The University of Pittsburgh is enjoying a banner year for its athletic department, and that success on the field of play has now been recognized off of it. Pitt Director of Athletics, Heather Lyke, has been named a recipient of the Cushman & Wakefield AD of the Year Award. Lyke is one of four honorees along with Mark Harlan of Utah, Jamie Pollard from Iowa State and Gene Taylor of Kansas State.
Pitt is having a highly successful 2022-23 school year athletically. The Pitt football team finished off a 9-4 season with a come from behind win over UCLA in the Tony the Tiger Sun Bowl. The Panthers finished the season ranked inside of the AP Top 25 for the second year in a row.
Pitt football has now 20 games over a two-year period for the first time since 1982.
"It is more than humbling to be recognized along with some extraordinary colleagues," Lyke said in a press release. "This honor is the result of an outstanding team of people in Pitt Athletics who make great decisions and work hard every day to help our coaches and student-athletes have success. It is truly a privilege to lead Pitt Athletics and this award also represents the exceptional belief and confidence of our coaches, student-athletes and staff."
In addition to the football program having a recent resurgence under Pat Narduzzi, some of the other programs in the athletic department have flourished under Lyke's leadership. Pitt volleyball advanced to the national semifinals for a second consecutive year. Under head coach Dan Fisher, the Panthers have put together a strong program with seven consecutive NCAA Tournament appearances and four ACC Championships during this current run of success.
Pitt's Nino Bonaccorsi recently won the 197-pound individual at the NCAA Wrestling championships last weekend. Bonaccorsi became the first Pitt wrestler to win an NCAA title since 2008.
Both volleyball and wrestling have a strong base in terms of program momentum with some national success, but should receive a boost from the Victory Heights initiative spearheaded by Lyke.
Pitt's athletic director has developed a plan to upgrade the facilities for nearly all of Pitt's athletic teams over the course of the next few years, with the centerpiece of the project being a new arena that will house volleyball, wrestling, and also gymnastics.
Pitt also enjoyed a highly successful season on the pitch as well. The women's soccer team advanced to the NCAA Tournament for the first time ever, and claimed the program's first two wins in the event this season.
The men's soccer team advanced to its fourth straight NCAA Tournament. The Panthers won four NCAA Tournament games and clinched their second-ever College Cup appearance under coach Jay Vidovich.
"Heather's driving vision is one of comprehensive excellence, and this well-deserved award recognizes her success in transforming this ambitious vision into reality," Pitt Chancellor Patrick Gallagher said of Lyke. "She has raised the bar for University of Pittsburgh athletics, student-athletes and athletics staff, and the results truly speak for themselves."
Pitt also had a recent breakthrough in a program that needed to have a big season. The men's basketball team won a school-record 14 ACC regular season games and made it to the NCAA Tournament for the first time under a Lyke hire, Jeff Capel.
