Three Sports Pitt Should Consider Adding

The Pitt Panthers could benefit from adding some more programs to their portfolio.

May 27, 2024; Philadelphia, PA, USA; (photo converted to black and white) Notre Dame fighting Irish player holds gloves and lacrosse sticks before a game against the Maryland Terrapins at Lincoln Financial Field. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-Imagn Images | Bill Streicher-Imagn Images

PITTSBURGH -- Pitt Athletics is certainly an athletics department with plenty of history. With one of the more honored football programs in the history of the sport, and teams of record in basketball, volleyball and soccer, Pitt Athletics has proven to stand out in the college athletics space.

Yet, in a conference with 18 teams, Pitt falls into a tie for the fifth fewest sports sponsored at 19, with nine men's sports sponsored and ten men's sports sponsored.

Pitt is at a crossroads, as the environment of college sports continues to shift with NIL, transfers and social media. While some teams may struggle, Pitt may be able to start new dynasties in sports they do not currently sponsor. There are, at minimum, four teams that Pitt should consider adding to continue their athletic department's history.

Men's and Women's Golf

There are only three ACC programs that do not sponsor men's golf. Syracuse, which ties Pitt with 19 total programs, lacks local golf and is abnormal when it comes to sports they sponsor, as they also do not sponsor baseball. Miami is confounding, as the local area has some of the world's best golf, but they do sponsor a women's program.

Pitt is that final program. On the other hand, Pitt finds themselves in an area with plenty of local golf courses that are nationally renowned, even when excluding Oakmont Country Club, as it would be unlikely Pitt would get to play or practice there. Pitt did used to have a program, but it shuttered in the early 1970s. Pitt is one of seven ACC schools with a former U.S. Open champion, as former Pitt Golf coach Sam Parks Jr. took home the trophy at Oakmont in 1935.

While Pitt does not have a history of Women's golf at the university, it would make sense to add both Men's and Women's golf simultaneously. They would ostensibly share facilities and both teams could take advantage of the local area's golf in order to continue the history of Pitt Athletics.

Men's Lacrosse

At the present date, there are only 78 schools that sponsor men's lacrosse at the Division 1 level. Of those, five are in the ACC and nearly 60 of them are on the east coast. Robert Morris is currently sponsoring the sport, and there is a large void that Pitt could fill by entering the sport. Despite not being in a pipeline area for lacrosse such as the DC area, Philadelphia or Long Island, Pitt could still likely recruit underrecruited talent in those regions due to their location. Lacrosse offers a good opportunity for Pitt to enter a competitive, yet managable field in a new sport.

Field Hockey

Field Hockey is in a similar position as Men's lacrosse, as Pitt would be entering a field of just 83 programs, but a conference that is incredibly tough. The best team in the history of collegiate field hockey is the University of North Carolina, which would be a conference foe for the Panthers. With 9 teams in the ACC, it would be a tough sport but another regional favorite for Pitt to enter into. Pitt could form two rivarlies right away, with Penn State having a program, and Division II Lock Haven sponsoring the sport at the Division 1 level.

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