3-3-17

The Pitt News

The independent student newspaper of the University of Pittsburgh | PIttnews.com | march 3, 2017 | Volume 107 | Issue 135

Pitt Vets provides emotional, academic support for student veterans

UNION PROJECT HOSTS DIVERSITY TRAINING FOR MUSLIM ALLIES

Abhi Mallepalli

Pitt Vets holds their yoga session in the William Pitt Union on Monday John Hamilton VISUAL EDITOR a 0. The school, he decided, had a glaring many, and we paid the price.”

James Watkins The war was especially unpopular problem: it lacked a support system for For The Pitt News When Vietnam veteran Jay Sukits among college students, who led a hefty soldiers returning from war.

After reading an article about an ofcame to Pitt’s campus to study math and number of anti-Vietnam demonstrations ficial student veteran association at the during the ‘60s.

Classmates called him economics in the early ‘70s, he didn’t get University of Kansas in 2007, the nowa “baby killer,” Sukits said, and he was a warm welcome. business-professor and a small group afraid to hang out near the veterans ser“When I returned from Vietnam and of student veterans formed a group that vices building for fear of being criticized. got on campus, my fellow veterans and same year specifically dedicated to veterWhen he had to miss a test for an I were simply treated terribly by many ans at Pitt: the Pitt Veterans Association, obligatory duty with the Pennsylvania students and faculty at the University,” See Veterans on page 3 National Guard, the professor gave him Sukits said. “The war was unpopular to

For The Pitt News Under cream-white arches adorned with lanterns and silk, about 50 people wearing name tags with their preferred pronouns greeted familiar friends as they prepared to learn about being an ally to their Muslim friends, neighbors or anyone in the Pittsburgh area.

The crowd gathered at the Union Project in Shadyside Thursday night, expecting the second session of a similar ally-training event the Islamic Center of Pittsburgh hosted last October at the University Club. At this event, 50 students learned the basics of Islam, debunked misconceptions about the religion, and talked about eight ways to be an active ally.

But this time, ICP director Wasiullah Mohamed came with a new concept to introduce: the “wheel of oppression.”

The wheel is a metaphor that Mohamed — a 2015 Pitt grad — used to describe the systematic oppression of various groups through American history. Women, Japanese immigrants and African Americans are at the bottom of this “wheel,” Mohamed said.

During President Donald Trump’s campaign, Mohamed said multiple oppressed groups — Mexicans, Muslims and women, for instance — were relegated to the bottom of the wheel based on what was beneficial to the campaign See Muslim Allies on page 4

News

PITT ALUM OFFERS LEGAL ADVICE FOR CANNABIS INDUSTRY Rebecca Peters Staff Writer

Pitt alumna Sarah Carlins is making Pennsylvania a little greener, one court case at a time.

As chair of Houston Harbaugh’s Health Care Law Department in Pittsburgh, Carlins provides legal counsel and representation to business owners, patients, employees and shareholders in the medical cannabis industry — a growing business due to recent legislation. Senate Bill 3, which Gov. Tom Wolf signed into law last April, allows patients who are under a physician’s care to use medical marijuana for the treatment of a serious medical condition, such as autism, cancer or Crohn’s disease.

“The fact that medical marijuana was recently legalized in Pennsylvania means that yes, there is now new ‘law’ to interpret and abide — in the form of new regulations, for example,” Carlins said.

Houston Harbaugh’s Health Care Law Department has seven lawyers, including Carlins, working with different sectors of medical cannabis: labor, employment, real estate, health care and corporate.

Health care law deals with changes in regulation and insurance protocols for physician groups and business counsel for hospitals and institutions, among other legal needs. In connection to medical marijuana, health care law applies to dispensaries, growers and laboratories.

These groups, in addition to medical marijuana distributors, also need to make sure they are compliant with the Pennsylvania labor laws as well as with Pennsylvania real estate code.

This is where the labor and employment sector of the law department comes in.

Farms, production companies and dispensaries function like any other business entity in Pennsylvania, so their corporate legal needs are similar, such as managing shareholders to investors.

