The rapid turnaround and wholesale rise of the Pitt athletic department can be funneled to the decisions stamped by one woman.
Heather Lyke was recognized Monday as one of four recipients of the Cushman & Wakefield AD of the Year Award among Football Bowl Subdivision athletic directors by the National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics. The award is given to 28 athletic directors spanning seven levels of intercollegiate athletics.
"Heather’s driving vision is one of comprehensive excellence, and this well-deserved award recognizes her success in transforming this ambitious vision into reality,” University of Pittsburgh Chancellor Patrick Gallagher said in a statement. “She has raised the bar for University of Pittsburgh athletics, student-athletes and athletics staff, and the results truly speak for themselves. Team Pitt—already counting her as a star—is incredibly proud to see Heather honored by her peers in this way, and we wish her a heartfelt congratulations!”
Director of Athletics @Pitt_LykeAD was named a recipient of AD of the Year Award by @NACDA 👏
— Pitt Panthers (@Pitt_ATHLETICS) March 27, 2023
📰: https://t.co/XdTKbMIgm8 pic.twitter.com/Rh6IckbCeA
Per NACDA, the award "highlights the efforts of athletics directors at all levels for their commitment and positive contributions to student-athletes, campuses and their surrounding communities."
Lyke is one of four recipients in the Football Bowl Subdivision category alongside Utah's Mark Harlan, Iowa State's Jamie Pollard, and Kansas State's Gene Taylor.
“It is more than humbling to be recognized along with some extraordinary colleagues,” Lyke said. “This honor is the result of an outstanding team of people in Pitt Athletics who make great decisions and work hard every day to help our coaches and student-athletes have success. It is truly a privilege to lead Pitt Athletics and this award also represents the exceptional belief and confidence of our coaches, student-athletes and staff.”
#MarchMadness isn't over yet ... 🥁🥁
— NACDA (@NACDA) March 27, 2023
Announcing the 2022-23 @CushWake Athletics Directors of the Year! 👏👏
Read more about these AD role models from across the country who will be recognized at #NACDA23: https://t.co/8Ii3GIHAMX pic.twitter.com/vJjnX65F9B
Lyke is wrapping up her sixth year at Pitt, which has been one of the most memorable for the university's athletic department as a whole in recent memory.
The Pitt football program finished 9-4 and earned a victory in the Sun Bowl, which vaulted it into the Associated Press Top 25 season-ending rankings for the second year in a row for the first time since 1982-'83.
Congratulation!!!!!!! Well earned @Pitt_LykeAD!!!! More to come #H2P 🥇🔥🔵🟡 https://t.co/ghUvWgiKCj
— Pat Narduzzi (@CoachDuzzPittFB) March 27, 2023
The men's basketball program returned to the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2016 and won two games in the tournament for the first time since 2009. This came after four sub-.500 seasons in a row.
In the non-revenue (or, "Olympic") programs, men's soccer advanced to the College Cup for the second time in three seasons, and the women's soccer program reached the NCAA Tournament for the first time in its history and advanced to the Sweet 16. Volleyball went on to its second consecutive Final Four. Wrestler Nino Bonaccorsi recently won a national championship, giving Pitt its first since 2008.
Also, Ilse Steigenga became the first Pitt women's long jumper to earn first-team All-American status since Trecia-Kaye Smith in 1999. Men's cross country advanced to the NCAA Championships for the first time since 1994, and men's swimming and diving took 33rd nationally while sending 12 competitors to the NCAA Championships.
Lyke's impact and influence has also been felt off the fields.
Seventeen of Pitt's 19 programs finished the fall semester with a collective grade-point average of 3.0 or above.
Pitt is also undergoing a massive upgrade to its training facilities. Construction is under way for he "Victory Heights" facility in Oakland which will house 16 of Pitt's 19 athletics programs. A 3,000-seat arena for volleyball, wrestling, and gymnastics is also under construction.
The athletic department also raised a record $40 million in revenue in the 2021-'22 fiscal year, thanks in part to the single largest donation in Pitt athletics history, a $20 million gift from Chris Bickell.
Lyke will be honored with the award at the NACDA & Affiliates Convention June 13 in Orlando, Fla. She is also a finalist for the Sports Business Journal Athletic Director of the Year award. That winner will be announced May 24.
