2-9-15

Vol. 105 Issue 109

@thepittnews

ʻAw, here it goesʼ: Kenan Thompson to speak at Pitt

Monday, February 9, 2015

Pittnews.com

GAME ON

Harrison Kaminsky News Editor This calls for a round of orange soda — Kenan Thompson is coming to Pitt.

“Saturday Night Live” star Kenan Thompson will speak on April 13 in the William Pitt Union Assembly room at 8:30 p.m., according to a Pitt Program Council release. Free tickets — with a maximum of two per person — will be available on March 30 in the PPC Ticket Office on the ground floor of the WPU. Doors open at 8 p.m..

Pitt students welcomed Thompson’s antics into their homes on Nickelodeon’s “All That” in the ‘90s. Others remember Thompson from his time on “Kenan and Kel,” “The Mighty Ducks” movies and “Good Burger.” His teenage wisecracks and constant feuds with costar Kel Mitchell, usually over the topic of orange soda, gave fans a taste for his comedy. Since 2003, Thompson has become a prominent member of the “Saturday Night Live” cast. He is the longest-serving black cast member and has performed roughly 108 celebrity impressions on the show, the release said.

Thompson’s appearance will be more stand-up comedy than a lecture, because comedy is his expertise, according to PPC’s

Thompson

Competition was fierce at the Super Smash Brothers Tournament on Saturday at the O’Hara dining room Nate Smith | Staff Photographer

Pitt negotiating contracts with union workers Dale Shoemaker Assistant News Editor

Pam Johnston’s livelihood is under negotiation.

After 23 years at Pitt, where she works on the crews that clean buildings, she now makes $16.42 an hour under her union’s contract, which gives workers an annual raise between 1.75 and 3 percent a year.

Despite this, she spends roughly 12 percent of each paycheck for health insurance. As her 2 wages increase every year, her health insurance

costs increase alongside it.

“We’ve been at a standstill for [about] 10 years,” Johnston said.

The cost of health insurance is central to the negotiations between Pitt and the Service Employees International Union Local 32BJ. The union’s contract with Pitt expired Dec. 31, 2014, but Pitt and the SEIU have agreed to extend the contract until the end of February to allow more time for negotiations, which began in November. Local 32BJ represents the approximately 400 service workers at Pitt.

Sam Williamson, a spokesman for 32BJ and its lead negotiator with Pitt, said wages and health insurance were the “bread and butter” issues of the negotiations and that, so far, the University has been “amicable” during negotiations.

Williamson said the union members want an agreement that makes sense economically and “provides workers with enough of a wage increase to keep up with the rising cost of living

SEIU

4

2 FROM PAGE 1

THOMPSON lecture director Lindsy Steinberger.

“We believe that having Thompson come is entertaining for our students and also inspirational to see someone we grew up with have an illustrious comedy career,” Steinberger said.

Steinberger said PPC is not able to disclose the names of other speakers who PPC considered because “some can still be a possibility for a future lecture.”

According to the release, Thompson’s availability and pricing best fit the kind of show PPC sought to produce.

“The availability and pricing of the lecturers are given to us by their respective agents,

February 9, 2015 | The Pitt News | www.pittnews.com Thompson is most famous for his starring role on Saturday Night Live. | TNS

and, due to contract stipulations, we are not at liberty to disclose the price that we paid for Kenan Thompson to speak at Pitt,” said Jon Lehan, executive board director of PPC. Steinberger said she expects the lecture to sell out because of the connection Pitt students have made with Thompson throughout their childhoods.

This will also be the first year that the winner of PPC’s Comedy Competition, which PPC will hold on March 5, will open for a lecturer.

Shawn Cassidy, PPC’s arts and film director, expects 12 people to participate in the competition.

Steinberger said other than opportunity for Pitt students to see Thompson, the event also provides a chance to “support a Pitt student’s comedy aspirations by offering them the chance to open for Thompson.”