At Houston Harbaugh, Carlins — who received a law degree, an MBA and a master’s degree in International Affairs from Pitt — is in charge of each sector. Two months ago, she began working for the Pennsylvania Medical Cannabis Society, a trade group that provides educational monthly meetings about civic en-

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gagement, professional development, lobbying component of the organization was key. “[Medical cannabis] is an uncharted area,” and industry partnerships. She helps coordinate communication between PAMCS members and she said. “It’s really so easy to get behind, espehealth care lawyers while serving as a medical cially when you think about how the legislation got passed in PA.” and research adviser for the company.

Even in states that have legalized or decrimiAfter three separate graduate programs, Carlins found purpose in social policy and so- nalized cannabis, education and legal support is cial justice cases. The human interest angle in still needed. Daniel Perlman, a criminal defense health care law compels Carlins more than tax attorney from Los Angeles said as a criminal defense attorney, he encountered drug cases — law, she said.

“There are moms of desperately ill kids who including marijuana possession, sales, traffickdidn’t have medical treatment options that other pediatric organizations did [until Senate Bill 3 passed],” Carlins said. “As a mom, that resonates with your heart and immediately pulls you.”

Tom Perko, president of PAMCS, said the company hired Carlins as counsel when he was filing PAMCS as a business entity to ensure he was following state and federal laws. After the filing, Perko hired Carlins as general counsel, given her background in health care law.

“Having counsel that can navigate this space and has experience in health practice and law is a very suitable component of what we need,” Perko, 33, said.

To alleviate their symptoms, PHOTO COURTESY OF SARAH CARLINS patients ingest cannabidiol oil, which is an extract from the marijuana plant that does not provide a high. Since ing and cultivating — despite the state legalizing the oil is ingested, it needs to be regulated agri- marijuana in 2016.

According to Perlman, marijuana defense culturally and manufacturally to protect from impurities or contaminants. This is where health lawyers go through the same bar processes as any other kind of lawyer — they specialize in law comes into play, Perko said.

“We need an education platform for medical their area of interest later after passing the exam.

“Under most state’s licensing of lawyers, beprofessionals, community leaders, industry professionals and anyone who can consume [medi- ing admitted to the bar gives an attorney permiscal cannabis] or knows someone [who does],” sion to practice any kind of law,” he said.

According to Perlman, a lawyer’s schooling Perko said.

PAMCS, which has offices in Carnegie and doesn’t stop once they pass their bar exam — if Harrisburg, hosts monthly educational events they want to specialize in working with marithat reach out to all stakeholders in the medical juana, they must go to conferences and seminars to learn about what it means to be a marijuana cannabis process For Carlins, the educational and outreach defense lawyer.

“Outside of trial practice seminars, law schools don’t usually provide specific classes on defense work,” he said. The American Bar Association requires legal education seminars and help lawyers stay up to date with medical cannabis policy in their state.

In reaction to recent medical developments, Pitt’s law school offered LAW 5503: Federalism and Health Policy Seminar for the fall semester, covering the legalization of medical marijuana, Medicaid and the Affordable Care Act.

“It simply adds another area in which we will do what we already do as lawyers”

March 3, 2017

Sarah Carlins

According to Pitt Law’s website, the seminar discussed how “the interrelationship between the constitutional structure of federal and state governments and the piecemeal development of the U.S. health care system leads to fractured methods of regulating that system.”

While understanding the consequences of new policy is important, providing counsel to businesses remains relatively the same, Carlins said — law as usual.

“It simply adds another area in which we will do what we already do as lawyers: guide and counsel clients on how to comply with the law and do business best within those parameters,” Carlins said.

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Veterans, pg. 1 or Pitt Vets.

“Upon reading it, I knew Pitt needed an organization like this,” Sukits said.

“There was no way for veterans to band together and help each other on campus.”

The original Pitt Vets formed to help student veterans network within the University and give them an opportunity to get involved in community outreach.

That group fizzled due to poor communication and leadership issues, Sukits said, but re-formed last December. Under the helm of Edwin Hernandez, current director of Pitt’s Office of Veteran Services, Pitt Vets still serves as a network for former military members and will soon amp up efforts to offer them academic tools and resources.

The group sponsors yoga sessions at the beginning of each week to help veteran students relax after classes and schedules guest speakers to talk to their members about how to transition from the military world to the academic one, such as Dick Durr, a veteran and successful local businessman.

