Athletics Points Of Pride - 2016-17

It is an incredible time to be a Bearcat!
 
Our student-athletes continue to excel on and off the field. They achieved a record-setting overall GPA of 3.253 in the 2017 spring semester and for the first time over 70 percent of our student-athletes earned a 3.0 or better GPA.
 
UC recently placed among the top-85 schools in the final standings of the 2016-17 Learfield Director's Cup standings, a program that honors schools for achieving across the board success in athletics. It is the second-highest finish in school history and best since 2001-02.
 
Through many departmental initiatives, we are continuing to position the Bearcats locally, regionally and nationally, allowing us to help sustain the University of Cincinnati's excellent reputation with pride and distinction.
 
With our positive trajectory and momentum, the Department of Athletics will continue on its current course to win championships, develop and graduate student-athletes, and provide the best student-athlete experience. We are grateful for your continued support of UC Athletics.
 
// OVERALL HIGHLIGHTS
The football team is under new leadership entering the 2017 season after Luke Fickell was selected as the program's head coach in mid-December. Following a highly regarded signing class and a successful spring session, the Bearcats will look to improve on their 2016 campaign under their new coach.'
 
Scott Googins, a 12-year veteran head coach who has been to four NCAA Championships in the past eight years, made the move across town from Xavier to take the reins of the Bearcats baseball program. The baseball team has featured an 136-place bump in its RPI since the 2014 season.
 
The men's basketball team recorded the second-most wins (30-6) in school history, tied the school mark for most conference victories (16-2), recorded the fourth undefeated home season (18-0) in Fifth Third Arena's 28 years, advanced to the American Athletic Conference Championship game and made its seventh consecutive NCAA Tournament appearance. The Bearcats were nationally ranked in the polls for a Mick Cronin coaching era record 15 weeks, climbing as high as No. 11
 
The volleyball team finished with a 22-9 regular-season record and a 17-3 mark in American Athletic Conference play, helping the team earn an at-large berth into the NCAA Championship. Jordan Thompson was the league's unanimous player of the year and an AVCA honorable mention All-America selection, Jade Tinglehoff was setter of the year and Head Coach Molly Alvey was named the American's Coach of the Year. Volleyball finished the season with the No. 40 RPI nationally, a 220-spot jump from where it finished in 2013 (270).
 
The track and field team had another strong season, producing a repeat outdoor championship for the women's team, an NCAA Indoor Champion, nine All-Americans, 19 American Athletic Conference Champions, 523 season-best marks, 500 personal bests, 243 marks that ranked somewhere on the program's all-time Top 10 charts and 41 school records. Annette Echikunwoke won the 2017 NCAA Indoor Track & Field Championship title in the weight throw, the first in program history and fifth individual national title in UC history.
 
The swimming and diving team featured an All-America selection, two NCAA Championship qualifiers, six conference champions, 22 conference medal winners and 19 school records set during the 2016-17 campaign.
 
Jacqueline Keire closed out a brilliant career with the third All-America honors of her career at the NCAA Championship. Keire was one of the most dominant women in American Athletic Conference history as she captured 13 conference crowns, including the 200 freestyle all four years she swam and was named The American's Most Outstanding Swimmer three years in a row, making her the only student-athlete - male or female - to do so.
 
The Greater Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky Women's Sports Association honored four individuals with ties to the University of Cincinnati at its recent annual banquet. Echikunwoke (track & field), Keire (swimming) and Thompson (volleyball) were named the collegiate athlete of the year in their respective sports while UC's Director of Track & Field/Cross Country Susan Seaton was selected as the collegiate coach of the year across all sports.

// ACADEMIC HIGHLIGHTS

• For 18 straight grading periods and in 24 of the last 25 grading periods our student-athletes have posted a 3.0 or better departmental GPA.
• In Fall 2016, 15 of 17 teams posted a 3.1 or higher team GPA and in Spring 2017, 8 of 15 teams achieved a 3.5 or higher and 15 of 17 teams posted a 3.0 or higher.
• Spring 2017 marked the first time over 70% of our student-athletes have achieved a 3.0.
• Men's Cross Country, Men's Soccer, and Women's Soccer posted their highest GPAs in Fall 2016 and Men's Golf, Women's Golf,
• Men's Track and Field, and Women's Track and Field posted their highest GPAs in Spring 2017 (Men' and Women's Golf broke their fall record).
• 12 of 17 teams posted a perfect 1,000 APR rate (Baseball, Men's Basketball, Men's Cross Country, Men's Golf, Men's Swimming & Diving, Women's Cross Country, Women's Golf, Lacrosse, Women's Soccer, Women's Swimming & Diving, Tennis, and Volleyball).
• Women's Cross Country, Men's Track and Field, Women's Tennis, and Volleyball earned NCAA Public Recognition Awards for their multi-year APR rates.

