3-20-17

The Pitt News

The independent student newspaper of the University of Pittsburgh | PIttnews.com | March 20, 2017 | Volume 107 | Issue 141

Pitt Tonight shines spotlight on DOYLE HOSTS Women’s Empowerment Week HEALTH CARE TOWN HALL Nolan Roosa Staff Writer

Sydney Harper (left) and host Jesse Irwin share a laugh during the Pitt Tonight’s Women’s Empowerment episode.

Thomas Yang STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER chills when it comes to thinking about amaz- March 20 to 24. Harper and 13 others on the Emily Suruda ing women who have done amazing things, women empowerment planning committee Staff Writer Student Government Board Vice Presi- and I’m surrounded by them all the time at have been planning for this since November dent Sydney Harper is awestruck when she Pitt,” Harper said. “I wanted to make a space 2016.

“The one big reason we called it Women’s thinks about the women who have come be- where it is celebratory and also explanatory Empowerment Week was because we wanted in terms of where are we, where have we been fore her and left behind inspirational legacies. to use the acronym ‘WE’ because empowerand where are we going. ” On Sunday’s women empowermentment of everyone comes when everyone supTo celebrate these pioneering ladies, Stuthemed episode of Pitt Tonight, Harper ports it, ” Harper said.

“So nothing this week dent Government Board — in association reeled off numerous names — from her ultiis limited to just women because we want with other student groups including Pitt Promate inspiration, Harriet Tubman, to “queen” everyone to be a part of empowering women gram Council, Campus Women’s OrganizaOprah Winfrey, to Meryl Streep and Judge and all students. ” tion and Black Action Society — is hosting Ruth Bader Ginsburg.

See Women’s Week on page 2 “I am someone who has always gotten its first Women’s Empowerment Week from

In light of the proposed changes to the Affordable Care Act, Rep. Mike Doyle, D-Pa., turned his attention to the people for input Saturday.

More than 500 people — many of them constituents of the 14th Congressional District, encompassing Pittsburgh and some its suburbs — gathered at the Soldiers and Sailors Memorial Hall in Oakland for Doyle’s town hall meeting.

While a few other topics — from President Donald Trump’s tax returns to his newly proposed, deep-cutting budget — came up, most of the participants wanted to talk about one thing: the American Health Care Act. The bill, up for vote this Thursday, is the Republican Party’s proposal to amend — but not replace — the ACA, also known as Obamacare.

The bill would eliminate the ACA’s mandate that every American buy health insurance, as well as replace insurance subsidies with tax credits. The Congressional Budget Office estimates that the bill will cause 24 million people to lose insurance by 2024, while also cutting the federal budget deficit by $337 billion by 2026.

During the Obama Administration, Doyle voted in favor of the ACA, and during his talk Saturday, he seemed optimistic that the Republican’s alternative could be defeated.

“There is a 50-50 chance of defeating this bill,” Doyle said. “I know a lot of nervous Republicans.”

See Town Hall on page 3

News

Oakland crime map see online at pittnews.com

THRIFTSBURGH CELEBRATES SECOND BIRTHDAY Zoe Pawliczek Staff Writer

Though sophomore Vanessa Colihan waited outside the O’Hara Student Center Friday morning for the University of Thriftsburgh’s second birthday celebration to begin, she wasn’t shopping for a new outfit.

“I was specifically looking for cotton t-shirts.

It’s easy to cut them into yarn and crochet things out of it,” the computer engineering major said. “I got a bunch at the back-to-school sale too.”

The University of Thriftsburgh — a thrift store run by and for students housed on the first floor of the O’Hara Center — celebrated its second birthday Friday afternoon during its semiannual dollar sale in the Dining Room for more than 200 students. Surrounded by balloons, bead necklaces and birthday hats, shoppers ate free cupcakes and assorted snacks while listening to live DJing by WPTS radio.

According to one of Thriftsburgh’s co-founders, Anna Greenberg, the dollar sale is when the store collects its out-of-season and unsold inventory and sells it all for $1 each.

