Panthers to Open Cross Country Season at Duquesne Duals

Saturday, September 2

Pittsburgh, Pa. (Schenley Park)

9 a.m.

Pitt

Duquesne Duals

Panthers to Open Cross Country Season at Duquesne Duals

9/1/2017 11:18:00 AM | Cross Country

Pitt Set for Local Meet at Schenley Park

PITTSBURGH – Spikes will hit the dirt at Schenley Park Saturday morning as the University of Pittsburgh men's and women's cross country teams kick off their regular season at the Duquesne Duals in Pittsburgh.

The women's 5K race is set to begin at 9 a.m., with the men's 8K race to follow. The events are free and open to the public. A recap of the day's races, including results and times, will be posted to PittsburghPanthers.com.

PANTHER ENTRIES

On the women's side, four freshmen will be competing in their first collegiate race: Meghan Bartel, Ally Brunton, Emily Burd and Katrina Durrwachter. Rounding out the women's entries are sophomores Sarah Frick and Sam Shields, juniors Natalie Hilton, Erin Keelan, Stephanie Lednak, Emily Phillips, Miranda Salvo and Makenzie Zeh, along with seniors Caroline DeFrank, Kelly Hayes, Amy Kelly, Emily Loeffelholz and Melanie Vlasic.
For the men, true freshman Zach Lefever will be racing for the first time as a Panther. Beside him at the start line will be Andrew Burroughs, Billy Caldwell, Sebastian Curtin, Drew Glick, Jackson Morton and Nate Sloan.

LAST YEAR AT DUQUESNE DUALS

In 2016, the Pitt women were runners-up at the Duquesne Duals, led by Madison Brannon in eighth place in the 5K (19:06.4).
On the men's side, Nick Wolk paced the Panthers in his first collegiate event, placing third in the 8K (26:23.4). As a team, Pitt finished third.

PITT IN 2017 PRESEASON RANKINGS

Pitt's men's and women's cross country teams were each picked eighth in the 2017 Atlantic Coast Conference Cross Country Preseason Polls, announced Thursday. The predicted order of finish is based on voting by the league's head coaches.
The Pitt men rose in the preseason rankings from 13th in 2016 to a tie for eighth with North Carolina in 2017. The Panthers made their best ACC Championship in program history last season when they placed ninth.
Pitt's women's cross country team tied their 2016 preseason ranking of eighth, after finishing a program-best seventh at the ACC Championship last year. Pitt returns six of 10 ACC Championship entries from last year, including All-ACC honoree junior Gillian Schriever and seniors Vlasic and Hayes.
In the U.S. Track and Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) Preseason Regional Rankings, released Monday, the Panther women were picked fifth in the Mid-Atlantic, up from sixth in 2016. The men were slated to finish 11th, up from 14th last season.

UP NEXT

Next for the women's team is the Harry Groves Spike Shoe Invitational, hosted by Penn State in University Park, Pa., Friday, Sept. 8, at 10 a.m. ET.
The men will compete next at the UB Stampede Invitational Friday, Sept. 15, at 11 a.m. ET in Amherst, N.Y.

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