Oct. 28, 2005

Women's Results

Men's Results

BRONX, N.Y. - Two Panthers will now enter the Pitt cross country record books for top-25 performances at today's Big East Championships at Van Cortlandt Park. Sam Bair (Pittsburgh, Pa./Shaler Area) and Nicki Angstadt (Kutztown, Pa./Fleetwood) led their teams by finishing 12th and 17th respectively. The Panther men finished in seventh with a roster of only six runners, and the women posted an eighth-place finish.

Angstadt finished 17th overall with a time of 22:00, nearly a full minute off her time at Van Cortlandt earlier this season. "It was a great race," said Angstadt. "I've been feeling better the last two weeks, and everything is starting to finally come together - for me and the team." Assistant coach James Trautmann said he was extremely pleased with Angstadt's performance and with how she was able to help the team's finish.

Also contributing to the Panthers' top finish was sophomore Ali Briggs (Washington, Pa./Washington) finishing in 54th with a time of 23:04, Suzy Bossart (Greensburg, Pa./Greensburg Salem) in 55th with a time of 23:06 and Abby Zaylor (Chagrin Falls, Ohio/Notre Dame-Cathedral Latin) in 63rd with a time of 23:28. Freshman Monica Bhattacharjee (Penfield, N.Y./Penfield) rounded out the Panthers' top-five with a time of 23:34.

On the men's side, Bair became the first male runner to break into Pitt's top-25 Big East finishes in over a decade. With a time of 24:55, Bair finished in 12th knocking 14 seconds off his time from the Meet of Champions. "I hung in there for the race, and I'm pretty happy," said Bair. "Now it's time to collect myself and get ready for regionals again."

Following Bair was Tim Konoval (Parry Sound, Ontario/Central Connecticut State) in 34th with a time of 25:48 and Mike Long (Williamsville, N.Y./Williamsville North) in 44th with a time of 26:06. "I was glad I was able to contribute and help the team," said Long. "We finished the same as we did last year when we were at full strength, and this year we've had some injuries. I think that's definitely a compliment to us." Additionally, Steve Gonzalez (Johnstown, Pa./Westmont Hilltop) and Jesse Mang (Orchard Park, N.Y./Orchard Park) were able to step up to some leadership roles on the team. This is Gonzalez's second consecutive meet in which he's been a key contributor, and Mang came in better prepared and focused on winning.

While their team finishes are reflective of last season, they're actually an improvement because of the Big East's realignment. The addition of new teams brings some tough new competitors to the field, and the Panthers were able to hold their own despite the fact they weren't running with some of their key competitors.

With the conference championship behind them, the team now turns to the NCAA Regional Championships to be held on Saturday, November 12 at Lehigh University in Bethlehem, Pa. In the Panthers' last trip to Lehigh, Bair captured a second-place finish, defeating a number of regional competitors. A similar performance could earn Bair an NCAA berth.