Pitt cross country teams to hold home meet at Carrie Blast Furnace

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Pitt cross country teams to hold home meet at Carrie Blast Furnace

Jerry DiPaola | Tuesday, July 23, 2019 1:45 p.m.

A tour group walks through the Carrie Furnace on Sept. 15, 2012. The former blast furnace located along the Monongahela River is open to the public for tours. Andrew Russell | Tribune-Review

For the first time in more than 20 years, Pitt’s men’s and women’s cross country teams will be hosts for a home meet this season.

The Pitt Panther Opener will be held Aug. 30 at the Carrie Blast Furnace in Swissvale. The historic Carrie Blast Furnace operated for nearly 100 years from 1884 to 1982 and during its peak produced 1,000 to 1,250 tons of iron per day. The men’s 6K course and women’s 4K course will wrap around the structure.

“The start of this cross country season is especially exciting for me,” coach Alonzo Webb said in a statement. “The Pitt Panther Opener will be the kickoff to our highly anticipated 2019-20 season. We are only competing in four meets during the season, which allows us to get a lot of quality training and recovery to prepare for what we look to be another successful year.”

The teams also will compete in the Galen Piper Invitational, hosted by Shippensburg University, on Sept. 6; the Paul Short Invitational in Bethlehem on Oct. 5; and the Texas A&M Invitational in College Station, Texas, on Oct. 19.

The ACC Championships are Nov. 1 in Blacksburg, Va.

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