Pitt Cross Country Begins Season at Duquesne Duals

Sept. 1, 2007

PITTSBURGH -

The Pitt cross country teams posted strong showings today at the Duquesne Duals. The women's team took first place as three runners finished in the top five, while the men placed second out of seven teams at Schenley Park.

Junior Ali Briggs (Washington, Pa./Washington) paced the women's team with her second place overall time of 18:32. She was immediately followed by senior Amy Ruffolo (Wexford, Pa./North Allegheny) and freshman Anna Yoney (Irwin, Pa./Norwin), who posted times of 18:33 and 18:43, respectively.

"As a team, we ran a very strong race today," said Briggs. "Finishing second, third and fourth is a great way to start the season and I'm excited for the rest of the year."

Other placewinners for the Panthers included June Farley (Radnor, Pa./Radnor), Monica Bhattacharjee (Penfield, N.Y./Penfield) and Nikki Bielick (Greensburg, Pa./Greensburg Salem). Farley clocked in with a 10th-place time of 19:28, while Bhattacharjee and Bielick finished in the top-20 with marks of 19:45 and 20:17.

On the men's side, freshman Joshua Christopher (Irwin, Pa./Penn-Trafford) crossed the finish line of his first collegiate race in fourth-place with a time of 26:12. He was joined in the top-15 by sophomore Eric Burnett (Pittsburgh, Pa./Fox Chapel), freshman Jack Morrow (Tulsa, Okla./Holland Hall School) and senior Curtis Larimer (Colorado Springs, Colo./Palmer). Burnett placed eighth at 26:41, while Morrow and Larimer turned in times of 26:58 and 27:08, which were good for 13^th and 14^th place, respectively.

Assistant coach Clinton Bell offered his thoughts on the day's performances, saying that "It was a great way to kick off the year. Both the men and women ran well and I was especially pleased with the number of freshmen that stepped up and contributed today. This is a team with a strong core of leaders and some talented younger runners," continued Bell. "I'm looking forward to an exciting season for both teams."

The Panthers will travel to Lock Haven University on Saturday, Sept. 15 at 11 a.m. to take part in the Lock Haven Invitational.