February 9, 2015 | The Pitt News | www.pittnews.com

3

February 9, 2015 | The Pitt News | www.pittnews.com

3

4 FROM PAGE 1

SEIU

and allows workers to afford to pay for the high cost of health insurance.”

“Pitt charges [workers] a lot more for health insurance than its peers around the city or even around the state,” Williamson said, “and being able to pay for that and making sure their kids are covered under their plan ... becomes more and more of a burden. One of our goals is making sure people are able to have good health insurance and not have to struggle to pay for it.”

In an email, University spokeswoman Cara Masset confirmed that a team of University negotiators are currently meeting with a team of 32BJ SEIU negotiators but that negotiations were not “being conducted in public.”

“A new agreement is being negotiated,” Masset said. “The University of Pittsburgh will continue in good faith to negotiate issues raised at the table. The negotiations are private.”

Masset also said the University was not “privy to the costs at other organizations,” and that the cost of health insurance for the service workers depends on the level of coverage at

February 9, 2015 | The Pitt News | www.pittnews.com each organization.

Johnston said the current contract, which has been in place since 2011, is “a good contract,” but the cost of health insurance “is one of the biggest concerns.”

Williamson said Pitt, as one of the leading employers in western Pennsylvania, should continue to provide good wages and affordable health insurance to its service workers. “[Pitt is] a major institution that is critical to the health and to the success of our economy and because of that they should lead ... and fight for wages that raise [workers] out of poverty. Pitt has done a good job at [this]. We want them to continue to do that,” Williamson said.

The service workers at Pitt perform a variety of janitorial jobs, including cleaning classrooms and bathrooms, as well as more technical jobs like operating the autoclaves in the basement of the medical science building.

All Pitt employees, including administrators, professors and service workers, can buy the same health insurance. For a professor earning $50,000 per year, the most expensive health plan would cost 8 percent of his or her salary.

The top health insurance program option offered by Pitt is the Panther Gold plan, accord-

ing to Pitt’s Human Resources website. The full monthly cost of this plan, which covers a family, is $1,303. Employees pay $335 of this a month, and Pitt pays the remaining $968.

With this plan, employees pay $4,020 annually.

The cheapest plan that still covers a family, the Panther Basic plan, costs $1,014 a month.

Employees pay $46 of this a month and Pitt pays the remaining $968. The amount employees are expected to pay for a doctor’s visit or medical procedure under this plan, though, is much higher than other plans.

Johnston would only say how much she makes an hour. She declined to provide a copy of her paycheck, and Pitt would not confirm what workers get paid, but at her current $16.42 hourly wage, Johnston makes roughly $32,000 a year. If she bought the Panther Gold family plan, her health insurance deductions would amount to about 12 percent of her salary. For a newly hired worker making $12.98 per hour, the Panther Gold family plan would amount to 15 percent of each month’s salary.

32BJ has also calculated this figure and published it on fliers that Union members have distributed around Pitt’s campus.

Julie Blust, a representative for 32BJ SEIU, said these figures were based on Pitt’s start-

ing wage and the monthly deduction to pay their share of their health insurance premium.

Masset said the University considers salary information to be confidential and could not discuss the figures.

To compare, Chancellor Patrick Gallagher, who gets paid $525,000 per year, according to the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, can buy this same health insurance plan through the University.

Even if Chancellor Gallagher buys the Panther Gold family plan, his annual payments amount to less than 1 percent of his salary.

Other institutions like Pitt charge far less for the same health coverage, Williamson said, because their plans are tiered based on income. Penn State, for example, charges for health insurance based on a percentage of an employee’s income.

Penn State charges its employees 5.61 percent of their annual salary for a family plan.

For an employee at Johnston’s pay grade, this is $140.37 per month, according to their human resources website, and for an employee at Pitt’s starting pay grade, $116.87 per month.

For an individual plan, Penn State charges its employees 1.81 percent of their annual salary.