“Anything we don’t sell from the dollar sale is what’s been in the store for a long time or is somewhat lower quality, so we typically donate it to Goodwill,” Greenberg said.

Some customers don’t mind the imperfections of secondhand clothes, like Colihan, who

Women’s Week, pg. 1 The purpose of the week is to create a space for all students to come together: to network, brainstorm, look at art, engage and leave feeling empowered. There will be six events throughout the week including a comedy show by Leslie Jones and a screening of the movie “Girl Rising.” Additionally, Women’s Empowerment Week will include the GAL-A, the Pitt Women’s Leadership Experience retreat and an art gallery featuring work related to themes of women’s empowerment.

More than 200 students gathered to watch Harper kick off the week, along with Geri Allen, Grammy-nominated pianist

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paid for her purchase with store credit she earned by donating clothing of her own to the shop.

“There’s a big problem with clothing waste,” Colihan said. “I want to do more to help that.”

Thriftsburgh began as part of a group project between Greenberg and fellow co-founder Paul Heffernan as a way to make life on campus more sustainable. According to the Environmental Protection Agency, 10.5 million tons of clothing end up in landfills each year and, according to the Council for Textile Recycling, only 15 percent of textiles produced are donated.

The low price of purses, jewelry, clothing and shoes at the sale surprised customers, who repeatedly asked for confirmation that it was all $1.

The store leaders invited fellow sustainabilityminded campus groups to celebrate with them, and set up tables in the lobby for Student Office of Sustainability organizations such as the Pitt Pantry, Take Back the Tap, Plant to Plate and the Pitt Bicycle Collective to promote their work.

The Pitt Green Fund — a student-run organization that supports environmentally conscious projects on Pitt’s campus which Thriftsburgh donates $3,000 to yearly — was also present.

Ruby Walker, a junior social work and English writing major, came to the sale looking for a purse but left with two, plus several articles of clothing.

“All the stuff is donated by students, so it’s a little more fashionable,” Walker said. “There’s a

lot of stuff here that’s even brand new with tags.”

The store now plans to work over the summer collecting items other than clothes as well, such as small furniture and appliances in an effort to eliminate move-out waste on campus.

As the shop grows older, Board Coordinator Forest Goebel, a sophomore studying human resources, notices fewer first-time customers and more who come in week to week. Many of these “regulars” attended the birthday celebration, bringing their own reusable bags and accumulating pile-sized purchases.

The store’s management recognizes that quality affects whether someone will want to buy certain items, said Thriftsburgh Social Media Coordinator Emily Messer.

Messer — a junior majoring in history and philosophy of science — said a local tailor recently offered them a sewing machine for repairs, which now sits behind the register in the store.

“All of us workers are more than capable of fixing these little things in the clothes, so we want to pass on that knowledge,” Messer said. “We’re trying to get a sewing station together so people can mend and hem their own clothes.”

Greeting regulars by name was Thriftsburgh’s store coordinator, Maura Kay, a junior urban studies major. Kay shared fashion advice with

and Pitt Jazz Studies professor, and Sidney Cannon-Bailey, a fourth-year bioengineering major.

In between guest segments, Cannon-Bailey showed Irwin how to play the “asparagus piano” and make “elephant toothpaste” — innovative science experiments fit for humanities majors. She said it can be hard for women to find the support they need in STEM fields, but when someone is giving her a hard time, she asks herself how best to prove them wrong. The show concluded with a dance performance by the Ya’Baso African Dance Team.

In addition, more than 10 women-focused groups and student organizations — such as Resident Student Association and Women in Business — were invited to be a

part of the show and hang up flyers and posters at the event.

“The whole point is to get everyone in one room to promote the week, and to shine a light on people who don’t get the light they deserve,” Jesse Irwin, host of Pitt Tonight, said.

After the show, Liz Chiyka, a first-year biology major, said she and her three friends initially went to watch an episode of the show, but left excited for the upcoming week of WE events.