ACADEMIC STATISTICS	FALL	WINTER
Bearcats Honor Roll	307 * (67 percent)	285 (71 percent)
Dean's List	199 * (44 percent)	190 (47 percent)
TopCat (4.0)	37 *	30
Department Semester GPA	3.202	3.253 *
Highest Male Team GPA	Cross Country - 3.604	Golf - 3.603 ^
Highest Female Team GPA	Golf - 3.803	Golf - 3.822 ^

 
* - All-Time Record For Semester; ^ - Team Record For Semester
 
COSIDA ACADEMIC-ALL AMERICA

• Adrian Valles (MTK) Academic All-America First Team
• Juliana Madzia (WTK) Academic All-America First Team
• Connor Davis (MSW) At Large Academic All-America Third Team
• Ryan Leahy (FB) First Team All-District

 
NATIONAL AWARDS

• Adrian Valles (MTK) was named as an Elite 90 Award winner
• Juliana Madzia (WTK) is the AAC Conference Woman of the Year nominee
• Valentina Herrera (WGO) was a National Semi -Finalist and First Team Arthur Ashe Jr. Sports Scholar
• Adrian Valles (MTK) was named as the AAC Male Scholar-Athlete of the Year
• Juliana Madzia (WTK) was named as the AAC Commissioner's Post Graduate Leadership Award winner

 
AMERICAN ATHLETIC CONFERENCE AWARDS

• Football and Men's Cross Country were named as Team Excellence winners
• Connor Davis (MSW), Vanessa Gilles (WSO), and Adrian Valles (MTK) were named as Scholar-Athlete Sport Excellence Award winners
• 271 Student-Athletes were named to AAC All-Academic Team

 
UC ATHLETICS AWARDS

• Deyshawn Bond (FB) and Juliana Madzia (WTK) were named as the Nancy Hamant Scholar-Athletes
• Lauren Bellinger (WTE) was named as the Jean Stephens Memorial Award winner
• Pedro Diaz (MSO) &Juliana Madzia (WTK) were named as the Jimmy Nippert and Helen Norman Smith Award winners

 
GRADUATES

• 95 student-athletes graduated
• 16- August 2016 graduates
• 14- December 2016 graduates
• 65- April 2017 graduates

 
CPAWS

• 5,412 hours of community engagement

// TEAM-BY-TEAM HIGHLIGHTS
BASEBALL

• Beat No. 1 and previously undefeated Louisville 6-3 on March 21 at Marge Schott Stadium. – totaled eight wins over teams that qualified for the NCAA tournament.
• Ryan Noda became just the second player in program history to hit a homerun onto the roof of Fifth Third Arena in a 9-4 win over Western Carolina on May 10.
• Noda and R.J. Thompson earned Second Team All-American Athletic Conference honors, marking the first time since 2014 that Cincinnati has had multiple All-Conference honors in the same season.
• Set a program record with a .985 fielding percentage – First in the AAC and No. 5 in the NCAA.
• Head Coach Scott Googins was hired on June 6, 2017.

 
MEN'S BASKETBALL

• Cincinnati recorded the second-most wins (30-6) in school history, tied the school mark for most conference victories (16-2), recorded the fourth undefeated home season (18-0) in Fifth Third Arena's 28 years and made its seventh consecutive NCAA Tournament appearance
• The Bearcats were nationally ranked for a Mick Cronin coaching era record 15 weeks, climbing as high as No. 11
• Troy Caupain and Kyle Washington earned Second Team All-Conference honors while Jacob Evans and Gary Clark were selection to the American Championship All-Tournament team … The Bearcats advanced to the American Championship title game
• Cincinnati shot 62.8 percent (27 of 43) against Kansas State – a school record for an NCAA Tournament game
• Troy Caupain ranked fifth in the nation with a 3.4-to-1 assist-to-turnover ratio and completed his career as the only player in school history with more than 1,300 points and 500 assists. He handed out a school-record 515 career assists and tallied 1,317 career points, tying Cashmere Wright for 22nd-place on UC's all-time scoring list
• Mick Cronin earned his 300th career coaching victory
• Climbed to No. 16 among the nation's winningest programs with 1,757 wins
• Program ranked No. 10 in the nation in the Associated Press listing of Top 100 programs based on all-time weekly polls.

 
WOMEN'S BASKETBALL

• UC experienced an 8-win improvement from last season to this year with a 16-14 overall record, which is the Red & Black's best record since 2005-06.
• The team also earned their highest-ever finish in the American Athletic Conference standings this season with a four-way tie for fifth place.
• The Bearcats had had many notable individual achievements this year including junior forward Shanice Johnson being selected as American Athletic Conference Newcomer of the Year and third team all-conference as well as junior guard Ana Owens becoming the 26th member of the program's 1,000-point club.