SEIU

5

February 9, 2015 | The Pitt News | www.pittnews.com FROM PAGE 4

SEIU

For an employee at Johnston’s pay grade, Penn State charges $45.28 per month and for an employee at Pitt’s starting pay grade, Penn State charges $37.70 per month.

Johnston, who has helped the 32BJ SEIU with contract negotiations since 1998, said the other 400 service workers at Pitt feel similarly about the high cost of health insurance. In preparation for negotiations with the University, she and the other negotiators surveyed the other service workers by passing around questionnaires.

“We surveyed with the members about what needs to be changed, what needs to be tweaked,” Johnston said. “Then we sat down with the University. [This contract] is a big deal because it’s a big university. We asked people what’s important to them.”

The questionnaires asked the service employees questions like whether they were satisfied with their job and what improvements could make it better.

Williamson said negotiations began back in November. He said the Union and University

have met “five or six times” to date, and he expects “another four or five meetings before the end of the month.”

The negotiations usually consist of 25 people in a room, he said, “a dozen from our side and approximately a dozen from the other side.”

Williamson and several other Union members, including Johnston, represent the union.

Various department heads, Williamson said, including the head of Labor Relations, the head of Facilities Management and the head of Maintenance, represent Pitt, though John

Fedele, University spokesman, declined to confirm this.

Johnston said affordable health care is important because the work she and the other service workers do is physical.

“Most workers are in their 40s and 50s,” Johnston said. “Some senior workers ... are not retiring because of health insurance,” she said.

Williamson said 32BJ SEIU isn’t aware of specific work-related injuries but said he’s aware of how taxing their jobs can be.

“It’s a job where you’re on your feet all day long doing physical work all day long, whether

5 you’re cleaning a classroom or dorm room or working as mover, moving heavy equipment around or cleaning dorms in summer,” Williamson said. “People get worn down. They get tired.”

Despite this, Williamson said the service workers are dedicated to the University.

“They really feel like they’re part of the campus and making the students feel at home,” he said.

Johnston echoed these sentiments.

“We’re a part of this campus, and we still feel that,” Johnston said.

6

February 9, 2015 | The Pitt News | www.pittnews.com

EDITORIAL

OPINIONS

Syracuseʼs self-imposed ban should not influence NCAA investigation

After Syracuse’s loss to Pitt on Saturday, paired with its subpar play throughout the year, the prestigious basketball program’s chances of an NCAA Tournament bid would have been slim. But, this year, performance won’t affect outcome anyway. Syracuse University has implemented a self-imposed postseason ban to address potential academic violations in 2007, but this seemingly laudable move should not impact the NCAA’s investigation into the matter.

Syracuse’s actions are reflective of prioritizing academic integrity over athletics.

Nonetheless, we urge the NCAA to continue its investigation into the problem. If Syracuse is guilty of academic violations, its self-imposed ban will not be a sufficient penalty for the program, which would typically consist of loss of scholarships or longer postseason bans. Alternatively,

COLUMN

current athletes should not be penalized for wrongdoings that happened almost a decade ago. Following the Jerry Sandusky scandal at Penn State, the NCAA relaxed its transfer policy so players could earn opportunities to play elsewhere, therefore ensuring that it did not unjustly punish innocent student athletes. The same approach must be taken in Syracuse’s case.

This year, the Orange are 15-8 — not their best season. Looking to next year, the traditionally strong program will welcome one of the most impressive recruiting classes of any program in the country.

Because Syracuse’s self-imposed postseason ban only lasts one season — and was imposed midway through the year — the NCAA cannot cease its scrutiny of the situation. If the NCAA clears the team, then the Orange should face no sanctions. But if the NCAA finds Syracuse guilty of vio-

lations, the prestigious program should face more than a ban on a postseason it perhaps wouldn’t even have had.

Focusing on the current situation, Syracuse’s ban is most unfair to its own athletes. Orange players, such as senior Rakeem Christmas, have no connection to any wrongdoing in 2007, but are paying the consequences at the request of its own program.