Hernandez went to work reviving the

club as soon as he arrived on campus last spring. According to the website of the Office of Veteran Services, there are about 500 veterans on Pitt’s various campuses — which Sukits said makes communication arduous — and Hernandez wanted to offer a place for them to connect.

“I wanted Pitt Vets to serve as a way to increase awareness of these individuals on our campus and give them a way to congregate at the school,” Hernandez said.

To kickstart the new incarnation of the group, Hernandez organized a largescale introductory meeting Sept. 25 for students interested in leading and joining.

The group is committed to the same goal as its predecessor: building and maintaining a support group for U.S. military veterans who are now students on Pitt’s campus.

“We’ve developed a group that allows us to help veterans with their transition to student life. We hope to remain focused on that transition moving forward,” Hernandez said.

According to Hernandez, this transi-

tion is difficult because veterans enter the student body later than traditional students and have added responsibilities, like raising families.

Hernandez has even recruited members of veteran families to help with Pitt Vets. Elise Latsko, a first-year business major, has been an active member of the group since Hernandez approached her at the Office of Veteran Students Open House Social in September. Latsko — whose father served in the Navy for 20 years — said though she isn’t a vet herself, she grew up with military influence.

After her father retired seven years ago and she came to college, she missed the familiarity of like-minded people. “[Pitt Vets] allowed me to connect with the Office of Veteran Services faculty and other military-affiliated students on a personal level, which is something I didn’t expect to have here,” she said.

A large part of the organization is about connecting veterans with employment and networking opportunities. Pitt Vets and ROTC cadets at the University are working to form a tutoring program with the assistance of Christopher Kirchhof, coordinator of transfer student ser-

vices at the Swanson School of Engineering. Kirchhof approached the group this year with an interest in giving veteran STEM students a helping hand earning their degrees.

This is how Pitt Vets has most helped Navy Corpsman Nicholas Gatto in a rigorous academic environment.

“When I have any issues, they take care of them immediately,” the senior biology major said.

According to Alex Austin, an Air Force veteran, president of Pitt Vets and a grad student studying energy and environment, this tutoring network will be a huge help to veterans because they’re all used to working in a team in order to stay safe in the military.

Austin knows he can’t stick around forever, and he’s well aware of what Pitt Vets needs to remain strong so that no one will have the experience Sukits did all those years ago.

“To have that camaraderie, to learn what other veterans have experienced, is vital to sustaining a healthy community for our members,” he said. “Knowing that things are better after I leave will keep me satisfied.”

The Pitt News SuDoku 3/3/17 courtesy of dailysudoku.com

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Muslim Allies, pg. 1 at the time.

Mohamed and the ICP have made an effort for the last two years to educate the greater Pittsburgh community on Muslim traditions.

Through interfaith ceremonies, community dinners and public speeches, he’s tried to fight potential fears or criticisms with information.

But for him and many in the Muslim community, being an ally in this political cycle is more than just being educated about Islam. “[The goal is] not just to make sure that Muslims are not hated, that Muslims are understood better, [but to understand that] the wheel always turns if we just fight to get ourselves out of the bottom,” he said. “Destroy it, not turn it.”

According to him, what gets lost in this battle for identity and proper recognition in any community is awareness of the continued oppression of other groups. Ryan Coble, 27, of Swissvale listened as Mohamed encouraged the crowd not to “forget and move on” after winning a small battle in the fight against inequality.

He was there to gain exposure to another culture.

“I like events like this because I know I grew up in a very sheltered background,” Coble said.

Coble, like many others at the event, was hoping to become a more educated member of society. According to him, it becomes easier to call someone out on their ignorance if he can challenge their misconceptions with actual facts rather than simply acknowledging that it is wrong.

For him, it’s all about being “real loud and affronted.”

Samantha Oliver, 30, of Morningside, shared these views. She saw the event on Facebook and decided that she wanted to become more educated about the Muslim community. “[I like] the idea of sharing knowledge,” Oliver said as she stood in a group of people eating some of the free foods offered at the event. She was one of many people swarming Mohamed, asking for more ways to engage with their Muslim friends.

Mohamed said the Muslim community in Pittsburgh now has a platform to educate people who are willing to learn not only about Islam but about justice for all past, present and future victims of oppression.

