Women win Big East title, Men finish in third

In a season that has already producedmany individual accolades, this past weekend, Pitt’s… In a season that has already producedmany individual accolades, this past weekend, Pitt’s women’s indoor track and field team added a team award: Big East Champs.

Led by Most Outstanding Track Performer Maureen McCandless and Most Outstanding Field Performer Amanda Walker, Pitt’s women combined for 161.5 pointsand sprinted past favored Notre Dame and Georgetown en route to capturing their third title in school history and first since 1999.

“I knew we could do it,” head coach Alonzo Webb said. “I told the women, ‘There is only one team that can beat you, and that team is right here in this room. We gave it away last year. If you want it, it’s yours for the taking.'”

Though overshadowed by the women’s accomplishments, the men’s team also made remarkable strides at the championships, finishing in third place.

“I think they surprised everyone,” Webb said. “In a meeting I had with the team before the meet, I told the men that they should have 35 points after the first day. As it turned out, the men had exactly 35 points.

“I think they thought I was a psychic,” he said with a laugh. “They began to believe and really outperformed themselves.”

The men moved up seven spots from last year’s 10th-place