Pitt Women's Basketball Starter Enters Transfer Portal

PITTSBURGH — The Pitt Panthers saw one of their main starters from this past season leave the program.

Junior guard Marley Washenitz announced on Twitter that she is transferring from the program, ending her three-season stay with the Panthers.

Washenitz hails from Fairmont, W.Va. and played for Fairmont High School, where she was a four-year starter.

She excelled at Fairmont, finishing with 2,000 points, 781 rebounds, 512 steals and 464 assists. She also took her team to the state Championship game three times, winning it as a freshman in 2019.

Her performances earned her West Virginia State Player of the Year honors twice and West Virginia All-State First Team selection and State Tournament team member four times each.

She originally committed to West Virginia in August 2020, but the team didn't honor her scholarship, after they had too many players on the roster, following the NCAA allowing players an extra year of eligibility due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Washenitz eventually landed with Pitt, joining head coach Lance White in the Class of 2022.

She played in 28 games in her freshman campaign and started 16 contests. She averaged 3.3 points, 1.5 assists and 1.3 rebounds per game, while shooting 34.7% from the field, 26.2% from 3-point range and 90.9% from the foul line that season.

Pitt fired White after that season and Washenitz stayed on, one of just four players that did so, joining head coach Tory Verdi, who originally recruited her at UMass.

Washenitz started 30 of the 31 games she played in as a sophomore in the 2023-24 season, averaging 27.8 minutes, 4.1 points, 3.9 rebounds, 3.5 assists and 1.3 steals per game, while shooting 26.7% from the field, 12.8% from 3-point range and 72.5% from the foul line.

She continued as a starter as a junior, doing so in all 32 games for the Panthers this past season. She averaged 28.8 minutes per game, 9.3 points, 2.7 assists, 2.3 steals and 2.3 rebounds per game, while shooting 35.3% from the field, 35.0% from behind the arc and 68.8% from the foul line.

Washenitz is the second player that announced her decision to enter the transfer portal from Pitt, along with Aislin Malcolm, who landed at Robert Morris. She has one year of eligibility remaining.

Pitt saw three players graduate this season in First Team All-ACC center Khadija Faye, forward MiKayla Elmore and guard Brooklynn Miles.

Verdi also dismissed senior guard Bella Perkins in early December, making it six departures from the program after the start of last season.

Pitt will return guards in rising senior Raeven Boswell, rising redshirt juniors in Mikayla Johnson and Amiya Jenkins, junior Aaryn Battle, plus sophomore Audrey Biggs.

They'll also bring in three freshman guards in Theresa Hagans from Bishop Ireton High School in Alexandria, Va., five-star Nylah Wilson from IMG Academy in Bradenton, Fla. and Jayda Queeley from Edmonton, Alberta in Canada.

Pitt Women's Basketball Roster: 2025-26 Season

Senior (One Season of Eligibility)
Guard Raeven Boswell

Redshirt Junior (Two Seasons of Eligibility)
Guard Mikayla Johnson
Guard Amiya Jenkins

Junior (Two Seasons of Eligibility)
Guard Aaryn Battle

Redshirt Sophomore (Three Seasons of Eligibility)
Forward Lauren Rust

Sophomore (Three Seasons of Eligibility)
Guard Audrey Biggs

Redshirt Freshman (Four Seasons of Eligibility)
Forward Kiara Williams

Freshman (Four Years of Eligibility)
Guard Theresa Hagans
Guard Jayda Queeley
Guard Nylah Wilson
Wing Megan Hollingsworth
Wing Macie Arzner
Forward Divine Tumba Tshibuabua
Forward Meredith Venner
Forward/Center Angela Le Faou

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