The look of the upper portion of Pitt’s campus in Oakland is about to look much different.
On Tuesday, Chancellor Patrick Gallagher and Director of Athletics Heather Lyke unveiled the plans for a revitalized athletic campus that is intended to heavily impact the development of student athletes for years to come.
‘Victory Heights’ will be spread throughout upper Oakland and will include a 3,500 seat competition arena for Pitt volleyball, wrestling and gymnastics, as well as a lacrosse stadium, a new student-athlete success center, and an indoor track & field and band complex. An upgrade to Pitt’s offices at the Petersen Sports Complex, which houses the baseball, softball and soccer teams, is already well underway.
“Our coaches directly impact the lives of other peoples children every day," she said. "I’ve said that before, but it’s real and it’s an unbelievable responsibility and opportunity that they they have. They are our teachers. If you put great coaches in average facilities and they’re going to have an impact, but it’s only that transformative.
“When you put great coaches in great facilities, they can build and sustain success. And these environments are places where our coaches can build legacies, and win championships, and make Pitt a destination place.”
The new competition arena, scheduled to open in Fall of 2023, is the most noticeable upgrade, as it will take the place of the Fitzgerald Fieldhouse, which Lyke says is no longer an "ideal teaching environment."
Plans on what to do with the 69-year-old Fitzgerald Field House, which used to hold Pitt basketball games until the construction of the Petersen Events Center, have not been finalized.
“This shows that the University cares about all of the student-athletes, not just one or two sports. I’m really excited about that,” said Pitt volleyball coach Dan Fisher, who signed a seven-year extension earlier this month after leading the Panthers to three straight ACC volleyball titles. “This also means that we’re going from a good experience to potentially a great experience.”
While the teams that currently share the Fitzgerald Field House will continue to share a competition court, each program will have its own state-of-the-art practice facility, complete with coach offices and training center.
“In season, to be able to have the freedom to set up our competition equipment and have that competitive advantage to train in that facility before a competition, without having to worry about other sports and taking into consideration their schedules, is going to be a huge impact to our program, to elevate our competitions,” said gymnastics coach Samantha Snider.
Pitt’s track & field program may be the biggest beneficiary of the changes. Currently, the program does not have a competition track, though that will change when the indoor facility is put in place. It will feature eight running lanes on a 300-meter track, helping bring together Pitt’s largest program in terms of student athlete involvement.
“Since I’ve been here, it’s been 18 years, I’ve been told by numerous athletic directors that 'we’re promising you a facility,'” track and field coach Alonzo Webb said. “I used to tell our recruit that we were getting a facility. But it didn’t take place, so I stopped saying it. With (Lyke), now, it’s actually happening… It’s going to make a big difference for us.”
According to Lyke, the University his committed to the changes and the price tag, though fundraising will play a major role in it all.
The arena and sports complex will open in Fall of 2023, with the track and field complex opening in 2024. In all, the new facilities will benefit 16 of Pitt’s 19 athletic programs ands 84 percent of all student-athletes at the school.