“To be a Muslim ally today is not only about supporting Muslims — it’s about destroying this wheel,” Mohamed said.

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Opinions column

from the editorial board x Pitt Tonight

Top 10: Ways to spend spring break To some, it feels like just a few days ago we were all migrating back to campus for the start of the new semester. Others are crawling toward Friday with the desperation of someone who hasn’t had a break in 10 years. Either way, spring break is finally, thankfully, upon us. Whether you’re taking advantage of the sabbatical to travel to a sun-warmed beach, to catch up on work or just to relax at home, we’re offering some alternative spring break activities in this week’s Top 10.

10. Forget all your troubles for 166 hours!

Take the week off — that’s what it’s for anyway. Your work will be in the same place on your desk when you get back.

9. Remember all of your troubles in the last two hours before the first day back We have a hopeful feeling that if we warn you about procrastinating, you will actually keep on your toes about homework and other responsibilities. We also have an inkling of dread that warning you is pointless and the anxiety of not having done anything all break will hit you all at once in the final, fleeting moments of break. We are capable of complex thought.

8. Stay home and watch Snapchat stories of the beaches you didn’t visit This will probably happen no matter where you are. Come to think of it, this will probably happen even if you’re at a beach of your own. Whichever destination has the best geofilter wins.

7. Finally get to the bottom of who killed JFK The answer has eluded the grasp of conspiracy theory groups for decades. But with seven days of no academic responsibilities, there’s no telling what you’ll uncover.

6. Convince the children in your neighborhood that you’ve been gone for six months because you’re an astronaut

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This one will be especially effective if you grow a long beard and stroke it wistfully while recalling the lonely, vast emptiness of outer space.

5. Visit your old high school Whether you left your secondary education career as a well-liked class favorite or an obnoxious troublemaker, make sure to pay a visit to your alma mater’s halls again to see how many teachers’ names you’ve forgotten.

For added adventure, find the spot where Sarah turned you down for prom and bask in the nostalgia of that crushing rejection.

4. Stay in Pittsburgh You can have all the fun of spring break right here in Oakland. Better yet, go to the now-empty classrooms when you would normally have class. Practice conversations with fellow classmates and take notes based on the upcoming readings in the syllabus.

This way, you’ll be more than ready to make new friends and experience academic success when everyone comes back after break.

3. Master Tai Chi, which normally takes years Admittedly, this is probably the hardest one on this list, as mastering the ancient practice requires a depth of wisdom and understanding that eludes the casual learner. But have we mentioned how much time you’ll have? You got this.

2. Get the band back together!

Oh yeah, now is the time. Today is the day.

There’s no time like the present. We’re going to make it happen. Oh man, I’m so psyched.

Are we seriously doing this right now? Dude.

Don’t tease me, bro.

1. Write angry letters to retired television personality Regis Philbin That guy has had it too good for too long.

After the way he abandoned us by ditching “Live! with Regis and Kelly,” — leaving us stuck with merely “The Today Show,” — he could use a verbal dressing down.

CONWAY’S CRITIQUE MISCONSTRUES FEMINISM Christian Snyder Columnist

Kellyanne Conway became the first successful female campaign manager in U.S. history last November — but it wasn’t the feminist victory we hoped for.

Conway courted controversy last week in her discussion of feminism and related issues at the Conservative Political Action Conference. Throughout the week, the comments moved explosively through social media, making hard-to-ignore headlines. Among the less critical headlines were articles such as “Kellyanne Conway: Feminism associated with being ‘anti-male’ and ‘proabortion’” from the Washington Post.

The Post may have put it best — her remarks were a strangely feminist approach to anti-feminism. She at once refused to identify as a feminist and implored women to demand equality, telling her success story in pursuing equal pay to her male counterpart.

Instead of adopting feminism, she explained her vision of “individual feminism,” calling on women to consider themselves products of their decisions rather than victims of their circumstances. But the brand of feminism that Conway preaches doesn’t look anything like the feminism I’ve come to know through personal experience — or one that takes into account any intersectional aspects of our society, excluding all perspectives except for the most privileged in

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Terry Tan SENIOR STAFF ILLUSTRATOR her conclusion. Feminism, for me as a cis-gendered male, has been a force that drives critical thought, respect for others and inclusivity.

