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EUGENE, Ore. - Loretta Blaut and Erika Hurd both placed in the Top 9 in the high jump with both earning All-America honors as the 2016 NCAA Outdoor Championships came to a close for the University of Cincinnati Saturday evening at Hayward Field in Eugene, Ore. Blaut, competing in her first national outdoor meet, placed sixth overall to earn USTFCCCA All-America First Team honors while Hurd collected the fourth accolade of her career as she was named USTFCCCA All-America Second Team.
In the team standings, the Bearcats women scored a total of four points to finish in a tie for 49th place with Michigan State and Princeton, the best finish in program history, surpassing the 2012 team's three points and tie for 55th place. In fact, the finish for the women this year ties for the fifth-best all-time in Bearcats history (men and women) and marks just the sixth time a UC team has finished among the Top 50. Overall, Arkansas won the team title with 72 points and was followed in the Top 5 by Oregon (62), Georgia (41), Texas (36) and Texas A&M (35).
In the high jump finals, both women posted opening height clearances on their first attempts before both needed a third-attempt clearance at 1.78m (5-10.00) to remain in the competition. At the third bar, 1.82m (5-11.50), Blaut was successful clearing the height on her first attempt while Hurd was up and over the bar on her second try. Both took on the bar at 1.85m (6-00.75) - the U.S. Olympic Team Trials standard - with both nearly clearing the bar. In the end, both tied at the same height, but misses at previous bars broke the tie, sending Blaut to sixth overall and Hurd to ninth in the competition. With her finish, Blaut collected three team points for the Bearcats while Hurd was one spot out of scoring.
Blaut's performance placed her among elite company in UC history. Not only did she post the fourth-best clearance in program history, she also tied Kathy Klump for the best NCAA outdoor finish for a Bearcat woman after Klump took sixth in the 800m run in 2012. Blaut's showing also is the best finish in a field event in UC women's history and the best among the two vertical events contested at the national meet.
Hurd's ninth-place showing earned her All-America honors for the second outdoor meet in a row and the fourth of her UC career after she was honored at the 2015 and 2016 indoor championships. With the honor earned this weekend, Hurd becomes the most decorated woman in program history, surpassing the three honors Klump earned, and sits her second all-time (men and women) behind the six Al Lanier won in the early '70s. Hurd also joins Klump as the only two women in UC history to earn multiple outdoor All-America honors in a career.
With the conclusion of the NCAA Championships, the 2016 season comes to an end for the Bearcats. Several members of the program, both current and former, will now turn their attention toward the U.S. Olympic Team Trials that will be held in Eugene, Ore., July 1-10. A full list of entrants with ties to UC will be posted on GoBearcats.com closer to the competition and once the USATF finalizes its entry lists.
2016 NCAA Outdoor Track & Field Championships - Day 3 (6/11/16)
High Jump - FINAL
6. Loretta Blaut - 1.82m (5-11.50) - PR & UC #4 - 3 points - USTFCCCA All-America First Team
9. Erika Hurd - 1.82m (5-11.50) - USTFCCCA All-America Second Team
Women's Team Scores - FINAL
1. Arkansas - 72.0
2. Oregon - 62.0
3. Georgia - 41.0
4. Texas - 36.0
5. Texas A&M - 35.0
t49. Cincinnati - 4.0