Pitt
UB STAMPEDE INVITE
Cross Country Sweeps Weekend Races
9/6/2014 12:00:00 AM | Cross Country
UB Stampede Men's Results | UB Stampede Women's Results | SHU Men's Results | SHU Women's Results
Follow @PittTFandXCPITTSBURGH - The men's and women's cross country teams opened the 2014 slate by each winning team titles at the UB Stampede Invite and SHU Griffin Classic, on Saturday, Sept. 6.
In Buffalo, N.Y., the Pitt men finished on top with 24 points, followed by Buffalo (32), Niagara (84) and St. Bonaventure (105) in the four-team event. Senior Cullen Davis was the first runner to navigate the 8K course, coming in at 25:05.7 in the 42-runner field. He was exactly five seconds in front of second place.
The Panthers placed all five of their point-scorers in the top-10. Next in line was junior Michael Runco, who was fourth overall in a time of 25.30.4. Rounding out the top-five for Pitt men at Buffalo were freshman Nate Sloan in 25:34.4 (6th place), sophomore Chris Montgomery in 25.51.8 (7) and freshman Cordon Louco in 26:08.1 (10).
As a team, the Pitt women were even more dominant and packed together in Buffalo. Panthers runners finished second through sixth for a team score of 20. Host school Buffalo was second with 46 points, followed by St. Bonaventure (75) and Niagara (107).
St. Bonaventure's Kerry Caher was the overall winner in the 5K race, but Pitt had the next five runners cross the finish line to steal the show. Sophomore Dee Dee Adams earned second with a time of 18:13.3, just a half-second in front of teammate, junior Hillary Boxheimer. Competing in their first collegiate race, freshmen Beth Shenck (18:31.4) and Madeline Schmiedeknecht (18:33.5) were next in line, while senior Morgan Perry officially gave Pitt the team win by placing sixth in 18:34.7.
Over in Greensburg, Pa., Pitt was equally impressive. The Panthers men totaled a perfect score of 15, sending the first five runners to the finish before another individual even completed the course. Juniata College (54 points) and host institution Seton Hill (68) were second and third, respectively.
Four newcomers for Pitt participated in the SHU Griffin Classic, including a trio of freshman making their collegiate racing debut. One of those freshmen, Matt Kazanjian, was the individual winner with a time of 29:12.4. Fellow freshman Aaron Lauer was next in 29:22.1 and sophomore Chris Pastore was just five seconds behind him. The remaining Panthers were Billy Caldwell (30:08.1) and Asa Equels (30:20.6).
On the women's side, the race was a little tighter with Pitt narrowly edging out the Host Seton Hill, 34 points to 39. The Seton Hill Alumni team, which featured overall winner Jeannie Budjos (20:05.3), rounded out the top three with 89 points.
Sophomore Joslin Sellers was the first Pitt runner to finish, placing third in 21:05.4. The next four Pitt competitors all were in the top-10. Sophomores Abby Peters and Kristyna Finikiotis finished back-to-back, grabbing sixth and seventh with times of 21:21.3 and 21:38.7, respectively. Freshman Melanie Vlasic was right behind them taking eighth in 21:42.1 in her collegiate debut. Senior Lindsay Jones was the final point scorer for Pitt, completing the course in 21:57.6, good for 10th.
The Panthers will split their squads again next week when they send runners to the Harry Groves Spiked Shoe Invitational in University Park, Pa. and the Father Bede Invitational in Loretto, Pa. on Saturday, Sept. 13.