This scandal’s impact on players is different from what happened with Penn State’s football program following the Jerry Sandusky scandal. The NCAA decided upon sanctions to target the program itself and allowed other programs to use 2013 scholarships on 2012 Penn State players.

In regard to Syracuse’s basketball program, current students cannot transfer under special circumstances like Penn

State football players could following the Sandusky scandal. If the NCAA does, indeed, sanction Syracuse basketball, its athletes should have a chance to continue their basketball careers elsewhere.

Overall, Syracuse’s self-imposed ban raises many questions as to whether or not it is an adequate response to potential academic violations dating back to 2007. Because we do not know what the investigation will find, we cannot say for sure what the appropriate sanctions on Syracuse should be, but precedent shows that lost scholarships may be in the program’s future. The NCAA must diligently consider whether Syracuse deserves to be more heavily sanctioned, while at the same time guarantee that current athletes do not lose their own opportunities because of wrongs committed eight years ago.

Field of dreamers

Why baseball is an idealist’s-and America’s-sport Stephen Caruso Columnist When I was in high school, I remember seeing a senior’s quote under a smug athletic face that read, “Baseball is what America was. Football is what America is.”

If that’s the case, then I’d suggest avoiding mirrors, America.

The last six months have been nothing but a disaster for the NFL. Roger Goodell, the league’s commissioner — who seems to do a better job of ignoring problems than solving them — admitted that “It has been a tough year.” Every issue has shown that the NFL seems to care more about how it is perceived by the public than the actual character of

the sport. The NFL only hit Ray Rice with a harsh punishment after the release of the elevator video displaying him punching his then-fiancee and the subsequent public outcry. The Vikings only suspended Adrian Peterson for hitting his child after sponsors began to back out. Meanwhile, Marshawn Lynch has only become an issue because the Seattle star running back refused to talk to reporters — i.e., he refused to let his personality be sold to the public for the benefit of the league.

In a column I wrote in the fall, I suggested we boycott the NFL this year.

Well, overall, I tried my best. It was tough, given how well the Bills played, and the whole being a suffering Buffalo fan. I sneaked a few hours of football

into my schedule, I’ll admit. But now that football season is finally over, I can feel the warmth of spring approaching.

And with spring comes a truly American experience: baseball.

Nothing captures the American spirit better to me than baseball, save perhaps jazz and barbecue. All three embody innovation, individualism and egalitarianism to the core. Just as anyone can slather some generic sauce on ribs and call it barbecue, or scat sing to a jazz piece, anyone can pick up a bat and play the national game. In the words of Bill Veeck, one of the greatest owners in baseball history, “[baseball] is played by people, real people, not freaks. Basketball is played by giants.

Football is played by corn-fed hulks.

The normal-sized man plays baseball and the fellow in the stands can relate to that.” Stars in baseball can come in all shapes and sizes, from 2014 AL batting champion José Altuve, who stands 5-foot-6, to Hall of Fame pitcher Randy Johnson, who loomed over his competitors at 6-foot-10.

Since most people of even the slightest athletic ability are welcome, the become a star is to have talent and excel.

Even as juiced-up players in the ‘90s succeeded, players like Greg Maddux, Craig Biggio and Pedro Martinez showed that biceps the size of cantaloupes were not necessary to be a Hall of Famer. Channeling Biggio, Altuve is great because of his 7 Caruso ability

February 9, 2015 | The Pitt News | www.pittnews.com FROM PAGE 6

CARUSO to make contact with the ball when the rest of the hitters are struggling with the highest strikeout rate in baseball history. Randy Johnson is an all-time great because his ability to dominate hitters when hitting 40 home runs was commonplace, leading him to strike out 4,875 batters — second most ever.

Innovation is also a key to winning in baseball. Everyone by now knows the power of empirical baseball analysis, such as “moneyball” or sabermetrics.

Clubs implementing these new techniques, like the Boston Red Sox and San Francisco Giants, have won six world championships between them in the past 10 years. The teams that master trends win, and those who don’t fall behind.

