The Pitt-Greensburg men's and women's cross country teams continued their impressive October surge with a standout showing at the Aubrey Shenk Invitational, hosted by Gettysburg College on Saturday. Nearly every Bobcat runner set a personal record (PR) on the fast and competitive course, building momentum as the teams head into the Allegheny Mountain Collegiate Conference (AMCC) Championships.
Women's 6K Recap
The women's squad took full advantage of the favorable conditions, with six runners setting PRs and two racing their first collegiate fast 6K course.
Leading the way was Trinity Lockwood Morris, who went out aggressively and held strong to finish in 25:42.00, a 48-second PR. Jocelyn Bielak broke the 30-minute barrier for the first time, crossing the line in 29:59.10, shaving off just under a second from her previous best.
First-year runners Caroline Davis (34:19.40) and Carinna Darragh (34:56.40) raced their first fast 6K course and each took minutes off their previous times, showing tremendous growth. Laura Vittone delivered a standout performance, improving her time by 2:18 from last year's race to finish in 34:00.30.
Men's 8K Recap
The men's team also saw major breakthroughs, with three runners earning significant PRs.
David Brokaw led the Bobcats with a milestone performance, breaking the 30-minute mark for the first time with a time of 29:08.70. William Vaughen followed with a strong effort of 30:51.80, while Thomas Murawski continued his upward trajectory, finishing in 34:42.50, a substantial improvement over his previous best.
Coach's Perspective
Head Coach Jeremy Eshleman praised the team's effort and the meet's atmosphere.
"Almost all the runners PR'd today for the 6K and 8K distances," said Eshleman. "Dave took another massive chunk off his 8K PR, breaking 30 minutes for the first time. Will and TD also took a lot of time off their PRs."
"Trinity went out fast and hung on for a 48-second PR. Jocelyn gave it her all to get under 30 minutes and did by less than a second. Caroline and Carinna got to race their first fast 6K course in college and took minutes off their PRs. Laura took 2:18 off her PR from this course last year."
Eshleman added that the Gettysburg meet continues to be a highlight of the season.
"I love bringing the team to Gettysburg every year. It's a great invite with very fast competition and a fast course. For the second year in a row, we're walking away with great PRs across the board. I'm looking forward to continuing to ride this momentum we've had the last two weeks into AMCCs. Everyone is peaking at the right time, and that's what makes this part of the season so exciting."
With the AMCC Championships on the horizon, coming up on November 1st, the Bobcats are hitting their stride at just the right time.
