Pitt Cross Country Regionally Ranked by USTFCCCA
8/29/2016 12:00:00 AM | Cross Country
Women's Preseason Rankings
Men's Preseason Rankings
NEW ORLEANS - The University of Pittsburgh women's and men's cross country teams were ranked sixth and 14th, respectively, in the NCAA Division I Mid-Atlantic Region by the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association Monday.
The women's sixth-place preseason ranking is believed to be the highest in program history, while the men's ranking of 14th is the highest in any poll since placing ninth for the week of Oct. 22, 2015. This is the second consecutive year that both the men and women were represented in the preseason polls, after placing 12th and 13th, respectively, in 2015.
"It's an exciting way to kick off the season, but we have a long way to go and anything can happen," women's coach Adam Bray said. "We have a lot of really great teams in our region, and it is an honor to be able to compete with those teams in the near future."
On the women's side, all 15 Atlantic Coast Conference schools received preseason recognition in the regional rankings. NC State had the highest ranking, coming in at first place in the Southeast Region.
For the men, 11 ACC schools were represented in the rankings. Syracuse was placed atop the Northeast Region.
"This is a preseason poll that's a reflection of how we finished the 2015 season," men's coach Bryan Jackson said. "We have grown from last year and with that, so have our expectations."
The Panthers' regular season begins Saturday, Sept. 3, at the Duquesne Duals held in Pittsburgh's Schenley Park. The women's 5K race will start at 9 a.m. ET, and the men's 8K race follows at 9:45 a.m. ET.