Oct. 9, 2008

PITTSBURGH -

University of Pittsburgh athletic director Steve Pederson announced a contract extension for head women’s basketball coach Agnus Berenato Thursday. Berenato’s current contract was extended three years, which will make her Pitt’s head coach through at least the 2015-16 season.

Berenato has made an unprecedented impact on the women’s program in just five short seasons. After a 6-20 record in her first year at the helm, Pitt has achieved three consecutive 20-win seasons and last year advanced to the NCAA Tournament’s “Sweet 16” for the first time in school history. Pitt earned a bid to the NCAA Tournament in each of the last two years, the only two appearances in school history, and won a program-best 24 games in each of those years.

Recruiting has been a strength for Berenato as her first top-tiered signee, Marcedes Walker, recently graduated as a four-time All-Big East team member and a two-time WBCA Region I All-American. Walker also broke the Pitt career rebounding record and finished fourth in scoring. Incoming senior Shavonte Zellous is a two-time All-Big East first teamer and was named the 2007 Big East Most Improved Player. She has been listed on numerous preseason watch lists and was named a preseason All-America by both Lindy’s and the Sporting News.

Berenato has led the program to numerous “firsts” in her short time at Pitt including the team’s first preseason (No. 21 in 2007-08) and postseason (No. 16 in 2007-08) rankings, the first ranking in the USA Today/ESPN Coaches Poll (No. 24 in 2006-07), the first win over a top 10 team (#9 Notre Dame on March 9, 2008) and the program’s first trip to the NCAA Tournament.

Attendance at Pitt women’s basketball games has seen marked improvement since Berenato’s arrival. The numbers have shot up over 200 percent since her first season. Those around the nation took notice as the Panthers were awarded the 2007 NCAA Tournament first and second rounds and hosted two No. 1 seeds in Tennessee and North Carolina.

On the academic side, Berenato’s players, who have exhausted their eligibility, have all graduated from Pitt. Included in that list of graduates is Zellous who has already earned her degree and will return for her senior season on the court as a graduate.

Entering her sixth year in Pittsburgh, Berenato has also made quite an impact in Western Pennsylvania as she has won the prestigious Dapper Dan Sportswoman of the Year Award twice in the past three years. Her community involvement extends from serving on the Board at Magee-Women’s Research Institute and Foundation and the National Coalition for Cancer Survivorship (NCCS) to speaking at elementary schools and reading to children.

The following are statements from Berenato, Pederson and Chancellor Mark A. Nordenberg on the contract extension:

Statement from Pitt head women’s basketball coach Agnus Berenato:
“This shows tremendous loyalty from both the Chancellor and Steve Pederson and it will be an honor to continue working under them. I hope to end my career here and I will always give my best on and off the court. This extension says ‘we are happy with what you are doing.’ My family and I love this city and we are very happy here so it is great to have this show of support. As for recruiting and the future, it says that we are on solid ground and that this University believes in us.”

Statement from Pitt athletic director Steve Pederson:
“Agnus Berenato was the right person at the right time for Pitt Women’s Basketball. We are very pleased to make this commitment to her and for her commitment to the University. She has brought this program to heights never before achieved at Pitt and we are pleased to maintain the growth and stability of the program. Since Agnus arrived, the program has not only been extremely successful on the court, but she has made it a point to emphasize the personal development of our student-athletes. In a relatively short time, the basketball program had made a jump to national prominence and we are excited to watch what the coming years will bring.”

Statement from Pitt chancellor Mark A. Nordenberg:
“Under the leadership of Agnus Berenato, the women’s basketball program at the University of Pittsburgh has reached unprecedented heights on the court, in the classroom and in our community. Her passion and commitment have fueled our program’s impressive rise in a very short period of time. As gratifying as the last five seasons have been, everyone associated with our program is even more excited about the future. We are very pleased that Agnus will be part of Pitt’s future for the long term.”