The Pitt women’s cross country team finished ninth overall at the Carnegie Mellon Invitational… The Pitt women’s cross country team finished ninth overall at the Carnegie Mellon Invitational Saturday at Schenley Park with an average time of 22 hours, 24 minutes, 51 seconds.

The 5K meet allowed younger runners on the team to gain experience and helped track and field members prepare for the spring season.

Freshman Megan DeGraaf paced the Panthers with a time of 21:15.90, which placed her 31st overall.

Junior Alicia Lichvar recorded a time of 21:58.47, giving her the second best time for the Panthers and 51st overall.

Sophomore Brittany Giannotti finished 68th overall at 22:45.55, making her third for the Panthers.

Finishing fourth was junior Carrie Mavrikis with a time of 23:02.74, placing her 76th overall. She was the highest-placing member of the track and field team.

Pitt runners Rachael McIntosh (84) and Amanda Kuhl (98) also finished in the top 100. A total of 28 runners competed for the Panthers.

The race consisted of 13 teams and 158 runners, including students from Pitt-Johnstown, Point Park and Chatham. The teams finished 10th, 11th and 12th, respectively. Host school Carnegie Mellon won the event with an average time of 19:51.13.

Both the men’s and women’s teams return to action Saturday, Oct. 17, for the Princeton Invitational in Princeton, N.J. The top runners on each team took the weekend off to rest and prepare.