Finally, baseball is entirely a sport of individuals. Yes, they play together on a team. But each accomplishment is an individual accomplishment. A batter hits a home run by himself. He doesn’t need

blockers. While you need all nine players on the field at once, each soldiers his responsibilities by himself. The team is not a blunt instrument, with each individual losing his identity for the greater goal of winning. The team in baseball is only a metaphor for how we interact in America; different people coming together of their own volition to achieve a shared goal.

America is a nation of ideals , From “all men are created equal” to “a government by the people are for the people.”

That is our greatest strength and worst weakness. Why should America’s game be one that indulges in our weakness, the denial of actual problems in favor of promoting false ideals? Just as the NFL ignores brain damage to its players, the U.S. covered up the torture

of detainees, in the name of keeping the “brand image” sparkly.

Steroids certainly taint this idealism, but steroids also did not make Hall of Famers out of anyone. Barry Bonds, Alex Rodriguez, Roger Clemens and Mark McGwire would have still gone down as all-time greats without a single injection. Their drive to use questionable means to accomplish these goals deserves criticism, but the 19th-century Industrial Revolution America that gave birth to baseball itself was built on the backs of Andrew Carnegie, John D. Rockefeller and Cornelius Vanderbilt, men who likewise sacrificed some moral scruples to accomplish their goals. A nation of opportunity like America will attract people of great ambition. History will punish them accord-

Both baseball and America have fallen short of their lofty ideals, but true strength is acknowledging flaws and addressing them

7 ingly for their blind pursuit of it.

Baseball is America. More than that, it is America’s conscience. Both baseball and America have fallen short of their lofty ideals, but true strength is acknowledging flaws and addressing them, not covering them up. Baseball has addressed issues in the past, from gambling to integration to drug use, and it still has issues to address, which it will improve upon. But having that conversation is distinctly American.

We have a constitution that is meant to give us guidelines, but written into that very constitution is the ability to amend it to fit changing times. Change is as American as anything, and baseball has been changing for as long as America has.

So, when America looks in a mirror, let it always see a sunny day, a green field and nine people playing its greatest game.

Stephen Caruso writes on varying topics, such as economics and social issues. He is also the Layout Editor for The Pitt News.

Write to Stephen at sjc79@pitt.edu.

10

February 9, 2015 | The Pitt News | www.pittnews.com

SPORTS

MEN’S BASKETBALL

RE21PECT

SHELDON JETER SCORED A CAREER-HIGH 18 POINTS IN SATURDAY’S WIN OVER SYRACUSE. JEFF AHEARN | ASSISTANT VISUAL EDITOR

Sheldon Jeter dominates in win over Syracuse Dan Sostek Assistant Sports Editor Pitt men’s basketball head coach Jamie Dixon described the sea of fresh, black Oakland Zoo T-shirts as “as good as we’ve ever had.” But the novel concept of a “blackout” crowd wasn’t what stuck out the most following Pitt’s 83-77 home victory over Syracuse this weekend.

Instead, Sheldon Jeter, the 6-foot-8 sophomore forward who averaged less than seven minutes per contest over the last eight games, provided an undeniable spark off the bench for the Panthers, tallying a career-high 18 points in the victory. He made key passes and jumpers as the Panthers pulled away from the Orange late in the game to seal the win.

Jeter saw 23 minutes in the game, a drastic jump in playing time, after an early-game ankle injury to senior guard Cameron Wright forced Dixon to look to his bench earlier than expected.

While he didn’t know until halftime that Wright would be out for the entirety of the game, the forward knew that he had to make the most of whatever playing time he received.

“My mindset was to just go in there and play hard,” Jeter said. “My minutes have been sporadic lately, so whatever time I got, I was going to make the most of it.”

Shifting between the 3 and 4 throughout the contest, Jeter played physically, getting to the line eight times, and found open shots consistently, going 7-9 from the field.