“I think it’s really important to recognize all the different facets of women’s empowerment — from dancing to science and STEM fields — which I thought [Pitt Tonight] did a really good job highlighting,” Chiyka said.

Irwin said Pitt Tonight is “run by wom-

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customers as she handled the register.

“The dollar sale is kind of my bread and butter,” Kay said.

“I collect throughout the rest of the y e a r,

Jo [dohn Ha ing] a lot mi lto nV with inventory and ISU AL the actual physical store.”

ED ITO R Oakland resident Isis Tarot has supported Thriftsburgh since opening day on March 18, 2015. Dressed in green from head to toe for St. Patrick’s Day, Tarot browsed the sale during its first hour, filling three reusable bags tied around her waist with clothes.

“I’m always scavenging, I’ve been doing it as a hobby for a long time,” Tarot said. “Sustainability is way cool.”

Maggie Medoff contributed reporting. en” and the show would be nothing without them. According to Irwin, who is a comedian himself, comedy is a tough industry to break into because it is filled with men who talk about women. Before the shows conclusion, he thanked the women who inspire him, including Pitt Tonight Executive Producer Hayley Ulmer.

Ulmer said after the show that she was the one who pitched the idea to Harper to have a women’s empowerment-themed episode, and that the timing “couldn’t be more perfect.”

“I know the guests talked about how women’s empowerment meant going after opportunities and equality, but to me, women’s empowerment also is about supporting and listening to each other,” Ulmer said.

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Town Hall, pg. 1 That didn’t stem the flow of concerned citizens who shared stories during the open floor portion of the town hall meeting of how the ACA changed their lives. Before they could say their piece however, four speakers described their own experiences with — and support for — the ACA. Ali Shapiro, a local small business owner and cancer survivor, who bought insurance in an ACA exchange, was one of those speakers.

Referring to the AHCA, Shapiro predicted catastrophe. She said the bill would raise prices for small business owners buying insurance for their employees while cutting taxes for corporations.

“This is a death to small business and innovation,” Shapiro said.

As a cancer survivor who was classified with having a pre-existing condition, Shapiro claimed that insurance brokers instructed her to leave cancer off of her paperwork, and she credits the ACA for helping her and her husband buy affordable insurance. The AHCA, however, will not change the new regulations that prevent Americans from buying insurance because of pre-existing conditions.

Shapiro was joined by another ACA mar-

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ketplace buyer, an AARP representative, and Teresa D. Miller, insurance commissioner for the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.

According to Miller’s presentation, Pennsylvania had an uninsured rate of 10.2 percent before the ACA and is now at 6.4 percent, an all-time state low. About 124,000 people have received care through the expansion for opioid and other substance use disorders. Under the AHCA, elderly could be charged up to five times more than younger purchasers of health care. The most prominent change will be a $2.1 billion shift in cost that will be passed from the federal government to the Pennsylvania state government.

Doyle contrasted the two plans, citing that Medicaid will receive $880 billion in cuts to fund the proposed new system. The current system of payment for the ACA is $600 billion over the next 10 years from pharmaceutical corporations, medical devices corporations, tanning salons and CEOs that make more than $500,000 a year.

Doyle pointed out that 43 percent of Pennsylvania Medicaid recipients are children, making these cuts unjustifiable. According to the American Academy of Pediatrics, children account for 19 percent of Medicaid spending.

Doyle co-sponsors one solution: HR 676,

the Expanded and Improved Medicare for All Act. The bill, which currently sits in committee in the House, would set up a single-payer health care system in the United States to go alongside the ACA. The bill would also expand Medicare to every U.S. citizen, providing free health care — including primary, mental, dental and emergency coverage. For funding, it would increase taxes on high-income individuals.

Bob Bonner, 69, was one of a half dozen people at the town hall wearing yellow placards over their chests, bearing the words “SinglePayer Health Care” with “HR 676” underneath.

