Shields to Represent Pitt at NCAA Cross Country Championship

Saturday, November 17

Madison, Wis.

Noon

Pitt

NCAA Cross Country Championships

Shields to Represent Pitt at NCAA Cross Country Championship

11/16/2018 9:00:00 AM | Cross Country

Live Results Live Stream

Junior Third in Program History to Qualify for Women’s Championship

PITTSBURGH – Pitt junior Sam Shields will compete at the NCAA Women's Cross Country Championship for the first time in her career Saturday at 11:45 a.m. ET in Madison, Wisc.

HOW TO FOLLOW

Live results will be available through NCAA.com, and a live stream will be broadcast over FloTrack.com.
A recap of the day's events, including results and times, will be posted to PittsburghPanthers.com.
Fans may follow @Pitt_TF_XC on Twitter and Instagram for updates.

WHAT'S ON THE LINE

Runners who place in the top 40 will earn All-America honors. Maureen McCandless is the only Pitt cross country runner in program history to achieve this status, doing so in 2004.

PITT'S HISTORY AT THE NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP

Shields joins Gillian Schriever (2016) and Maureen McCandless (2002, 2004) as the only Pitt women to compete at the NCAA Cross Country Championships.
McCandless is the lone student-athlete from the University of Pittsburgh to earn All-American honors at the NCAA Women's Cross Country National Championships. On Nov. 25, 2002, she finished 210th with a time of 22:10.1 in Terre Haute, Ind. In 2004, McCandless won the NCAA Mid-Atlantic Regional (20:26) in Lewisburg, Pa., and went on to place fifth while claiming All-America status at the NCAA Championships with a time of 20:38 in Terre Haute, Ind.
Shriever made the second-best finish by a Panther at the final in program history, placing 106th at 20:52.1 at LaVern Gibson Cross Country Course on Nov. 19, 2016.

SCOUTING THE FIELD

Thirty-one teams were selected to participate in each championship. The top two, seven-person teams automatically qualified from each of the nine regions, for a total of 18 teams. Thirteen additional teams were selected at-large.
Thirty-eight individuals were selected to participate in each championship through an automatic qualifier and at-large selection process. All individual qualifiers finished in the top 25 in their regions.

LAST TIME OUT

Junior Sam Shields earned All-Region honors with a 10th-place finish in the women's 6K at the NCAA Cross Country Mid-Atlantic Regional meet Friday, Nov. 9, in University Park, Pa.
The honors are the first of her career. With a time of 21:29, her 10th-place finish is the best individual placement for a Panther since Gillian Schriever took fifth in 2016.

On the men's side, the Panthers made their best team finish at the regional meet since 2006, taking ninth place with 277 points. Sophomore Zach Lefever was first to cross the finish line for Pitt in the 10K, placing 37th at 32:15. Freshman Tyler Rollins placed 44th at 32:33, followed closely by junior Nick Wolk in 45th (32:33). Rookie Brian Spolarich was 60th (32:47), with Josh Higgins (91st, 33:12) and Jackson Morton (108th, 33:51) completed scoring for the Panthers.
Led by Shields, the women's cross country team finished ninth with 298 points. Senior Natalie Hilton was next to finish behind Shields in 41st place (22:09), and Erin Keelan followed in 78th (22:47). Senior Makenzie Zeh placed 80th (22:49), followed by classmates Schriever (89th, 22:56) and Miranda Salvo (91st, 22:58). Sophomore Emily Burd rounded out scoring for the Panthers at 114th (23:20).

UP NEXT

The National Championships mark the end of cross country season. Pitt will move indoors for track and field season, which begins with the Blue-Gold Meet, set for Saturday, Dec. 1, in Pittsburgh.

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