 
CROSS COUNTRY:

• Men finished third in the American for their third Top 3 finish in the four years the conference has hosted an event (2nd in 2014 & 2015). Women finished sixth and marked their best finish since placing sixth in the 2004 Conference-USA Championships. It also marked the first single-digit finish as members of the AAC after placing 11th twice and 10th once.
• Toby Loveridge placed seventh overall for the second year in a row to earn all-conference honors once again
• Dan Huben was 13th and earned his first all-conference accolade in cross country after earning the same distinction in the previous two outdoor track seasons in the 3,000m steeplechase (2nd in 205 and 3rd in 2016).
• Juliana Madzia was 13th overall for the women to earn the program's first all-conference honor as members of the AAC. Her finish also was the best for the program in the American, bettering a 27th-place showing of Ashley Earman in 2013.

 
FOOTBALL

• The Bearcats started the season 3-1 with a road win at Big Ten Conference program Purdue and picked up their 11th-straight win over longtime rival Miami (Ohio).
• UC's defense forced 24 turnovers (17 INT, 7 FR) and 19 sacks after forcing 14 turnovers (9 INT, 5 FR) with 13 sacks in 2015 season. The defense improved 15 spots in the NCAA FBS rush defense rankings, 16 spots in scoring defense, 58 spots in team tackles for loss and 24 spots in sacks.
• LB Eric Wilson earned First Team All-American Athletic Conference honors after leading the Bearcats and American Athletic Conference in tackles, averaging 10.8 stops per game. He finished with 129 tackles, notching double-digit stops in eight games, including a season-high 16 tackles against East Carolina.
• DT Cortez Broughton earned second-team all-league honors after tallying 42 tackles, five for a loss, two-and-a-half sacks, a pair of pass break-ups and his first career interception.
• Ohio native Luke Fickell, the former defensive coordinator at Ohio State with 18 years of FBS experience, was tabbed as the 42nd head coach in program history on Dec. 10, 2016. In less than eight weeks after his hire, Fickell put together a veteran, talented staff and signed one of the top-rated recruiting classes in the AAC.
• Former safety Mike Tyson was selected by the Seattle Seahawks in the 2017 NFL Draft. Several other former players will enter training camp on NFL rosters, including Deyshawn Bond (Indianapolis Colts), Tion Green (Detroit Lions) and Wilson (Minnesota Vikings).

 
MEN'S GOLF

• Austin Squires became only the fifth player in school history to participate in the NCAA Championship as an individual
• Squires was named the American Athletic Conference Player of the Year and a unanimous first team all-conference selection after leading the league with six top-5 tournament finishes in 12 events
• Cincinnati finished second at the American Championship, its best team result at a league tournament since winning the Great Midwest Championships in 1992 and 1994
• The Bearcats won individual (Austin Squires) and team crowns at the Firestone Invitational
• Jared O'Kelley registered 10 top-25 finishes in 12 tournaments during the season
• After a one-year hiatus, Cincinnati played host to the revamped Bearcats Invitational at Coldstream Country Club.

 
WOMEN'S GOLF

• UC recorded its highest-ever finish at the American Athletic Conference Championship with a tie for fifth at the 2017 edition of the tournament at the Conservatory Course at Hammock Beach Resort & Golf Club. The Bearcats' three-round score of 888 is their lowest ever at a conference championship.
• UC also finished ahead of three teams it ranked ahead of in the GolfStat rankings: Memphis (No. 66), Tulane (No. 96), USF (No. 116).
• Senior Valentina Herrera was named the 2017 Arthur Ashe Jr. Sports Scholar Award national team winner for women's golf and was chosen as a semifinalist for the Female Sports Scholar of the Year award.

 
MEN'S SOCCER

• The Bearcats went 9-7-1 overall – their best season in 10 years -- tying for fourth place in the American Athletic Conference. The American sent two teams to the 2016 NCAA Tournament including USF, whose only conference loss came on Oct. 1 against the Bearcats.
• UC had 13 newcomers on the team this past season including 11 true freshmen.
• Four players earned all-conference honors, Adam Wilson (Midfielder of the Year, 1st team), Patrick Nielsen (2nd team, all-rookie team), Ryan Melink (all-rookie team), David Sanz (all-rookie team).
• In addition, five UC student-athletes were recognized as All-Ohio with Wilson and Nielsen earning first and second team honors, respectively. Pedro Diaz, Christian Hay and Jack Clark were each tabbed for the academic first team.

