PITTSBURGH, PA (PTTP) – Pitt Gymnastics is finally getting the recognition they deserve, as this is the first official season the team is a part of the Atlantic Coast Conference, with gymnastics becoming the 28th sponsored sport.
Head Coach Casey Jo MacPherson enters her first year at the helm of the program. MacPherson previously coached at the University of Missouri for ten seasons as Assistant Coach, and her profound gymnastics experience stems from her time as a student athlete on the University of Arkansas Gymnastics team. Pitt Gymnastics is striving for high scores and loud energy from their teammates under MacPherson. With exciting new opportunities from transitioning into the ACC, MacPherson hopes to receive increasing support and recognition from the fanbase. “It’s going to be really cool to see that fanbase grow just from the support of the sport itself, and it’s going to make our student athletes and our program more competitive because all of the programs in the conference want to be the best and compete for championships.”
Individual players have also been soaring to new heights over the past few seasons and are looking to bring the same energy to the new season. Junior Hallie Copperwheat has been a true leader in her time as a student athlete in her previous two seasons, and has established strong relationships with her teammates. “It’s been really fun to see how everyone’s different personalities mix in together, and there’s a lot of leaders on this team…we complement each other really well,” says Copperwheat, who is ecstatic to take on the new opportunities the ACC brings with the rest of her team. Copperwheat has led the Panthers with seven individual titles in her first season, and nine individual titles as well as a trip to the NCAA tournament in her second season.
The Panthers return home to host their first ACC matchup in Pittsburgh against North Carolina on Friday, February 2. The first ACC Championship will be held in Greensboro, NC on March 23.