While Doyle is a co-sponsor of the bill, Bonner thought the congressman’s tacit support should become active advocacy.

“We need more people speaking out. We need more champions of single-payer health care,” Bonner said.

Samuel Ressin, a first-year undeclared student, attended the town hall to learn more about what was going on with the new health care bill — but came to the meeting with his own preconceived opinions.

“If AHCA is passed, millions will lose their insurance and likely die. Mike Doyle gets this, and that’s why I support him,” he said.

Ressin did critique the ACA, saying it

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doesn’t do enough to slow rising premiums.

A health insurance premium is a monthly fee paid to an insurance company or health plan to provide health coverage.

Sid Dash, a senior biology major, felt the intersection of his interests in health care and politics warranted a visit to the town hall meeting. While he identifies as a conservative, he’s skeptical when looking at the predicted losses in individual coverage from the GOP bill.

Dash said he’d like to see the bill receive some amendments before the upcoming vote to ensure fewer people lose coverage from the act.

“At this point, I’m not the biggest fan of the bill they’re looking at,” Dash said.

For some of the attendees, Dash’s was an understatement. One woman broke into tears while telling Doyle the story of her two hemophiliac sons who need access to expensive injections in order to help their blood clot. She shared her fear that the AHCA would take away her insurance coverage, and said to Doyle that she didn’t “want to start over with nothing.”

Doyle offered a simple response to the crowd’s applause.

“We’ll fight for you,” he said.

Stephen Caruso contributed reporting.

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Opinions column

DEMAND MORE ORIGINAL CONTENT FROM HOLLYWOOD Thomas Wick Columnist

Let’s look at the films coming out this year.

Guardians of the Galaxy — again. Thor — again. Spider-man, Cars, Beauty and the Beast and Star Wars — all again. If you need proof that Hollywood is struggling to make original content, look no farther than the box offices of the past few years.

By far, the worst movie I saw in 2016 was “Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them.” On top of unimpressive performances and poor pacing, its characters were painfully boring, generic archetypes. It wasn’t only a mediocre movie but a stain on one of the most beloved fantasy franchises in history. This type of shameless cash grab illustrates perfectly the current state of the film industry. Instead of remaking and reshaping characters, storylines and brands that have already been successful, it’s time to invest in original work.

There wouldn’t be as much to complain about if the vast majority of sequels, prequels and reboots didn’t fail to match the quality of their predecessors. Films such as “Ghostbusters,” “X-Men Apocalypse” and “Ben-Hur” — all of which came out in 2016 — failed to capture what made their original films great. Specifically, “Ghostbusters” lacked the quality wit and humor that made the old movies a hit, often trying too hard to reference the classic ’80s film instead of coming up with new material for today’s fanbase.

Good examples of sequels and spin-offs, such as “Captain America: Civil War” or “Deadpool” — which made $1.15 billion and $783 million, respectively — were enjoyable and well received.

But for every successful blockbuster spin-off such as “Deadpool,” there’s always an “Assassin’s Creed” or a “World of Warcraft” — films that undoubtedly flopped at the box office. “World of Warcraft” raked in a mere $430 million and “Assassin’s Creed” didn’t even double its $125 million

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is even greater than in an original film.

And the power of making reboots and sequels lies, most essentially, in the idea of creating brands. A brand associated with a film also means the potential to not only sell tickets and DVDs but shirts, toys, posters and a plethora of other merchandise items as well — a goal much harder to achieve with solitary movies.

Star Wars is a prime example of how profitable a well-done remake can be. The films do well enough on their own solely through ticket sales — with “Rogue One” making more than $1 billion worldwide — but the entire Star Wars franchise is fueled in large part by merchandise.

The franchise made more than $32 billion in merchandising sales in its history and that number is set to increase by $1.5 billion every year, according to both Lucasfilm and industry analysts at NPD Group.

This rebranding strategy doesn’t always equal success for Hollywood either. Box office results and critical reception from 2016 show how audi-

production budget, making less than $240 million worldwide.

