back-to-back bonus point victories, but the Panthers still trailed the Mountaineers, 17-9, after the first six bouts. The Panthers scored 16 points over the final four bouts, beginning with Luca Augustine (174) and Reece Heller (184) winning back-to-back competitive matches. Mac Stout (197) put the Panthers in the lead with a major decision victory and Dayton Pitzer (285) put an exclamation point on the dual with a pin in the final match of the night to secure the 25-17 victory for the Panthers.
Academic Excellence
18 of 19 Pitt athletic programs posted GPAs of 3.0 or better for the academic year
Pitt had four student-athletes (Rachel Fairbanks – VB, Guilherme Feitosa – MSOC, Sarah Schupansky – WSOC and Sophie Yendell – S&D) garner CSC Academic All-America accolades.
Rachel Fairbanks was named the ACC Volleyball Co-Scholar Athlete of the Year for the second consecutive year.
Luca Augustine received the NCAA ELITE 90 Award for wrestling and was named the ACC Wrestling Scholar Athlete of the Year. He became the first student-athlete from Pitt and the first wrestler from the ACC to earn the ELITE 90 Award. Augustine was also one of five Pitt wrestlers (Nick Babin, Dylan Evans, Reece Heller, Mac Stout) named NWCA Scholar All-American.
Cameron Cash, Claire Jansen and Sophie Yendell each earned CSCAA Scholar All-American honors.
Cameron Cash (swimming & diving) and Emmy Klika (volleyball) were selected by the Atlantic Coast Conference for Postgraduate Scholarship recognition. Cash was chosen as a Weaver-James-Corrigan-Swofford Award recipient, while Klika earned both the Weaver-James-Corrigan-Swofford Award and the Jim & Pat Thacker Scholarship Award.
Organizations Impacted
AD 99, ALS Association, American Cancer Society, Ammons Rec Center, Beth Shalom Congregation, Boys and Girls Club, Brookline Teen Outreach, Children's Home of Pittsburgh, Children's Hospital, Cleveland Bros, Dicks Sporting Goods, Girls on the Run, Goddard School, Greater Pittsburgh Food Bank, Greenfield Baseball Association, Hazelwood CEC, Heyward House, Hill District CEC, Hillman Cancer Center, Howard Hanna, Humane Animal Rescue, Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation, Magee Women's Hospital, Miracle League, Office of Community and Governmental Relations, Out of Darkness, Pitt's Kids, Pitt Athletics, Pittsburgh Flag Football, Pittsburgh Hard Ball, Pittsburgh Hardball Academy, Pitt Serves, Race For Grace, Rock Steeler Style NFL Charity, Ronald McDonald House, Sacred Heart Elementary, Salute to Service, Senior Citizens, Southwestern Veterans Home, Special Olympics, Strong Women Strong Girls, Team Foster, University of Pittsburgh, UPMC, Vitalant
Volunteer Added Organization
4:12 Sports, 412 Food Rescue, Allegheny General Hospital, Aspinwall Gymnastics, B&G, Clearbrook Elementary, Cross Catholic Outreach, Friends of Bantan Jeep Association, Junior Captain, Knoch Music Boosters, Light of Life Food Bank, New Bethany Ministry, Next Level Lacrosse, Northway Community Church, PALS, Pitt Alumni Association, Pitt Alumni Student Network, Pitt Athletic Awards, Pitt Hiring Process, Pressley Ridge School, Steve Snider 5k, The Children's Home, UPMC Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh, Upper Deck Golf
DEVELOPMENT
Panther Club Celebrates Record Fundraising Year
Fueled by the generosity and commitment of Panther Nation, the Panther Club had its most successful fundraising year to date, driven by the largest number of donors in Pitt Athletics history (16,063) and more than $19.9 million in total cash contributions—both all-time highs. Whether a first-time supporter or a longtime Panther Club member, the results speak for themselves: Pitt fans are investing in the future of Pitt Athletics and the success of our student-athletes.