Oct. 24, 2006

PITTSBURGH - On Saturday, Oct. 21 Pitt senior Mike Long was voted Pitt's Homecoming King for 2006. The Pitt senior was sponsored by the Blue & Gold society and is currently a member of the cross country and track teams.

Long (Williamsville, N.Y./Williamsville North) has played a valuable role on this year's cross country team, securing himself as one of Pitt's top runners. At the Duquesne Duals he led the team with a fourth-place finish, and at the Spiked Shoe Invitational he was Pitt's second runner across the finish line, placing 21st. Long was in the Panthers' top three at the Paul Short Invitational, placing 34th.

In addition to scoring in cross country, Long has proven his worth on the track as well. He currently holds the school record in the 3,000-meter steeplechase with a time of 9:15.92. Long qualified for the Big East Indoor & Outdoor Championships last season and has run everything from the 1,500 meters to the 5,000 meters. He was additionally named a Big East All-Academic selection last year.

Long and the Pitt cross country team will head to the Big East Championships this week. This year's competition will be held on Friday at Franklin Park in Boston, Mass. The men's 8K begins at 11 a.m., and the women's 6K still start at 11:50 a.m.