Pitt Sends Runners To St. Vincent
9/19/2014 12:00:00 AM | Cross Country
| Pittsburgh at St. Vincent Invitational | ||
| Race Details | Saturday, Sept. 20 - W: 10:45 a.m. | M: 9:30 a.m. | |
| Race Coverage | Race Info: Women's 5K course | Men's 8K course Twitter: @PittTFandXC | |
| Pitt Links | News | Roster | Schedule | 2014 Results | |
PITTSBURGH - Following two weeks of splitting its roster, Pittsburgh's top runners will get a break this weekend as the Panthers take just five men and a team of 18 women to the St. Vincent Invitational at nearby Latrobe, Pa. on Saturday, Sept. 20.
LAST TIME OUT
Pitt's men and women both had a strong showing against nationally-ranked teams at Penn State's Harry Groves Spiked Shoe Invitational last Saturday, with the men finishing in fifth and the women fourth. The women's field consisted of three top-30 teams, including No. 20 West Virginia, which the Panthers beat by one spot.
For the second straight week, senior Cullen Davis and sophomore Dee Dee Adams were Pitt's first finishers. Davis led the men with a 14th place effort in 26:27on the 5.2-mile course. Adams' time of 21:50 was good for 16th in the 6K.
Over in Loretto, Pa. for the Father Bede Invitational, 14 more Pitt women were given the opportunity to race. In the three-team field, Pitt took second behind Saint Francis and was paced by freshman Anja Weiler in 20:33.7 for the 5K.
PROGRAM-BEST REGIONAL RANKINGS RELEASED
Last week when the USTFCCCA released its regional rankings, the Pitt cross country program had both men's and women's teams ranked for the first time since at least 2009, which is how far back the organization's records go.
The women topped out at seventh in the Mid-Atlantic region, moving up from their preseason ranking of 14th. The seven-spot jump was the largest of all Division I women's teams. Meanwhile, the men made their first appearance in the regional rankings since the preseason poll in 2010. Both times they were 13th, the highest the team has ever been.
THREE'S A CROWD
On Wednesday, Melanie Vlasic became the third Pitt runner in the short season to be individually recognized by a conference, joining Davis and fellow freshman Beth Shenck.
A week after Davis was honored as Atlantic Coast Conference men's cross country Performer of the Week and Shenck was awarded Eastern College Athletic Conference women's cross country Division I Co-Rookie of the Week, Vlasic also took home the ECAC's Division I Rookie of the Week distinction. She was the third overall true freshman to cross the line at Penn State, completing the 6K in 22:07.
LAST YEAR AT ST. VINCENT
With 10 full teams participating in the St. Vincent Invitational in 2013, Pittsburgh placed second with 45 points, behind only Oberlin College's 29. Junior Rachel Brown, who has yet to compete this year, was the individual winner of the event.
UP NEXT
The Panthers take a week off before gearing up for its next big test at the Notre Dame Invitational on Friday, Oct. 3.
Below is a list of runners competing this weekend:
| St. Vincent Invitational | ||
| Women | Men | |
| Kathryn Born | Alex Archer | |
| Karli Buescher | Billy Caldwell | |
| Ellen Crook | Asa Equels | |
| Caroline DeFrank | Aaron Lauer | |
| Dana DelleFemine | Chris Montgomery | |
| Deanna Felicissimo | ||
| Courtney Group | ||
| Lindsay Jones | ||
| Sarah Kochinsky | ||
| Nicole Leskowicz | ||
| Rachel Mueller | ||
| Karli O'Neill | ||
| Morgan Perry | ||
| Abby Peters | ||
| Rebecca Peters | ||
| Isabel Uribe | ||
| Natalie Vidacs | ||
| Anja Weiler | ||
Players Mentioned