Orange head coach Jim Boeheim was quick to acknowledge Jeter’s contributions to the game.

“I thought the difference in the game was Jeter coming off the bench,” Boeheim said in his postgame press conference. “He made some big shots.”

Those big shots included a handful of open shots, a rousing dunk to bring the capacity crowd at the Petersen Events Center to its feet

M Hoops

13

February 9, 2015 | The Pitt News | www.pittnews.com

11

WOMEN’S BASKETBALL

Pitt falters late, drops road game at No. 8 Louisville Chris Puzia Sports Editor

When freshman forward Yacine Diop drew Pitt within two points of No. 8 Louisville with 7:26 remaining in the game, neither she nor the rest of her Pitt women’s basketball team knew they wouldn’t score for another six minutes.

After that, the host Cardinals used an extended 10-0 run to close out the Panthers (15-8, 5-5 ACC). Louisville beat Pitt for the

THE PITT NEWS Natalie Daher Editor-in-Chief editor@pittnews.com

Harrison Kaminsky, News Editor news@pittnews.com

Matt Barnes, Opinions Editor letters@pittnews.com

Shawn Cooke, A&E Editor

aeeditors@gmail.com Chris Puzia, Sports Editor sports@pittnews.com

Theo Schwarz, Visual Editor photos@pittnews.com

Ellie Petrosky, Copy Chief tpncopydesk@gmail.com

Stephen Caruso, Layout Editor tpnlayout@gmail.com

second time this season on Sunday afternoon by a score of 48-35.

Senior point guard Brianna Kiesel, who has led Pitt in scoring much of the season, finished with only two points on 1-of-13 shooting. In her place, freshmen Aysia Bugg and Stasha Carey led Pitt’s limited offense with 10 points apiece.

Both teams played stifling defense throughout, as Pitt shot 21 percent in the game and Louisville shot 31 percent, and combined

E S T A B L I S HE D 1 9 1 0

Danielle Fox, Managing Editor manager@pittnews.com

Abbey Reighard, Assistant News Editor Dale Shoemaker, Assistant News Editor Courtney Linder, Assistant Opinions Editor Dan Sostek, Assistant Sports Editor Jeff Ahearn, Assistant Visual Editor Mason Lazarcheff, Multimedia Editor David Gardner, Social Media Editor Sam McGinley, Assistant Copy Chief Emily Hower, Assistant Layout Editor

Copy Staff

Sarah Choflet Anjuli Das Kinley Gillette Johanna Helba Emily Maccia

Bridget Montgomery Sarah Mejia Michelle Reagle Megan Zagorski

for 31 turnovers.

While the turnover differential remained relatively even, Louisville took a stronger advantage of Pitt’s giveaways, scoring 15 points off of turnovers compared to Pitt’s two.

Louisville (20-3, 8-2 ACC) dominated the paint, getting to the free throw line 21 times (compared to Pitt’s six) and scored 30 of its 48 points in the paint.

While the Cardinals led for 33 of the 40 minutes in the game, it stayed close until the

host team pulled away late. Louisville’s largest first-half lead was seven points, and Pitt led for the first five minutes of the game.

Senior forward Sara Hammond led the Cardinals with a game-high 11 points and 13 rebounds and posted the only double-double for either team.

The loss pulls Pitt’s conference record back to .500, and the team is now 3-5 on the road this season. It returns to the Petersen Events Center on Thursday to take on Virginia Tech.

Editorial Policies Single copies of The Pitt News are free and available at newsstands around campus. Additional copies can be purchased with permission of the editor in chief for $.50 each.

Opinions expressed herein are not necessarily those of the students, faculty or University administration. Opinions expressed in columns,- car toons and letters are not necessarily those of The Pitt News. Any letter - in tended for publication must be addressed to the editor, be no more than 250 words and include the writer’s name, phone number and University affiliation, if any. Letters may be sent via e-mail to letters@pittnews.com. The Pitt News reserves the right to edit any and all letters. In the event of multiple replies to an issue, The Pitt News may print one letter that represents the majority of responses. Unsigned editorials are a majority opinion of the Editorial Board, listed to the left.

