For the first time in 42 years, the Pitt men’s and women’s cross country teams will start their 2019 season by hosting five programs for the inaugural Pitt Panther Opener at the Carrie Blast Furnaces in Swissvale.
While the season-opening meet will be special for the Pitt cross country program, the location where it’s taking place is just as unique.
Located along the Monongahela River, the furnaces, which are located about seven miles away from Pitt’s Oakland campus, were built in 1884 and operated until 1982. In 2006, they were designated as a national historic landmark and are some of the only pre-World War II iron furnaces remaining in the region.
A 1,000-meter loop was mapped out around the furnaces, and it will conclude with a straightaway that passes underneath a crane. The men will have to make six loops around the course and the women will make four.
Teams from Robert Morris, Bucknell, Marshall and Kent State will be competing in the women’s race, while only the later three will be competing in the men’s race alongside Pitt. The women’s race will begin at approximately 6 p.m. and the men’s race will start around 6:55.
Earlier this week, both the men and the women earned a top 10 selection in the U.S Track and Field and Cross Country Coaches Association preseason regional rankings. The men were selected ninth, and the women were tabbed 10th.
Both teams will have key contributors returning this year. Sam Shields will lead the women’s squad a year after becoming just the third runner in Panthers history to qualify for the NCAA Championships. Nick Wolk returns on the men’s side after clocking a 32:33 at the NCAA Mid-Atlantic regional for a 45th-place finish last year.
