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Agnus Berenato has been exactly what the University of Pittsburgh and the Pittsburgh community needed. In just five seasons, she has taken a Panther team from complete anonymity and turned them into a program that is not just winning, it is making a nation-wide impact. For the amazing transformation Berenato has accomplished with the Pitt program, she was awarded a contract extension through the 2015-16 season. A recent accomplishment for the squad was guard Shavonte Zellous' appointment to the Lindy's All-America second team, which is the first such preseason honor for the senior. Just a short time later, she was named to the Sporting News All-America third team. In addition to the individual awards, the Panthers earned preseason rankings from both Lindy's and Athlon. In 2007-08, Pitt became just the 10th school in the last 20 years to advance to the Sweet 16 in just its second ever appearance in the NCAA Tournament. The Panthers also became the first since 2000 when they upset No. 3-seed and 12th-ranked Baylor in the second round, 67-59. Also last season, the team tied the school record for wins in a season with 24, reached the semifinals of the Big East Tournament by defeating No. 9 Notre Dame, and received a No. 6 seed in the NCAA Tournament. That win over Notre Dame marked Pitt's first-ever win over a top 10 school is was one of four victories over top 15-ranked teams in the season - another school record. Individually, Pitt had four players honored on All-Big East teams including Shavonte Zellous on the first team, Marcedes Walker on the second team and Chelsea Cole and Taneisha Harrison on the All-Freshman squad. Walker became Pitt's first-ever four-time All-Big East team member and also earned her second Region I State Farm Coaches All-America team honor as a senior, which is also a first for a Panther player. Berenato's impact on the program has reached far beyond the court and the win/loss column, however, as she has put Pitt women's basketball on the map. Last season, Pitt was on national, regional or local television 18 times and received unprecedented coverage on the national scene. The Panthers earned their highest-ever ranking in the top 25 polls with a No. 14 Associated Press mark and No. 15 in the USA Today/ESPN Coaches Poll. Under Berenato's guidance, Pitt has had three consecutive 20-win seasons and three consecutive post-season tournament appearances, which are both school bests. Prior to the 2006-07 season, Berenato made clear her intentions of being a participant at the NCAA Tournament -- Pitt's first in school history. After the loss of senior Mallorie Winn to injury, Berenato's goals did not change. In fact, they intensified playing to the most wins in Pitt history with a 24-9 record -- including a 71-61 win over James Madison in the first round of the NCAA Tournament. That 2006-07 squad earned its first-ever ranking in the USA Today/ESPN Coaches poll and was ranked in the AP poll for the first time since 1979. Marcedes Walker was named Pitt's first Kodak/WBCA District I All-American in 16 years and Shavonte Zellous earned the Big East's Most Improved Player award. Walker and Zellous were also named to the All-Big East First Team and freshman Jania Sims earned All-Freshman team honors. In 2005-06, Pitt concluded the season at 22-11, which at the time, tied the school record for wins. In addition, the Panthers finished above .500 with a 9-7 Big East Conference record and secured a sixth-place finish -- the Panthers' highest since 1995. All of that success landed Pitt in the Women's National Invitation Tournament for just the fourth time in school history -- something many had not predicted at the beginning of the season after being picked to finish 13th of 16 teams in the Big East Conference. The Panthers again surpassed expectations advancing to the semifinals of the WNIT with three victories. For the first time since 1983, two Pitt players earned All-Big East honors when Marcedes Walker (First Team) and Mallorie Winn (Second Team) were announced on March 3 at the league's annual banquet. Under Berenato's guidance in 2004-05, the Panthers began to make significant strides in becoming that top-notch program worthy of hosting an event such as the NCAA Tournament. On the court, Walker became the first Pitt freshman in school history to nab All-Big East honors. Off the court, 10 of Berenato's players earned at least a 3.0 grade-point average to give the Panthers an All-America Academic Team nomination. The success is a credit to Berenato's character and the fact that she practices what she preaches to her team. Her passion for women's basketball has helped make her players better students and better people. She has things to do, goals to achieve, and plans to see them through - the faster, the better. Since joining Pitt from Georgia Tech prior to the 2003-04 season, Berenato has worked with her staff to make the Panthers a perennial postseason team. The success has been apparent, jumping from six wins in her first year with the Panthers to 13 her second season and more than 20 wins each of the last three years (22, 24 and 24).