The Pitt News is an independent, student-written and student-managed newspaper for the Oakland campus of the University of Pittsburgh. It is-pub lished Monday through Friday during the regular school year and Wednesdays during the summer.

Complaints concerning coverage by The Pitt News, after first being brought to the editors, may be referred to the Community Relations -Com mittee, Pitt News Advisory Board, c/o student media adviser, 435 William Pitt Union, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pa. 15260.

The editor in chief has the final authority on editorial matters and cannot be censored, according to state and federal law. The editor in chief is selected by the Pitt News Advisory Board, which includes University staff, - fac ulty and students, as well as journalism professionals. The business and edito rial offices of The Pitt News are located at 434 William Pitt Union, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pa. 15260.

advertising@pittnews.com

Kevin Vanover, Business Manager Advertising@pittnews.com

David Barr, Sales Manager advertising@pittnews.com

Account Executives David Barone Allison Soenksen Robert Capone Alex Kanner Antonio Blundo A.J. Campli Franny Tish Kaitlin Kramer

Marketing Manager Kristine Aprile

Ad Designer Mark Janavel Genna Gincel

Kelsey McConville, Inside Sales Manager advertising@pittnews.com

Senior University Account Executive Matt Reilly

Inside Sales Molly Emerick Victoria Hetrick Danielle Murphy

Digital Manager Stephen Ellis

Marketing Assistant Ally Stevens

12

February 9, 2015 | The Pitt News | www.pittnews.com

WRESTLING

Pitt blanks Clarion in one of programʼs most lopsided wins Chris Puzia Sports Editor

After a blowout loss at Virginia Tech and a long bus ride home, Pitt’s wrestling team returned to the friendly mats of the Fitzgerald Field House to try and make up for the loss. It did, in overwhelming fashion, two days later.

On Sunday, the No. 13 Panthers (8-5, 2-2 ACC) shut out Clarion 51-0 in the team’s largest victory since 2010, when it defeated Millersville 53-0. The result stood in stark contrast to Friday’s road match at No. 9 Virginia Tech, when the home team won 26-10.

“They had a long bus ride back from Blacksburg,” Pitt head coach Jason Peters said in a press release.

Sunday: In its first match at the Fitzgerald Field House since Jan. 11, Pitt won all 10 of the bouts against Clarion (1-15), pinning its opponents in seven of them. This was the fifth-largest victory in the history of Pitt’s

PITT RECORDED SEVEN PINS AGAINST CLARION. MEGHAN SUNNERS | STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER

wrestling program, and the second time it eclipsed 50 team points since the 1996-1997

season.

With the team earning six points for a fall,

rather than the typical three points for a standard victory, Pitt came close to reaching the maximum team point total for a match of 60.

The only other time Pitt recorded more pins than it did on Sunday came during the 1983-84 season when it shut out Eastern Michigan 60-0, recording a pin in all 10 of its bouts.

Freshman Dom Forys set the tone for the Panthers, pinning Hunter Jones in 1:42 in the opening 125-pound bout.

Pitt’s first five wrestlers recorded pins, with the fastest coming in 59 seconds when No. 20 Mikey Racciato pinned Brodie Zacherl. No. 2 Max Thomusseit also pinned his opponent, extending his record to 22-1 on the season. He is also 13-0 in dual competitions, with the lone loss coming in a tournament.

“They came out ready, scored some points and got some pins,” Peters said. “So we’re happy with the result.”

Wrestling

13

February 9, 2015 | The Pitt News | www.pittnews.com FROM PAGE 12

WRESTLING The closest the Golden Eagles came to a victory was in the last bout of the day, when Pitt’s Ryan Solomon recorded a one-point escape and defeated Clarion’s Joshua Davis 1-0 in the 285-pound match. The only other bout in which the visiting wrestler did not get pinned came when Pitt’s Troy Reaghard defeated Slade Horner 5-2. That win extended Pitt’s lead to 33-0 at the time.

