Pitt Finishes Tied for Sixth in LEARFIELD Directors’ Cup Fall Standings


Pitt finished tied for sixth place in the LEARFIELD Directors’ Cup Fall Standings the Athletics department announced on Thursday.

Pitt Athletics saw great performances from five of the six fall programs that propelled them to their high finish.

Volleyball once again showed its dominance with head coach Dan Fisher in his 10th year, making its third straight Elite Eight. They defeated No. 1 and reigning National Champions in Wisconsin in five sets on the road in the Elite Eight, to make it to their second straight Final Four appearance. They battled ACC rival No. 1 Louisville in that semifinal, but lost in five sets.

Men’s soccer also proved that it could rebuild and build another solid team under seventh year head coach Jay Vidovich. Despite a winless streak in the middle of the season, Pitt managed to pick up their game in the NCAA Tournament.

They defeated No. 1 Kentucky on the road, 2-1, in dramatic fashion to make it to their third straight Elite Eight appearance and took down Portland in extra time, 1-0, to earn their second trip in three years to the College Cup. Pitt took on Indiana, but lost 2-0, finishing their season in the top four in the country.

Women’s soccer broke through in Randy Waldrum’s fifth year as head coach, making their first ever ACC Tournament and NCAA Tournament. They defeated Buffalo, 1-0, on a late goal in the First Round and then defeated No. 5 Georgetown 2-1 in the Second Round, before falling to No. 1 Florida State in the Sweet 16. Waldrum has the experience and knowledge to keep this team improving going forward, so it wouldn’t be surprising to see the program go even further in the NCAA Tournament in future years.

Football didn’t reach their goal of an ACC Championship as they did in 2021, but still finished ranked for the second year in a row, one of only nine programs to do so. After what looked like a lost season, Pitt ended the 2022 season with five straight wins, including a dramatic 37-35 victory over UCLA in the Sun Bowl.

Men’s cross country saw two runners in juniors Jack Miller and Luke Henseler make it to the NCAA Championships. Miller finished in seventh place at NCAA Mid-Atlantic Regionals, the best finish in program history, while Henseler finished in 13th place.

Miller and Henseler became the first duo in Pitt history to make it to the NCAA Championships and the first runners to make it since 1994.

Pitt finished with 309.00 total points. Volleyball had 83 points, men’s soccer 73, women’s soccer 64, football 52 and men’s cross country with 27. Pitt tied with rival Penn State with 309.00 for sixth place. North Carolina, Stanford, BYU, Ohio State and Syracuse finished in the top five for the fall.

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Read More: Pitt Finishes Tied for Sixth in LEARFIELD Directors’ Cup Fall Standings 2023-01-12 18:20:26

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