Olympic sports review: A new kind of speed for track teams

[Chris Peak]

While the buildup has begun for Pitt's 2014 football season, we're also taking a look back at how the Panthers' Olympic sports programs did in their first years as members of the ACC. We started the series Sunday with Alonzo Webb's track & field and cross-country teams, who experienced a new kind of speed in the new conference.

A new kind of speed

 

[Nish67]

Thanks Chris for following through on your promise to give the Olympic Sports teams some exposure.

 

[CrazyPaco]

Thanks Chris,

nice to see some articles on the other sports and get some info.

But no questions about T&F facilities? That's one of the biggest questions in the athletic department... the lack of facilities for track and tennis are among the biggest hurdles to advancing the program.

regarding XC, Pitt has been just atrocious for 20 years. The sport has been completely ignored. The ACC is actually a step down from the Big East in XC (Villanova, Georgetown and Providence are all traditional national powers with SU having more recently emerged), but conferences are relatively meaningless in the sport.

No doubt having a full complement of scholarships to work with is going to change a lot of things for the better, but they need both an indoor and outdoor facility to be serious.

 

[New York Panther]

My thanks also, Chris. And my thanks to Nish for suggesting this "series" on Olympic sports. The first chapter was a good one, and I look forward to future chapters. Re Paco's comment, it's amazing that Webb has done as well as he has without an on-campus facility. Hope to see how well he can do with such a facility some day.

 

[Brian Batko]

Hey guys, thanks a bunch for following along so far. It was pretty neat to talk to all these coaches and get a feel for their personalities and specific situation.

I did bring up the facility challenges to Alonzo Webb, as I did with all the programs that have faced or currently face them, and he really didn't touch on it. Clearly he's not one to make excuses, and he really seems to trust his staff to develop the athletes they are able to land in recruiting.

 

[CrazyPaco]

Originally posted by Brian Batko:
Hey guys, thanks a bunch for following along so far. It was pretty neat to talk to all these coaches and get a feel for their personalities and specific situation.

I did bring up the facility challenges to Alonzo Webb, as I did with all the programs that have faced or currently face them, and he really didn't touch on it. Clearly he's not one to make excuses, and he really seems to trust his staff to develop the athletes they are able to land in recruiting.

I'm assuming that any sort of timeframe for moving towards a T&F facility didn't come up either?

Webb's definitely done a good job keeping the program above above water under extremely challenging circumstances.

The other thing on the drawing board is a diving well addition to Trees Pool.

 

[Nish67]

Let me add what I know about the track and field facility but let me preface my comments by saying this is my opinion, which comes from being around the Olympic sports teams, not from any athletic department spokesperson. What we can agree on, I believe, is the location - the area behind Trees Hall where the baseball team used to play. The plan is to have an indoor track facility which will include space for the Pitt Band. There will also be an outdoor facility. The unknown is the timing and the steps that still need to be taken before construction begins. I do know that the layout also needs to include facilities for intramural sports. That is a very important step as a high percentage of Pitt students participate in intramurals. I understand that Student Affairs is involved in this discussion so someone with contacts can start there to see where things stand. The new Chancellor also needs to be brought up to speed since this is a very large undertaking. Remember that he came on board August 1 and has a full plate. When these steps are completed construction can begin. I've not heard that funding is the issue here. Funding will need to be determined, no doubt, but it's the steps above that have to be completed first.

Hope that helps.

 

[CrazyPaco]

sounds like fantastic news, actually

Originally posted by Nish67:

Let me add what I know about the track and field facility but let me preface my comments by saying this is my opinion, which comes from being around the Olympic sports teams, not from any athletic department spokesperson. What we can agree on, I believe, is the location - the area behind Trees Hall where the baseball team used to play. The plan is to have an indoor track facility which will include space for the Pitt Band. There will also be an outdoor facility. The unknown is the timing and the steps that still need to be taken before construction begins. I do know that the layout also needs to include facilities for intramural sports. That is a very important step as a high percentage of Pitt students participate in intramurals. I understand that Student Affairs is involved in this discussion so someone with contacts can start there to see where things stand. The new Chancellor also needs to be brought up to speed since this is a very large undertaking. Remember that he came on board August 1 and has a full plate. When these steps are completed construction can begin. I've not heard that funding is the issue here. Funding will need to be determined, no doubt, but it's the steps above that have to be completed first.

Hope that helps.

Nish, this is fantastic news on the surface, and the first time I've heard plans to build both indoor and outdoor facilities, which are absolutely both needed for a serious program. My over ridding concern is that they'd some how half azz the t&f facilities, and honestly, that still worries me. As much as I appreciate including intramural considerations, that also worries me in so much as how it could comprise the design for the varsity sports. I'd rather them take their time and get it right. After all, Western PA needs an indoor facility, so this could even be a money maker for the program if it is done correctly. It sounds like that is what might be happening. I have my fingers crossed because they probably aren't going to build new track facilities for 100 years.

The Cost Center could also use an upgrade. It is rare for a school to have access to a "spare" full sized indoor football facility and there should be a way to make that even more of an advantage for the Olympic sports based on the hill. The proximity of the PSC, Cost Center, and new T&F facility seems like they should be able to integrate them together somehow in order that they complement each other.

The upside of this is that it should also clear more space in the Field House.

This post was edited on 8/27 5:14 PM by CrazyPaco

 

[TIGER-PAUL]

I'm hoping the delay and deafening silence since they first announced it like 5 yrs ago is because they are trying to do it right.

 

[Nish67]

Paco, I wanted to update my comments on the plans for the track facility. I was wrong on the outdoor track. That is not in the plans. Everything else I said is still spot on as I understand it. But like everyone else I have no clue on a starting date. If I had an extra million or so laying around I'd pledge it to get a shovel in the ground. Hopefully someone else does.