My personal, explicitly male perspective, combined with those of women close to me and feminist theorists, make Conway’s comments appear poorly thought-out at best — and deliberately exclusionary of less-privileged women at worst.

In a discussion about her work-life balance in the White House with President Trump, she said, “Many of my male colleagues ... appreciate the fact that they were raised by moms who either worked See Snyder on page 7

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Snyder, pg. 6

certainly isn’t a viable work ethic for driven women. Conway is crushing the self-worth of anyone listening, particularly young girls.

Equality and self-value go hand in hand. An individual who both seeks out equality for all and also values themselves is a successfully empow-

“

or didn’t,” in a defense of her male colleagues’ understanding of women in the workplace as fundamentally more devoted to the home than the workplace.

“But at the same time, [there] is different a set of considerations for women [than for men,] and you tinues the social have to — you have cycle of misogyny, to put yourself promoted by both last,” she added. the male excessive Conway was self-value and the seriously debating female degraded whether or not to self-value. continue workConway’s dising for President cussion of putting Trump after his others before herelection. She said self gave way to a it was a difficult more explicit comdecision both bement on feminism: cause of Trump “It’s very difficult and because of for me to call mythe difficulty of self a feminist in balancing work the classic sense, and home life — a because it seems to stress that’s been be very anti-male, imposed on womand it certainly is en far more often very pro-abortion Kellyanne Conway speaks at CPAC on Feb. 22 Michael Brochstein TNS than men, hisin this context.” torically. And as a The perception mother of four children, Conway is ob- ered feminist. A key aspect of feminism of feminism as an anti-male or proviously no stranger to these competing is empowering and allowing space for abortion movement is a failure to recogwomen to make their own choices, and priorities. nize the intersectionality of feminism.

For other women struggling to strike this includes the decision about self-pri- When my partner heard these comthis balance, she recommended “putting oritizing. Considerations for men and ments, she could barely gather the words your priorities in order.” But Conway’s women should never be different. Say- to dispute it. She and I have learned a lot advice to aspiring women directly con- ing that women should put themselves from each other by discussing feminism, tradicts a truly feminist point of view. last implies that men should put them- and inherent in all of our conversations Nobody should ever feel the need to selves first — and that women shouldn’t are considerations of race, justice and put themselves last consistently, and it question that. equality. Together we’ve developed a This dangerous power dynamic con-

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conception of feminism as a movement to equalize all people regardless of race, gender or sexual orientation, because everybody benefits from more equal representation.

What Conway is describing is misandry.

Feminists want to raise women up, not tear men down. But the distinction is lost on Conway, whose critiques of the movement seem to be shaped by men’s fear of losing relative social power.

According to intersectional feminist theorist Barbara Smith, true feminism must be “the political theory and practice to free all women: women of color, working-class women, poor women, physically challenged women, lesbians, old women — as well as white, economically privileged heterosexual women,” like Conway.

“Anything less than this is not feminism, but merely female self-aggrandizement,” said Smith in her 1998 book, “The Truth That Never Hurts.”

Conway’s feelings about feminism are self-aggrandizing, a recall of the “I’m not a feminist because I don’t feel unequal” mantra, which is her personal prerogative. But chastising other women for their priorities while disavowing their struggles is detrimental to us all.

The brand of feminism that Conway preaches doesn’t look anything like the feminism I’ve come to know.

March 3, 2017

Christian primarily writes on social justice and campus issues for The Pitt News.

Write to him at cjs197@pitt.edu.

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Sports column

PITTING IN PERSON:

5 MOST DEVASTATING DEFEATS

Ryan Zimba Staff Writer

Last week, as I watched Pitt’s men’s basketball team surrender a 19-point lead against Wake Forest, I felt something all too familiar.

The Panthers still led by four with 3:27 to go, yet I knew the team would find a way to lose — which it did, 63-59 after a 10-2 run from the Demon Deacons.

I was ready for the end-of-game trainwreck, mostly because I’ve seen the same situation play out year after year since I was five years old.

I’ve been going to Pitt games with my dad since 2003 — sporting events formed the basis of our bond.

Throughout the last 14 years of watching and writing about Pitt sports, I’ve come to realize one constant: No matter how good the teams are, they always find a way to lose in a heartbreaking fashion.