Among her accomplishments at Pitt: "We're building a top-notch program here and everything that's happening is a step in that direction," Berenato said. "We want all of our players to strive to play on national teams and to be the best they can be on the court and in the classroom." A subject of importance with Berenato is her devotion to the community and her work in Pittsburgh and surrounding areas is plentiful. She recently received her second Dapper Dan Sportswoman of the Year award in the last three years, a prestigious award in the city of Pittsburgh given to someone who succeeds athletically, as well as makes a difference in the community. Berenato was recently named to the Board at Magee-Women's Research Institute and Foundation in Pittsburgh. She is an advocate of the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation's Race For The Cure - a charity organization for the prevention and treatment of breast cancer. In addition to her local involvement, Berenato agreed to join the committee for the National Coalition for Cancer Survivorship (NCCS), the oldest survivor-led advocacy organization working on behalf of this country's nearly 10 million cancer survivors and the millions more touched by the disease. In 2008, Berenato was recognized by her alma mater, Mount St. Mary's, when she received the Bicentennial Medal of Honor. She has been honored by the Girl Scouts Trillium Council as the Sports and Fitness honoree at their Women and Girls of Distinction ceremony, earned induction into the Camden County [N.J.] Sports Hall of Fame, and was named a finalist for the prestigious ATHENA Award. In the spring of 2004, Berenato received the "Native Son Award," an annual award presented by the Philadelphia Sports Writers Association to a native of the Philadelphia area who has achieved success in athletics. Berenato has made a name for herself throughout the University of Pittsburgh and the community for her dynamic public speaking ability, and she has been invited to be the keynote speaker at several local middle and high school events and banquets. The Greensburg YWCA Sportswoman's Banquet, auctioneer for Research for Women's Health Issues and Magee Women's Hospital luncheon keynote speaker are just a few of the places at which she has spoken. As she did in Atlanta, she also takes pride in speaking at the local Kiwanis, Lions, and Rotary Clubs in Western Pennsylvania. As a popular speaker for Pitt alumni functions, Berenato has appeared at Napa, Calif., to Baltimore/Potomac to Chicago, to name just a few. Locally, Berenato recently served as the commencement speaker at Mt. Alvernia High School, keynote speaker for Family Enterprise Award Banquet and the Big Brothers, Big Sisters annual dinner. She was also the keynote speaker for the 2007 Non-Profit Leadership Conference and the 2006 YMCA State Conference and is an annual speaker at the YMCA Scholar-Athlete Banquet. In 2007 and 2008, Berenato served as a panelist on "Balancing Family and Coaching" at the annual WBCA Convention at the Final Four. Her community projects include: Juvenile Diabetes, Read 365, Healthy for Life Conference and she co-hosted a basketball clinic with former Steeler's Coach Bill Cohwer for Family Resources, among her other activities. Berenato reached a personal milestone in 2005 as she collected her 300th career victory with an 85-81 win over Big East foe Georgetown. Upon Berenato's hiring, University of Pittsburgh Chancellor Mark A. Nordenberg said, "We believe the University of Pittsburgh women's basketball program has unlimited potential, and in Agnus Berenato we have found the perfect person to make that potential a reality. Anyone who meets Agnus for the first time cannot help but be impressed with both her knowledge and enthusiasm. Certainly with over 300 career victories, her ability as a coach is obvious. Just as exciting, Agnus has demonstrated a record of commitment to academics and the complete development of her student-athletes. It will be exciting to watch our program grow, on and off the court, under her leadership." Guiding Georgia Tech to the postseason in each of her final four years, including the 2003 NCAA Tournament, Berenato owned a 223-209 (.516) record with the Yellow Jackets. She mentored the team to its first postseason championship by capturing the 1992 National Women's Invitational Tournament, compiling a 20-13 overall record. In her final season at Georgia Tech, the team finished 20-11 and advanced to the NCAA Tournament. The Yellow Jackets upset No. 22 Georgia, 65-61, en route to starting the season with an 11-1 record. Berenato's squad made it to the semifinals of the ACC Tournament before falling to eventual champion and Final Four participant Duke. The Yellow Jackets also recorded a school-record 10-game winning streak. In five of her last seven seasons at Georgia Tech, Berenato led the Yellow Jackets to victories over top-15 opponents. A two-time recipient of the Women's NCAA Division I Coach of the Year award in the state of Georgia by the Atlanta Tip-off Club, Berenato is a recognized recruiter as well as a successful coach. Her 2002 recruiting class was ranked among the top 15 in the nation by such publications as the All-Star Girls Report. Additionally, Athlon magazine ranked her 2001 class 13th nationally. Berenato has coached 13 all-conference honorees, including Walker, Winn and Zellous and Georgia Tech's Sonja Mallory, who was selected in the WNBA Draft, chosen 24th overall by the New York Liberty. Berenato also served two years as an assistant coach at Georgia Tech (1986-87). She was responsible for recruiting and coaching Tech's frontcourt players. Before arriving at Georgia Tech, Berenato spent four years as the head women's basketball coach at Rider University, compiling a 60-55 record. In her first season at Rider, Berenato guided the Broncs to their best record in school history with a 26-7 mark . Following that year, she was named New Jersey Coaches Association (NJCA) Coach of the Year for her efforts while Rider was named its Team of the Year. While at Rider, Berenato was also the women's volleyball coach for four years, posting a 66-51 record, including a school-record 25-12 mark in 1983. She was inducted into the Rider Hall of Fame in February, 2002. A 1980 graduate of Mount St. Mary's College in Emmitsburg, Md., Berenato earned her bachelor's degree in sociology and was a three-year starter on the basketball team. Playing for former NBA star and current ESPN analyst Fred Carter, she was a two-time captain for the Mountaineers and after serving eight years on the college's Board of Trustees, she is a Trustee Emeritus. Berenato is currently a weekly voter in the USA Today/ESPN Coaches Poll, a member of the Women's Basketball Coaches Association (WBCA), the Naismith Hall of Fame committee and is a member of the Girl Scouts Alumnae Association. In the past, she has been a member of the Kodak All-America Selection Committee, East Regional Championship Committee, the Atlanta Women's Network, Inc., the Georgia Women's Intersport Network, and Atlanta Women in Sports. She also received the Jackie Joyner-Kersee Volunteer Award for exemplary volunteerism from the Jesse Draper Boys' and Girls' Club of Atlanta a few years ago. Additionally, she was selected by the Institute of International Sports as one of its Sports Ethics Fellows in 1996. A native of Gloucester City, N.J., Berenato and her husband Jack have five children: Theresa Marie (25), Andrew (24), Joey (20), Clare (18) and Christina (15). |
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