“Deadpool” may be an X-Men spin-off, but it artfully confronted that fact in the film numerous times and defused it with realistic humor, contributing to its entertaining and imaginative tone throughout. Meanwhile “Assassin’s Creed” mixed horrendous acting with a convoluted plot and bland characters to make the film an even greater disappointment than I’d imagined.

If the box office numbers for these films don’t show it clearly enough, critics and fan ratings should. “Assassin’s Creed” holds a meager score of 3.9 out 10 among critics on Rotten Tomatoes while “Deadpool” can boast a 6.9 rating and two Golden Globe nominations.

Reboots, sequels and prequels are safe choices — they have a much better chance of making money because people will buy tickets just to see their favorite characters on the big screen again. Even when sequel films fail financially, they still make more money, on average, relative to newly made, Jordan Mondell LAYOUT EDITOR original movies.

The average box office ences are becoming exhausted with these movies earnings for a sequel in 2015 was more than $160 too. Films using recycled stories and characters million while the average for all movies was less including “Zoolander 2,” “Inferno” and “Indepenthan $20 million. So while a sequel is more likely dence Day: Resurgence,” failed to perform well at to disappoint critically, the risk of making one as the box office or receive positive scores on sites opposed to a new movie is much smaller — besuch as Rotten Tomatoes. cause even if the sequel is just down right bad, it The effort put into squeezing every possible will almost always make more money than a dedollar out of a brand is becoming absurd, to the cent new movie. extent that Hollywood is now making movies But the potential for absolute disappointment

about Tetris and emojis. Innovation pushes an industry forward, and Hollywood needs more of it. No one will fund original and creative movies if they think they can earn more money on another “Pitch Perfect” film.

We, as an audience, should support films that bring forth new and original stories, as opposed to ones just spinning the same tale. These are mostly art house films such as “Sing Street” and “Red Turtle” but almost anything with original characters, plotlines and content should be encouraged. “Split” and “Get Out” are recent successful films that show how innovative ideas can sell well and be critical darlings.

As for movie directors, it’s time to start taking more risks and invest in something new. Or at the very least, be willing to devote time, effort and money into making your sequels and reboots quality films. The truth is, with the huge profit incentive to make new movies associated with brands, Hollywood will probably never stop cranking them out. But we, as viewers, can at least

the star wars franchise the film

Rogue One

grossed about

$1 Billion worldwide

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while total

Merchandising sits at about

$32 Billion over the history of the franchise voice our opinions about how bad a job they’re doing on outlets such as Rotten Tomatoes or Reddit to make sure if producers and directors are going to recycle old ideas, they at least do so well.

Before you go out and see the new “Power Rangers” or “Beauty and the Beast,” find something you haven’t already watched.

Thomas primarily writes about visual media and gaming for The Pitt News.

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from the editorial board

County council abstentions avoid firm stances As the Allegheny County Council is facing growing questions about its transparency over the past months, recent analysis of the council members’ tendencies to abstain from votes without providing proper explanation should be even more worrisome.

Council members have abstained 29 times since the beginning of 2015. Despite a rule saying they cannot do so without an explanation, only 16 of those abstentions were explained, according to analysis from the Pittsburgh TribuneReview. Although members aren’t required to verbally state why they abstain from a vote during the roll call, they are supposed to provide a written explanation to be included in the meeting minutes.

This county rule is a rare one by county council standards. It goes farther beyond the state’s simple rules about abstaining from votes in which one has a conflict of interest. Since January 2015, 12 council members accounted for the 29 absentations. Of the 16 abstentions explained, only five members cited potential conflicts of interest. This means there were 13 unexplained ab-

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stentions and 11 further abstentions for reasons other than conflict of interest, most often citing lack of sufficient information to come to a decision.

Without proper enforcement of the county rule, council members aren’t being held responsible to either do what they were elected for — to vote on issues critical to the county — or explain why they didn’t.

