Sports

Pitt’s Gillian Schriever to race in NCAA Cross Country Championship

Sophomore runner Gillian Schriever told The Pitt News two weeks ago that she’s had to push herself to achieve the unlikely.

After placing 41st out of 131 competitors in last year’s ACC Championships, Schriever made a considerable jump up to fifth this year. At the NCAA Mid-Atlantic Regionals over the weekend, she placed fifth again with a time of 20:30 in the 6k race, becoming Pitt’s second ever cross-country runner to qualify for the NCAA Cross Country National Championship.

Schriever finished fifth and qualified for the championships — a feat only accomplished once before by Pitt’s Maureen McCandless in 2004.

“It’s been 12 years since we’ve had one of our cross-country women make the meet,” Pitt head coach Alonzo Webb said in a press release Friday. “Gillian Schriever has been outstanding all season and [will reward] herself with a trip to the NCAA Cross Country National Championship next week.”

Besides Schriever, both cross-country teams found successes of their own at the Blue and White golf course in University Park, Pennsylvania, on Friday to end their regular seasons. Overall, the men’s team improved three places, finishing eleventh at the meet, and the women’s team maintained seventh from last year.

Vlasic and Schriever earned All-Region honors, with Vlasic finishing 23rd with a time of 21:16.

“I think our team has improved a lot this season, and I honestly feel that next year we can qualify as a team to the NCAA Championships,” Pitt women’s coach Adam Bray said in the release. “I’m really proud of the young women in our program. They are great athletes and even better people. I’m really lucky to have the opportunity to coach them.”

Leading the men’s team in the 10k, redshirt senior Michael Runco finished 31st with a time of 31:28, and junior Aaron Lauer finished 51st with a time of 31:48.

“I am proud of the progress that the men have shown throughout the 2016 cross-country season,” Pitt men’s coach Bryan Jackson said in the release. “I look forward to what the future holds for them.”

Schriever will compete as an individual runner at her first NCAA National Championship meet Saturday, Nov. 19, in Terre Haute, Indiana.

sportsdesk

Share
Published by
sportsdesk

Recent Posts

From Pop to Personal // It’s a bird, it’s a plane — it’s Timothée Chalamet?!

On this edition of From Pop to Personal, staff writer Ashley O’Doherty talks about the…

1 hour ago

Fully Booked | Start and End the Day With a Book

In this edition of Fully Booked, staff writer Evin Verbrugge talks about the routine of…

1 hour ago

Who Asked? // What comes next post-election?

This installment of Who Asked? by staff writer Brynn Murawski suggests a path forward for…

2 hours ago

Panthers on Politics // Disinformation in Politics

In this episode of Panthers on Politics, Ruby and Piper interview Professor Lara Putnam from…

2 hours ago

Overcrowding, waste buildup still causing rat infestation on Chesterfield Street

The concentrated rat infestation on Chesterfield Street in West Oakland remains a persistent issue for…

4 hours ago

Panther Hollow Bridge closes as City continues efforts to maintain bridge safety

The Panther Hollow Bridge in Oakland closed for maintenance on Oct 19. The closure, followed…

5 hours ago