Pitt ultimate star Myles Cooper makes SportsCenter Top 10 with circus catch

Pitt men’s ultimate standout Myles Cooper spent the summer with the Pittsburgh Thunderbirds, a semi-pro ultimate team that plays in McCandless, Pennsylvania, and in their season finale on Saturday, he came up with a catch that made the SportsCenter Top 10.

The catch came during overtime in the Thunderbirds’ matchup with the Atlanta Hustle at J.C. Stone Field in North Park, and it put Pittsburgh up 25-24 with just 1:44 remaining in the game. Cooper, who stands at 5’8”, was well covered by 6’3” defender Player Pierce of the Hustle. However, Cooper leapt with impeccable timing and plucked a disc thrown by fellow Pitt standout Henry Ing out of the air despite some significant contact from the defender.

The play came in at No. 3 on the Top 10 countdown during the Sunday night edition of SportsCenter, and it was edged out for the top spots by a game-saving catch made by St. Louis Cardinals outfielder Lars Nootbaar at No. 2 and a lightning-fast out made by Los Angeles Angels shortstop Jose Iglesias at No. 1.

The catch by Cooper was just one of many immaculate plays he made over the summer. In June, he came down with a turnover and hustled downfield on offense to make a grab in double coverage over the head of 6’5” defender Orion Cable during a matchup with the Boston Glory. And the week before his SportsCenter catch, Cooper laid out for a diving score that came at the expense of the D.C. Breeze.

Cooper began playing ultimate at Pitt in 2017 and earned Ohio Valley all-freshman honors after a solid start to his career. He played with En Sabah Nur during its 2018 and 2019 seasons as well, but the Pitt men’s ultimate team went on a 471-day hiatus from competition due to the COVID-19 pandemic and did not play in 2020. However, the team plans to resume play in the fall.