The match was a quick two-day turnaround from Friday, when the Panthers traveled to Blacksburg and lost to Virginia Tech. In five of those matches in the loss, Pitt wrestlers lost by two or less points.

Friday: Pitt had won its first eight conference matches since moving into the ACC last year, but back-to-back losses at No. 14 Virginia and No. 9 Virginia Tech (11-2, 2-0 ACC) brought that streak to a grinding halt.

On a night with 10 individually ranked wrestlers competing, Pitt lost to the Hokies in Blacksburg on Friday night, 26-10.

Most of Pitt’s team points came when the

match was already well out of hand. Virginia Tech jumped out to a 23-4 lead, with Pitt’s only victory in the first eight bouts coming when No. 2 Max Thomusseit beat Austin Gabel by major decision, 10-2.

Pitt lost eight of the 10 matches, and the only other victory came when No. 20 Mikey Racciato pinned Brent Waterman of VT in 5:30. That was the second-to-last bout of the night, and the Hokies already had clinched the win. Pitt’s other ranked wrestler, No. 20 Nick Bonaccorsi, lost at 197 pounds 3-2.

In the only bout of the night featuring two ranked wrestlers, No. 12 Zach Epperly of VT defeated No. 6 Tyler Wilps, 3-2. The result, coming early on in the match, extended the Hokies’ lead to 6-0. Wilps dropped to 9-3 on the year.

The loss increased the team’s losing stint to three matches — its longest of the season — which it snapped on Sunday.

The Panthers will finish their conference schedule on Feb. 14 at North Carolina State.

The team still has two more non-conference matches before the ACC Championships in March — at Michigan, then hosting West Virginia at the Fitzgerald Field House on Feb. 22.

FROM PAGE 10

M HOOPS and, most notably, a jumper with 2:59 remaining to give Pitt a 73-72 lead, an advantage the Panthers would not relinquish for the remainder of the game.

Jeter’s road to Pitt has been long and winding. After spending his freshman year in 201213 at Vanderbilt, the forward, originally from Beaver Falls, Pa., decided he wanted to be closer to home, and hoped to transfer to Pitt.

After Vanderbilt head coach Kevin Stallings blocked Jeter’s ability to transfer to Pitt — for reasons still unconfirmed — Jeter left the Commodores and attended Polk State community college last year, not competing for them in order to preserve his remaining three years of Division I eligibility.

After eventually committing to Pitt last summer — choosing the Panthers over the likes of Georgetown, Ohio State and VCU — fans and coaches expected much of Jeter for the 2014-15 season. A tall forward who can shoot (he shot 39 percent from beyond the arc his freshman year at Vanderbilt) is hard to come by.

13 But Jeter struggled to meet expectations at Pitt, or, perhaps, has simply not had the opportunities to do so. Before Saturday’s contest against Syracuse, Jeter has only seen 10-plus minutes in three of Pitt’s previous 10 Atlantic Coast Conference games.

Still, Dixon knows how hard the sophomore has been working, and was glad to see Jeter’s efforts pay dividends against the Orange.

“I saw him out here late watching film and out here shooting in the gym on his own. I texted him, ‘I know how bad you want this.

I know how hard you’re working. It’s going to come,’” Dixon said after the game. “I’m so excited for him.”

When asked after the game how it felt to have a performance like this after his fluctuating opportunities, Jeter wasn’t too focused on the personal aspect of the win.

“It feels great,” Jeter said. “We got the W. I played well, we all played well. We just need to keep this energy going. We have three straight wins, so we need to keep it going now.”

Pitt will look to “keep it going,” as Jeter said, on Wednesday, when the Panthers will go on the road to the KFC Yum! Center to face the Louisville Cardinals. Tip-off is scheduled for 8 p.m.