This kind of stand, or lack thereof, has become a normal one to take in politics, and we’ve seen it repeated everywhere from local to state levels. In reality, it’s not a stand at all but rather a tactic that allows politicians and leaders to seem active while actually remaining neutral in hopes of appeasing as many people as possible. And if we ever want to achieve actual change in politics, it’s time for politicians to take the lead on decisions.

The truly ineffective and unhelpful nature of ignoring the rule was highlighted during the council’s vote on the potential vaping ban earlier this month. The ban was approved in an 8-5 vote with two abstentions from council President

John DeFazio and member Nicholas Futules.

Futules didn’t provide an explanation in the minutes for his abstention, but he’s abstained before due to conflicts of interest with the restaurant he owns in the county — a place the vaping ban will definitely impact.

DeFazio didn’t explain the reason for his abstention at the time but later told the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review that he figured he didn’t need to vote since it was “already a done deal.” Since he was the last name to be called to vote in the role call, and the ban already garnered 8 votes — the threshold the ban needed to gain a majority and pass — he assumed his vote wouldn’t make a difference.

He is right, it wouldn’t make a difference in the decision on whether vaping would be banned in Allegheny County or not. But abstaining for that reason is woefully ignorant of his own position as an elected official. As a county council member — let alone the president — his job is to make decisions on behalf of the public he represents. So when he failed to take a firm stand, even though his vote wouldn’t technically make

March 20, 2017

a difference, he voluntarily failed to represent his constituents.

And this is a common theme we see with our decision-makers on every level. We criticized Gov. Tom Wolf just last week for not taking a solid stance on the legalization of marijuana. We also called out Chancellor Patrick Gallagher for failing to stand up to Pitt’s Board of Trustees and represent students properly without telling us why. Now the county council has made the list of representatives who’d prefer to save face rather than focus on change.

It’s important to hold leaders and elected officials accountable for the stands they take on issues. Apparently, now it’s just as important to make sure representatives are actually taking stands and not simply trying to remain impartial.

And when a stand is not taken, officials better be ready to explain their logic with something more than assuming a vote was a “done deal.”

We’ve said it before and we’ll say it again: don’t hem and haw or give us compromised answers.

Give us real ones, with thought and vision, and then follow through on them.

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weekend sports: softball, track & field, wrestling and gymnastics See online at pittnews.com

FIGHTING OFF THE IRISH

After dropping game one of Sunday’s doubleheader, the Panthers snapped a seven-game losing streak and picked up their first ACC win of 2017 with a 2-1 win over Notre Dame in 12 innings Sunday night.

Nick Banman applies a tag in Pitt’s 2-1 extra-innings win over Notre Dame. Anna Bongardino STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER With no scoring over the next three the confidence back,” Falk said, referencSteve Rotstein innings, Notre Dame surged ahead in ing the team’s lengthy losing streak after Sports Editor a strong start to the season. “This win the sixth. Again the Fighting Irish struck After two games, 23 innings and definitely puts us back on the fact that with a leadoff homer, this time from nearly eight hours of baseball on a frigid we need to win games, and if we do all third baseman Kyle Fiala, to tie the game Sunday at Charles L. Cost Field, the Pitt the right things — pitching, defense and at two. Catcher Ryan Lidge then brought baseball team snapped a seven-game skid Vierling home with an RBI single to put hitting — we’ll definitely do that.” and earned its first ACC win of 2017.

Notre Dame on top, 3-2.