I was in the seats at Clemson Memorial Stadium when kicker Chris Blewitt hit the game-winning 48-yard field goal to knock off the eventualNational Champion Clemson Tigers on Nov. 12.

When the ball went through the uprights, my first thought wasn’t, ‘Pitt just won this game!’ Instead, I thought, ‘They still have six seconds to mess this up.’

The Panthers hung on to win that one, but that game was more the exception than the rule.

In lieu of Pitt’s Feb. 22 loss to Wake Forest — and this entire basketball season — I decided to revisit some of the most memorable moments of “Pitting” I’ve experienced in person. Thus, the list won’t include such historic moments as the football team’s collapse in the 2015 Armed Forces Bowl, or the men’s basketball team’s last-second loss in the 2009 Elite Eight, among countless others.

Honorable Mentions: Football losses vs. Duke (2014), Akron (2014) and Youngstown State (2012), and Virginia Tech’s seven-point play and

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second-half comeback in men’s basketball (2017) 5. Football - Aug. 30, 2008 - Bowling Green 27, No. 25 Pitt 17 This was my first time witnessing Pitt fail to win a game it had no business losing.

The Panthers started the season as a ranked team and legitimate contenders in the Big East.

Meanwhile, Bowling Green was a mid-major school competing in the less-established MidAmerican Conference.

The loss had an extra sting considering the team’s previous season ended with Pitt’s biggest win in my lifetime — a 13-9 upset of the No. 2 West Virginia Mountaineers.

For the first time in a long time, a real feeling of excitement surrounded the program. Running back LeSean McCoy was set to embark on another great season and head coach Dave Wannstedt seemed poised to restore the program into a national contender.

But with this loss, the progress came to an emphatic stop — and it wouldn’t be the last of Wannstedt’s teams to make the cut.

4. Men’s basketball - Jan. 24, 2017 - No. 13 Louisville 106, Pitt 51 This game should have been called before it even started. The team only made four shots in the first half, shooting 16 percent from the field.

At the break, Pitt trailed by a whopping 33 points.

I didn’t think the second half would be anywhere near as bad, but I was wrong.

The Cardinals outscored the Panthers by 22 in the final 20 minutes, all while playing their substitutes and walk-ons for the majority the second half. When the game came to an end, Pitt only tallied 51 points — which Louisville was able to reach in the first half alone.

This was Pitt’s biggest loss since a 93-point blowout defeat to Westminster in 1906, 15 years after the game of basketball was invented. It served as a message to all fans, telling them just how far the program had fallen.

3. Men’s basketball - Feb. 13, 2014 - No. 1

Ryan Zimba (center) pictured with his father and brother outside their home before a Pitt football game in 2007. Courtesy of Ryan Zimba Syracuse 58, No. 25 Pitt 56 With four seconds to go, Pitt forward Talib Zanna hit a pair of free throws to put Pitt up 5655. Then, Syracuse forward Tyler Ennis dribbled right down the court, pulled up and nailed a 35-foot heave to extend the Orange’s unbeaten record to 24-0.

This one was especially painful for me because my dad, a Syracuse alum and lifelong fan, was sitting right next to me in his trademark neon orange sweater. He cheered after the shot.

I slumped down in my seat, embarrassed for the school I would one day attend.

I didn’t leave the stadium until it was nearly empty, left wondering how another game slipped away.

2. Football - Oct. 25, 2014 - Georgia Tech 56, Pitt 28 The return of the beloved Pitt script logo to the football team’s helmets signaled a return to the glory days for many fans. For me, it marked the worst I’ve ever seen a Pitt sports team play — and that says a lot.

The Panthers lost fumbles on each of their first five possessions, including a stretch of four on six plays. This tied the NCAA record for most fumbles in a quarter, and it only took Pitt eight minutes and 30 seconds to accomplish the feat.

The second turnover summarized the game best, when running back James Conner sprinted 74 yards down the left sideline only to get stripped at the 1-yard line and fumbled it out of

March 3, 2017

the end zone for a touchback.

After a mere 5:16 of game time, the Panthers found themselves down 28-0. Even though the teams each scored 28 points the rest of the way, the game had long since been decided.

1. Football - Dec. 5, 2009 - No. 5 Cincinnati 45, No. 14 Pitt 44 To this day, I’ve never felt so utterly hopeless after a sporting event.

