Panthers' Choice Awards: 2024
4/7/2024 12:00:00 AM | Baseball, Cross Country, Football, General, Men's Basketball, Men's Soccer, Swimming & Diving, Women's Gymnastics, Women's Soccer, Volleyball, Wrestling, Track & Field, Women's Track & Field, Men's Swimming
PITTSBURGH – The University of Pittsburgh Department of Athletics hosted the seventh annual Panthers' Choice Awards Sunday night with a celebration of student-athlete achievements in academics, athletics and citizenship made during the 2023-24 academic year.
The Panthers' Choice Awards honor Pitt's top athletic performances, community service participation as well as the top teams in terms of both athletic and academic accomplishment.
The prestigious Panther Awards and Blue-Gold Awards were presented during the program. The names of the recipients are forever recognized on Pitt's Varsity Walk between the Cathedral of Learning and Heinz Memorial Chapel, in a tradition that dates back to 1950.
Men's basketball's Blake Hinson, wrestling's Cole Matthews, women's soccer's Amanda West and Landy Mertz and men's diving's Dylan Reed will each have their names engraved on the prestigious Varsity Walk, ensuring their status as legends in Pitt Athletics history.
Below is a full list of awards presented Sunday.
Top Overall Academic Teams of the Year
• Reserved for the male and female team with the highest cumulative GPA for the spring and fall semesters of 2023.
• Winners: Men's Soccer and Women's Cross Country
Bridge Builder Award
• Presented to the team whose student-athletes demonstrate the strongest commitment to making an impact in the community.
• Winner: Spirit Squad
Heart of a Panther Award
• Presented to the student-athletes who best embody the spirit of service through the Pitt Promise and is involved in the community above and beyond what is required.
• Ellie Coffield (Women's Soccer)
Gold Standard Teammates of the Year
• Presented to the student-athlete who most effectively inspires his or her team through exemplary commitment, composure, and integrity.
• Baseball: Dom Popa
• Men's Basketball: Papa Kante
• Football: Nate Yarnell
• Gymnastics: Ciara Ward
• Women's Basketball: Aislin Malcolm
• Lacrosse: Abby Thorne
• Men's Soccer: Jackson Gilman
• Women's Soccer: Ellie Coffield
• Men's Track and Field/Cross Country: Sam Otis
• Women's Track and Field/Cross Country: Ellen Baker
• Men's Swimming and Diving: Krzysztof Radziszewski
• Women's Swimming and Diving: Sophie Yendell
• Volleyball: Valeria Vazquez Gomez
• Wrestling: Luca Augustine
• Softball: Kat Rodriguez
• Cheer: Julia Palus
• Dance: Kaylea Gallagher
Gold Standard Administrator of the Year
• Presented to non-coaching staff members of the athletic department who have gone above and beyond to ensure success and development of the student-athletes.
• Baseball: Gunnar Geyer (Academic Counselor)
• Men's Basketball: Mike Farabaugh (Director, Academic Support Services)
• Football: Chris LaSala (Associate Athletic Director of Football Administration)
• Gymnastics: Shawn Mueller (Athletic Trainer)
• Women's Basketball: Jennifer Tuscano (Executive Associate Athletic Director of Sport Administration, Senior Woman Administrator)
• Lacrosse: Aaron Duvall (Director of Olympic Sports Strength & Conditioning)
• Men's Soccer: Tilly Sheets (Associate Director of Academic Support Services
• Women's Soccer: Brenna MacDonald (Senior Assistant Strength & Conditioning Coach)
• Men's Track and Field/Cross Country: Indira Bricker (Athletic Trainer)
• Women's Track and Field/Cross Country: Darryl Weston (Director of Operations)
• Men's Swimming and Diving: Chris Byland (Assistant Director of Academic Support Services)
• Women's Swimming and Diving: Mikaela Laughlin (Athletic Trainer)
• Volleyball: Deirdre Chatlos (Athletic Trainer)
• Wrestling: Brian Bonnar (Athletic Trainer)
• Softball: Jen Verbiar (Athletic Trainer)
• Cheer: Katie Stumpp (Associate Athletic Director of Administration)
• Dance: Katie Stumpp (Associate Athletic Director of Administration)
James Conner Comeback of the Year
• Presented to a student-athlete who, having recovered from an injury, illness or hardship, returns to make a noteworthy contribution to their teams' athletic success.
• Winner: Chiamaka Nwokolo (Volleyball)
David Sandberg Champion Award
• In memory of the former Pitt wrestler and assistant coach, this award is presented to the senior who best exemplifies the qualities that Sandberg embraced: dedication to academic and athletic excellence, with an unyielding spirit and passionate commitment to the improvement of the University of Pittsburgh and its surrounding communities.
• Winner: David Green (Football)
Male and Female Performance of the Year
• Presented to a male and female student-athlete for the most remarkable or significant performance achieved in 2023-24.
• Winners: Foluke Olujide-Ajibade (Women's Track and Field) – Took silver in the weight throw at the 2024 ACC Championship meet. Threw for 21.67 meters, breaking her own personal and school record of 21.35 meters set earlier in the season. Cameron Cash (Men's Diving) – Won first place overall and was named ACC Champion in the men's platform and 3-meter. His overall score of 448.95 broke a school record and qualified him for the Olympic Trials. He was also named the ACC Most Valuable Diver.
Newcomer of the Year
• Presented to the student-athlete who has made an immediate impact at Pitt in their first year of intercollegiate competition. Nominees may include freshmen and redshirts.
• Winner: Olivia Babcock (Volleyball)
Team Moment of the Year
• Presented in recognition of a striking performance by an individual or group in a specific competition that led to a shift in momentum.
• Winner: Volleyball advancing to the program's third straight NCAA Final Four in a reverse sweep over Louisville
Male and Female Athlete of the Year
• Presented to a male and female standout student-athlete who has demonstrated outstanding athletic performance during competition and has been instrumental to their teams' success.
• Winners: Blake Hinson (Men's Basketball) and Rachel Fairbanks (Volleyball)
Script Writer Award
• Recognizes a student-athlete who best embraces Pitt Athletics' seven bridges achieving comprehensive excellence within the classroom, on the field/court of play, within our University's community, and within the city of Pittsburgh.
• Winner: Ciara Ward (Gymnastics)
Blue-Gold Award
• Presented to the male and female senior student-athlete who best represents the student-athlete "ideal" based on academic scholarship, athletic achievement, leadership qualities and citizenship. These recipients will be forever recognized on the Varsity Walk.
• Winners: Landy Mertz (Women's Soccer) and Dylan Reed (Men's Diving)
Panther Award
• Presented to the male and female senior student-athlete who has promoted Pittsburgh Athletics through his or her outstanding athletic achievement. These recipients will be forever recognized on the Varsity Walk.
• Winners: Amanda West (Women's Soccer), Blake Hinson (Men's Basketball) and Cole Matthews (Wrestling)
Carson Graduate Fellowship Full Award
• Stewarded to the best candidate who is of high moral character and has shown outstanding undergraduate academic achievement at the University of Pittsburgh, who demonstrates the potential for outstanding graduate study in continuing their graduate or professional education at the University of Pittsburgh.
• Winner: Jerry Chen (Men's Swimming)
Herb Douglas Mentorship Award
• Stewarded to the best candidate who best embodies Herb's dedication to leading, inspiring and mentoring the world's future achievers.
• Winner: Sam Clancy (Varsity Letter Club)
Players Mentioned
