Panthers Prepped for UVA Pre-Nationals on Saturday

PITTSBURGH – The University of Pittsburgh cross country teams will look to dominate the course this Saturday at XC ’23 Pre-Nationals, hosted by the University of Virginia at Panorama Farms in Charlottesville, Va.

The meet will consist of four races, two championship races and two B races. The full schedule is as follows:

8:45 AM – Men’s 8k Orange Race (B Race)

9:40 AM – Men’s 8k Blue Race (Championship Race)

10:30 AM – Women’s 6k Blue Race (Championship Race)

11:00 AM – Women’s 6k Orange Race (B Race)

The University of Virginia will utilize a shuttle system for all spectators. All shuttles will depart from the designated parking space, Fashion Square Mall. The $20 fee includes parking, admission to the event, and a roundtrip ride on the shuttle. Tickets can be purchased at http://virginiasports.evenue.net.

There will be 25 teams competing in the men’s championship race, including ACC rival and host, Virginia. Virginia is the 10^th ranked team in the most recent National Coaches’ Poll. The meet will also feature 17^th ranked Tennessee, 21^st ranked Arkansas, and 29^th ranked Oregon, and Montana State who has been receiving votes. Last season at the 2022 Virginia Invitational, the Pitt men’s team took third place in the 6k race. Jack Miller and Luke Henseler each recorded personal bests as they led the way for the Panthers with top 15 finishes.

The women’s championship race consists of 26 teams, including sixth ranked BYU, seventh ranked Virginia, 17^th ranked Oregon, 19^th ranked Arkansas, 24^th ranked Utah Valley, and Michigan, Penn, and Wake Forest who have all been receiving votes in the poll. At the 2022 Virginia Invitational, the Pitt women’s team finished fourth place overall in the 5k. Caroline Rusinski paced the Panthers with a 12^th place finish.

Two weeks prior, the Panthers traveled to South Bend, Ind. for the Joe Piane Invitational at Notre Dame. The women’s team placed sixth, led by senior Sadie Carey-Tharp’s 18^th place finish and personal best time of 16:56.1 in the 5k. The women’s squad jumped to fourth in the USTFCCCA Mid-Atlantic Regional Poll, their highest ranking in program history. The men’s team notched an eleventh-place finish as both Luke Henseler and Jack Miller finished inside the top 40.

This weekend’s…