It was the final week of the season, with the winner of the game taking home the Big East Championship and the right to play in a BCS Bowl.

It was a cold, snowy afternoon, but Pitt fans packed the Heinz Field stands — the only time I’d seen that happen outside of games against West Virginia, Notre Dame or Penn State. The Panthers held a commanding 31-10 lead with 1:26 to go in the second quarter but the team found a way to lose in the most excruciating fashion.

With 33 seconds left in the game, Bearcats quarterback Tony Pike threw a touchdown pass to Armon Binns to give Cincinnati the 45-44 win.

The one-point difference? A botched snap on Pitt’s last extra point attempt after scoring a goahead touchdown with 1:36 left.

I stormed out of the stadium that day and spent the whole ride home in silence. When I got home, I went straight up to my room, where I spent the remainder of the evening staring at the wall and asking myself, “How did Pitt lose that game?”

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SWIMMERS SET MORE RECORDS AS ACCS WRAP UP Steve Rotstein Sports Editor

five school records with three top-10 finishes and an A finalist — all in one day — is a huge step forward for our program.”

Seniors Zach Lierley and Gabe Larson secured two more top-10 finishes for Pitt on Wednesday.

Lierley won the B final of the 400 individual medley Wednesday night with a time of 3:46.35, breaking his own school record and securing him a ninthplace finish in the event. Larson finished in second place in the 100 breast B final with a time of 53.44, smashing a 10-year-old school record and giving him a 10th-place finish.

The Panthers’ three top-10 finishers on Wednesday gave them four overall at this year’s ACC Championships, matching their total of top-10 finishers from the last three years combined.

First-year swimmer Eben Vorster set another school record on Wednesday with a time of 1:36.17 in the 200 free C final for an 18th-place finish. Sophomore Brian Lovasik finished in 1:37.01

in the B final of the same event, giving him a 15th-place finish.

Machado, Larson, Vorster and Lovasik combined to set Pitt’s fifth school record of the day in the 400 medley relay, placing ninth with a time of 3:10.57.

More school records fell on Thursday as Vorster continued his assault on the Panthers’ record books with a time of 1:44.58 in the 200 butterfly, taking home 10th place in the event.

Meanwhile, Pitt sophomore Aaron Sett shattered a 15-year-old record in the 1650 freestyle, finishing in ninth place with a time of 15:11.65 only two days after breaking a 13-year-old school record in the 500 freestyle. Senior Scott Simmer placed 19th in the 1650 freestyle with a season-best time of 15:29.52.

“The toughness and heart we showed allowed us to compete all week right with the best in the ACC,” Hargis said Thursday in the press release. “It was great to see so many records broken and memories made.”

The Pitt news crossword 3/3/17

The Pitt men’s swimming team continued to make history Wednesday and Thursday night in Georgia as the 2017 ACC Championships came to a close.

The Panthers finished in 10th place at Georgia Tech’s McAuley Aquatic Center in Atlanta with 513 team points.

This score broke the team’s previous high score by 144.5 points, according to a Pitt Athletics press release. The team increased its scoring output from last year by 168 points, representing the second-biggest leap in the conference this year after the third-place Notre Dame Fighting Irish.

The North Carolina State Wolfpack took home the team title for the third straight season with 1,297.5 points, but Pitt head coach John Hargis seemed pleased with the Panthers’ performance in his first ACC Championships with the team.

“This was a really memorable meet

for our team, and I’m very happy that the seniors finished with such a successful and fun experience,” Hargis said Thursday in a press release. “This was an important step forward for our program.”

Pitt placed 10 swimmers into event finals on Wednesday night with five school records falling and three swimmers earning top-10 finishes. Redshirt senior Henrique Machado highlighted the Panthers’ performances with a sixth-place finish in the 100-yard backstroke A final — the highest finish by a Pitt swimmer in the program’s four-year ACC history.

Machado broke the Panthers’ program record in the 100 backstroke Wednesday morning by posting a time of 46.58. He narrowly missed out on breaking his own mark in the final later that night when he touched the wall in 46.65 seconds.

“Today was truly another amazing day for Pitt swimming,” Hargis said Wednesday in a press release. “To set

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