University of Pittsburgh Athletics
Vlasic Voted Rookie Of The Week For Second Time
10/8/2014 12:00:00 AM | Cross Country
CENTERVILLE, Mass. - For the second time this season, freshman Melanie Vlasic earned the Eastern College Athletic Conference Division I Rookie of the Week, the organization announced on Wednesday, Oct. 8.
Vlasic is sharing the distinction this time around with Villanova freshman Siofra Cleirigh Buttner. When Vlasic earned the honor the first time on Sept. 18, it marked the second week in a row a Pitt freshman was named the ECAC’s Rookie of the Week. Overall, in the six weeks the ECAC has handed out this award this year, a Pitt freshman has been recognized three times.
Competing at the Notre Dame Invitational on Friday, Oct. 3, Vlasic was Pitt’s top rookie. She was the third true freshman to complete the 5K course in the Gold Race and came in 36th place with a personal record time of 17:40.1. Between the Gold Race and the Blue Race, which featured a total of 29 regionally-ranked teams, Vlasic posted the 16th fastest time by a true freshman.
This year, the women have sprinted out of the gates, earning a program-best regional ranking of seventh in the Mid-Atlantic Region, which was held for three weeks. The most recent USTFCCCA ranking released on Monday dropped the Panthers to 10th, but Pitt is going strong on four consecutive weeks in the poll.
Vlasic and a number of Panthers runners will rest this weekend and prepare for Pre-Nationals on Oct. 18, while the remainder of the team takes on the Carnegie Mellon University Invitational in Schenley Park on Saturday, Oct. 18 at 10 a.m.
