TicketsFinal Results (pdf) - Women 6,000m | Men 10,000m
MADISON, Wis. - Big races from Juliana Madzia and Dan Huben set the pace for the University of Cincinnati cross country teams Friday afternoon at the 2016 NCAA Great Lakes Region Cross Country Championships as both Bearcats teams improved upon their finishes from one year ago to close the season on a high note in Madison, Wis.
The meet, being hosted by Wisconsin on the Badgers' Zimmer Championship Course, saw the men climb four spots to 17th overall in the 10,000m event while the women placed 21st overall to improve by three spots in the 6,000m event compared to the 2015 meet. Madzia (66th) for the women and both Huben (58th) and Seamus Collins (76th) placed among the Top 100 in their respective races as each gender saw large gains attained throughout the day.
// WOMEN'S 6,000m CHAMPIONSHIP
The women's race led off the day of running with the Bearcats looking to improve upon last year's 24th-place finish while striving to reach the Top 20. While the fell short of the Top 20 finish, the Bearcats did, however, improve their overall placement for the third year in a row, this year scoring 570 points to place 21st. UC, which had placed 29th, 28th and 24th in the past three regional races, missed the Top 20 by 30 points as IUPUI occupied the final spot with 540 points. Michigan won the team title with 61 points while Notre Dame earned the second automatic berth to the national meet with 91 points. Host Wisconsin won a tie breaker over Michigan State after both tied for third with 97 points while Eastern Michigan rounded out the Top 5 in the team standings with 102 points.
Madzia once again led the charge individually for the women as she placed 66th overall in 21:33.3 after sitting 88th at the 2,000m mark. Madzia, who has now broken 22 minutes three times this season, posted the best finish for a Bearcats woman since Ali Zukowski placed 61st at the 2011 race. Her finish also is the first Top 100 showing for the UC women since Emily Clay took 69th overall in the 2012 meet.
Behind Madzia was a group of Bearcats as the 2-5 runners finished within 15.7 seconds of one another. Meg Westerheide led the group as she placed 119th in a personal-best 22:25.9 with both Emma Hensley (122nd) and Alexis Anton (130th) also running PRs in 22:27.6 and 22:32.2, respectively. The Top 5 scorers were rounded out by Grace O'Donnell, who placed 141st in 22:41.6. Also running in the meet were Marina Wrede, who was 163rd in 22:58.5, and Tessa Ward, who finished 187th in 23:37.8.
Overall, the team's average time of finish was 22:20.5, the fastest of any 6,000m race this season and their third-consecutive improvement after averaging 22:51.0 at the NCAA Pre-National Invitational and 22:22.0 at the American Athletic Conference Championships. Compared to last year's run at the regional meet, the Bearcats shaved nearly one minute off their average time after the 2015 squad averaged 23:19.0.
// MEN'S 10,000m CHAMPIONSHIP
The men, looking to return to the Top 20 in the team standings after placing 21st last year - the first time UC had not placed in the Top 20 since racing began in 1972 - jumped to a fast start with two runners in the Top 55 and the sitting 15th overall through the first 2,000m of the race. As the race wore on, however, the Bearcats slipped down the rankings to 18th at the 6,000m mark before pushing for the finish line and climbing one spot to finish 17th overall with 481 points. Wisconsin won the team race with 51 points while both Michigan State and Indiana tied for second with 81 points, with the Spartans earning the second automatic berth into the national meet on a tiebreaker. The Top 5 was rounded out by Eastern Michigan (99) and Michigan (107).
Huben had a big day on the course as he finished the 10,000m run in 58th place with a time of 31:56.5. Huben, who was 54th through 2,000m, slipped down to the 72nd at 4,000m before climbing to 68th, 60th and finally 58th. Compared to one year ago, Huben improved his overall finish in the race by an amazing 61 positions after he placed fourth on the team last year at 119th overall while also shaving 1:13.9 of time after running 33:09.4 in 2015. With his finish, Huben got the Bearcat men back into the Top 60 individually after a one-year absence in 2015, an occurrence that had happened for the first time since 2005. His finish also marked the 28th time in 38 races that UC has placed at least one man in the Top 60 of the Great Lakes region event.
Collins found similar success on the course this year. At the midway point of the race, he sat 102nd overall before pushing toward the finish line and winding up 76th overall in 32:11.0. Similar to Huben, Collins finished 24 places higher than he did one year ago when his 100th-place finish led the team. He also managed to run 0:43.7 faster than last year. In fact, with the two finishes in the Top 100 this season, the Bearcats saw their entire scoring five runners place in the Top 119 (only four runners did this in 2015) and their Top 6 finishers all placed ahead (135th) of the 2015 Top 5 (136th). To accomplish this, UC's final three scorers came across the line in close proximity with Toby Loveridge, who fell with two miles remaining but finished the race despite an injury, placing 113th (32:50.0), Michael Vitucci in 115th (32:56.6) and Nick Grismer in 119th (32:59.7). The final two runners for the Bearcats were Spencer Clark who was 135th in 33:18.8; and John Murdock, who placed 147th in 33:34.9.
Overall, the team ran an average time of 32:35, which is a 0:33.0 improvement over the 2015 squad's average of 33:08. Based on the time difference, the team was able to lower its score by 90 points after finishing with 571 points in 2015.
// NEXT UP
The regional race concludes the 2016 season for the UC harriers. The Bearcats will now turn their attention to the approaching indoor track and field season that will get underway on December 2 with the annual Red/Black Intrasquad Meet inside the Armory on the UC campus. The first competition of the season takes place one week later (December 9) at the Indiana Opener in Bloomington, Ind.
2016 NCAA Great Lakes Region Championships
Zimmer Championship Course - Madison, Wis.
Race #1 - Women's 6,000m Championship
Team Standings (Top 10 of 32 Teams):
1. Michigan - 61
2. Notre Dame - 91
3. Michigan State - 97 (won tiebreaker over UW)
4. Wisconsin - 97
5. Eastern Michigan - 102
6. Ohio State - 193
7. Purdue - 232
8. Butler - 239
9. Indiana - 268
10. Marquette - 330
21. CINCINNATI - 570
Individual Results (of 221 Finishers):
66. Juliana Madzia - 21:33.3
119. Meg Westerheide - 22:25.9
122. Emma Hensley - 22:27.6
130. Alexis Anton - 22:32.2
141. Grace O'Donnell - 22:41.6
163. Marina Wrede - 22:58.5
187. Tessa Ward - 23:37.8
Race #2 - Men's 10,000m Championship
Team Standings (Top 10 of 30):
1. Wisconsin - 51
2. Michigan State - 81 (won tiebreaker over IU)
3. Indiana - 81
4. Eastern Michigan - 99
5. Michigan - 107
6. Purdue - 173
7. Ohio State - 227
8. Butler - 279
9. Indiana State - 287
10. Dayton - 305
17. CINCINNATI - 481
Individual Overall Results (of 205 Finishers):
58. Dan Huben - 31:56.5
76. Seamus Collins - 32:11.0
113. Toby Loveridge - 32:50.0
115. Michael Vitucci - 32:56.6
119. Nick Grismer - 32:59.7
135. Spencer Clark - 33:18.8
147. John Murdock - 33:34.9