Inside The Panthers

Pitt HC Jeff Capel Wins ACC Coach of the Year

Jeff Capel is the first Pitt Panthers head coach to win ACC Coach of the Year.

Stephen Thompson

Pitt HC Jeff Capel Wins ACC Coach of the Year
Pitt HC Jeff Capel Wins ACC Coach of the Year /
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PITTSBURGH -- Pitt Panthers head coach Jeff Capel guided a remarkable turnaround for his program this year, guiding it to 21 wins in the regular season and a fifth-place finish in conference play. Capel has officially been recognized for those achievements. 

Capel earned ACC Coach of the Year honors for his work this season, the first Pitt head coach ever to earn such distinction. He beat out contenders like Clemson's Brad Brownell, Miami's Jim Larrañaga and NC State's Kevin Keats to earn the award. Larrañaga was the runner-up with eight votes, while Capel ran away with the award, garnering 57 total votes. 

He entered this season with a sub-.500 record as head coach at Pitt and delivered the massive year many thought he needed to keep his job. The Panthers had won just 21 ACC games combined over the past four seasons under Capel's leadership and arrive at the postseason with 14 conference wins under their belts. He led Pitt to it's first appearance in the AP top 25 in seven years and has them knocking on the door of its first NCAA Tournament appearance since 2016. 

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Published
Stephen Thompson
STEPHEN THOMPSON

Stephen Thompson graduated with a bachelor's degree in communications and political science from Pitt in April 2022 after spending four years as a sports writer and editor at The Pitt News, the University of Pittsburgh's independent, student-run newspaper.  He primarily worked the Pitt men's basketball beat, and filled in on coverage of football, volleyball, softball, gymnastics and lacrosse, in addition to other sports as needed. His work at The Pitt News has won awards from the Pennsylvania News Media Association and Associated College Press.  During the spring and summer of 2021, Stephen interned for Pittsburgh Sports Now, covering baseball in western Pennsylvania. Hailing from Washington D.C., family ties have cultivated a love of Boston's professional teams and Pitt athletics, and a fascination with sports in general.  You can reach Stephen by email at stephenethompson00@gmail.com and follow him on Twitter. Read his latest work:

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