Game one The Panthers (8-9 overall, 1-5 ACC) The Fighting Irish then blew the game The series opener Friday night feaavoided a sweep against the Notre Dame tured more offense than each of Sunday’s open with one swing of the bat in the Fighting Irish (6-12 overall, 2-4 ACC) eighth. After three walks loaded the basgames combined. by taking game two of Sunday’s doublePanthers redshirt senior Jacob Wright es with one out, right fielder Jake Shepski header in 12 innings, 2-1. Notre Dame led off the bottom of the first inning took Pitt reliever Isaac Mattson deep for won the series opener 10-5 Friday, then with a triple down the right field line on a grand slam to make it an 8-3 game. eked out a 4-3 win in 11 innings in game The Panthers fought back in the bota full-count pitch. Junior designated hitone of Sunday’s doubleheader. ter Kaylor Kulina followed with an RBI tom half, cutting the deficit to three. DeNobody played a bigger role in Pitt’s single, then senior shortstop P.J. DeMeo Meo brought center fielder Frank Malfirst conference win than senior rightbrought Kulina home on a two-out dou- donado home with an RBI triple, then hander Josh Falk, who pitched eight scored on third baseman Nick Banman’s ble to give Pitt a 2-0 lead. shutout innings Sunday in what might The Fighting Irish quickly got a run RBI groundout. But Notre Dame anhave been the finest start of his college back on cleanup hitter Matt Vierling’s swered with two more in the top of the career. solo home run to lead off the top of the ninth to seal the 10-5 win.

“I think the biggest thing is to have Game two second inning.

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March 20, 2017

After weather concerns pushed Saturday’s game to Sunday afternoon, the Fighting Irish kept up their hot hitting to start Sunday’s doubleheader while Pitt’s bats remained cold.

Fiala got things started for Notre Dame with a one-out single, then scored on a passed ball by Panthers catcher Manny Pazos after a double by second baseman Nick Podkul. Vierling led off the top of the fourth with a double for the Fighting Irish, then advanced to third on a sacrifice bunt and came home to score on a wild pitch to give Notre Dame a 2-0 advantage.

Banman then started the bottom of the fifth for Pitt with a double off the right field wall, becoming the team’s first baserunner to reach second base. Fighting Irish pitcher Michael Hearne nearly stranded Banman there, but he couldn’t corral a wide throw to first base on a See Baseball on page 10

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RATHSACK SETS RECORD AT NCAAS Kait French Staff Writer

The Pitt news crossword 3/20/17

At the NCAA Women’s Swimming and Diving Championship, junior Lina Rathsack earned all four of the team’s points this weekend. With a time of 59.00 seconds in the finals of the 100-meter breaststroke Friday, she finished in 13th place, making her the team record holder in the event and an AllAmerican Honorable Mention.

Rathsack, who was the highest-ranked Panther of the weekend, is just the third Pitt woman to earn All-American status in the breaststroke and the first since Jan Ujevich in 1980.

“We’re extremely proud of Lina for her incredible accomplishment today,” Pitt head coach John Hargis said Friday night in a press release.

The Pitt women’s swimming and diving team — represented by juniors Amanda Richey and Meme Sharp and senior Kinga Cichowska in addition to Rathsack — finished in the top 30 in five events and ended the competition in 41st out of 49 teams at the NCAA championship meet in Indianapolis.

In addition to the 100 breaststroke, Rathsack finished 30th in the 200 breast with a time of 2:11.45 Saturday and 60th in the 200 individual medley with

a time of 2:01.12 Thursday.

Distance swimmer Richey had her best performance of the weekend Saturday in the 1650 freestyle.

She swam the mile in 16:15.34, good for 23rd place.

Additionally, Richey swam her way into 29th place in the 500 freestyle Thursday with a career-best time of 4:41.34, just a few tenths off of the school record in the event. She swam the 400 IM Friday in 4:18.65, good for 49th place.

Cichowska wrapped up her Pitt swimming career this weekend with races in the 100 and 200 breast. Cichowska took 42nd in the 100 with a time of 1:01.32 Friday and 39th in the 200 with a 2:11.83 Saturday.

Sharp, the sole diver sent by the Panthers to Indianapolis, competed in the one- and three-meter springboard competitions. She scored a six-dive total of 261.05 to finish in 23rd on Friday in the onemeter. She did not fare as well the next day, finishing 38th with a six-dive score of 269.0 in the three-meter.

On the men’s team, Dominic Giordano will compete in the NCAA Men’s Swimming and Diving Championship March 23 and 25. He will look to defend his three-meter springboard diving champion- Four Panthers competed in the NCAA Women’s Swimming and Diving Championship this weekend in Indiaship in the IU Natatorium in Indianapolis. napolis. John Hamilton VISUAL EDITOR

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March 20, 2017

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Baseball, pg. 8 would-be groundout, allowing Banman to score the first run of the day for the Panthers.

Notre Dame threatened to add to its lead in the sixth, loading the bases with two outs. But Pitt starter Matt Pidich battled back from a 3-1 count to strike shortstop Cole Dailey out and end the inning, and his teammates rushed out of the dugout to congratulate their pitcher.

The Fighting Irish put together a similar threat in the seventh, prompting head coach Joe Jordano to remove Pidich after 100 pitches with runners on first and third and two outs. Senior Sam Mersing relieved Pidich out of the bullpen and struck Podkul out to get out of the jam.

Vierling moved from center field to the mound for the eighth inning looking for his third save of the season for Notre Dame.

Shepski delivered another big hit for the Fighting Irish in the top of the 11th, putting them back on top with an RBI single. He came home to score on left fielder Jake Johnson’s RBI double, giving Notre Dame a 4-2 lead. Vierling clinched a 4-3 win for the Irish by turning a hardhit ground ball by DeMeo into a double play.

Game three The Panthers went into the series finale looking to avoid an eighth-straight defeat and a second-straight series sweep.

Pazos got the scoring started, reaching base safely on a bunt thanks to a bad overthrow by Fighting Irish pitcher Brad Bass. Pazos wound up on third base after Shepski misplayed the ball in right field, then scored on an RBI single by second baseman Alex Amos to give the Panthers a 1-0 lead.

Bass settled down and found a groove after the error, pitching 6 2/3 innings without giving up an earned run. But Falk was even better.

“Under the conditions and circumstances, it was phenomenal,” Jordano said of Falk’s performance. “He’s a lion on the mound. He’s going to come at you, he’s going to compete and he always gives us an opportunity to win a ballgame.”

Falk tossed eight scoreless innings in

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the best start of his Panthers career, allowing four hits and three walks while striking out six. But Jordano pulled him after throwing 108 pitches in eight innings, sending sophomore closer Yaya Chentouf out for the ninth.

Chentouf couldn’t record an out, as he gave up back-to-back singles then threw the ball away on a sacrifice bunt attempt, allowing the tying run to score.

Jordano then went back to the bullpen, calling on R.J. Freure to try to keep the game tied with the bases loaded and nobody out.

In order to keep the game tied, Freure needed to pull a Houdini — escape a bases-loaded jam with nobody out — and that’s exactly what he did. Freure struck out Shepski before getting Johnson to line into an inning-ending double play on an incredible play by first baseman Caleb Parry. The redshirt senior saved three runs by snaring a scorching line drive down the right field line and stepping on first base just in time.

Pitt got two runners aboard in the bottom of the ninth, loaded the bases in the bottom of the 10th and put two more runners on in the 11th. Each time, Notre Dame found a way to get out of the inning, until the bottom of the 12th when the Panthers’ fortunes changed.

Pazos laced a one-out single just past Fiala’s outstretched glove at third base, bringing Maldonado home to score the winning run.

“That’s the best feeling in the world,” Pazos said about delivering the walk-off hit and being swarmed by his cheering team, who had rushed the field to congratulate him.

Jordano said it was huge for his young team to snap its skid and pick up its first ACC win.

“We can’t teach experience. They’ve got to live it,” Jordano said after the series finale. “I’m just proud of the way they kept grinding. Even in the first game, when Notre Dame took the lead in the 11th inning, we came back and had our opportunities again there. That’s what it’s all about.”

Pitt will travel to Kent, Ohio, for a nonconference showdown with the Kent State Golden Flashes Tuesday night at 6 p.m.

March 20, 2017

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