* - Adam Wilson has since transferred to Louisville
 
WOMEN'S SOCCER

• UC hosted the inaugural Riverboat Rivalry match with Northern Kentucky, bringing 4,722 fans into Nippert Stadium for a 1-0 Bearcats victory. The attendance is the largest ever for a women's collegiate soccer match in the state of Ohio.
• The team finished 11-5-4 overall on the year with a 6-1-2 mark at home (5-4-1 road/0-0-1 neutral) and posted a 4-3-2 mark in the conference to earn the #5 seed in the tournament. Those records gave UC 10+ wins for the third season in a row (only the fifth time in 37 years that has happened) while the .650 winning percentage is an improvement over the previous season for the fourth year in a row under head coach Neil Stafford.
• In matches played at home on Sunday, the team posted a 3-0-1 mark to improve to 16-0-2 in the four-year tenure of Stafford. UC has outscored its foes, 42-11, in those 18 home Sunday matches.
• In his first four years at the helm, Stafford's sides have won 24 homes matches, surpassing the previous record of 23 that UC coaching legend Meridy Glenn tallied in her opening four seasons at UC.
• With the help of the Riverboat Rivalry record attendance, the Bearcats' nine home matches were witnessed by 9,809 fans (1,090 average), an increase of 229.4% over his first season in Clifton (2,978 total fans/426 average).
• Women's soccer has jumped 63 places in its RPI number since 2013

 
INDOOR TRACK & FIELD:

• Annette Echikunwoke won the NCAA weight throw title to give the program its first national champion after Al Lanier was a four-time national runner-up in the long jump in 1972 and 1973. She also is just the fifth individual national champion in UC athletics history and the first since 2010 (Josh Schneider, men's 50 freestyle swimming).
• With her finish and 10 points earned, Echikunwoke placed the women's team in a tie for 21st nationally at the meet, giving UC its first Top 25 national finish in program history.
• The women placed second in the American Athletic Conference Indoor Championships by two points to UCF, 122-120, while the men placed fifth overall with 69 points.
• UC won seven individual and one relay event total, including Echikunwoke (weight), Bryana Robinson (400m), Loretta Blaut (high jump), Kellsa Mbah (long jump) and Naomi Urbano (pentathlon) for the women and men's titles from Adrian Valles (pole vault) and Jimmy Brooks (400m). The women also won the 4x400m relay.
• Valles's title kept him perfect in the conference as he won the pole vault for the third year in a row. Echikunwoke also won back-to-back weight tiles while the relay and both Robinson and Brooks in the 400m dash each claimed victory for the first time in UC history.
• Echkiunwoke and Valles were the only two Bearcats to reach the national meet and both placed in the Top 5 with Echikunwoke winning the weight throw and Valles placing fifth. It marked the second year in a row Echikunwoke earned USTFCCCA All-America First Team honors after she placed eighth in the weight throw last year while Valles earned his third first-team accolade after placements of 6th, 5th and 5th at the indoor meet.

 
OUTDOOR TRACK & FIELD

• The women successfully defended their AAC outdoor title as they ran away with the victory by a conference-record 31-point margin, scoring 138 points, a 27-point improvement over their first title in 2016. The women won five individuals events with Echikunwoke taking the shot put and hammer; Robinson in the 400m, Blaut in the high jump and Urbano in the heptathlon, along with a sweep of both the 4x100m and 4x400m relays.
• Blaut earned USTFCCCA All-America First Team honors for the second year in a row outdoors as she tied for sixth place in the high jump to lead the way at the national meet as one of five Bearcats to earn a national honor. Her finish scored 1.5 team points, which placed UC in a tie for 69th place nationally this year.
• The 4x400m relay of Haisha Bisiolu, Deanna Gesicki, Tiona Lattimore and Bryana Robinson continued to add to the number of program firsts as the quartet, already the first relay to ever reach a national meet (men or women, indoor or outdoor), became the All-American relay in program history as the women placed 15th nationally to earn USTFCCCA All-America Second Team accolades. It marked the first time any of those women have earned All-America status.
• The women qualified six athletes to the NCAA Final in Eugene, Ore., a single-gender program record, surpassing the five that qualified and competed in the 2016 meet.
• The men placed sixth overall with four individual championships secured, including gold medals from Macklin Tudor (shot put and discus), Valles (pole vault) and Alex Bloom (decathlon). Tudor swept the two throws for UC, marking just the second time that has happened and the first since 1992.
• Valles won his third pole vault title in a row outdoors and remains undefeated in conference competitions for his career as he has won all six AAC meets he has entered. He then qualified to the NCAA Final where he place second nationally in the pole vault, equaling the highest male finish at an NCAA meet with Al Lanier, who was a four-time national runner-up in the long jump (twice indoor and twice outdoor) in 1972 and 1973.
• With Valles' national finish, the men scored 8 points and tied for 33rd overall. That team finish stands as the fourth-best outdoor finish in men's program history, the sixth-best men's finish ever (indoor and outdoor included) and seventh-highest in program history when including the women's finishes (indoor and outdoor as well).
• Macklin Tudor finished 10th in the discus at the NCAA Final, earning USTFCCA All-America Second Team honors in his first and final national appearance. He is the 12th different UC man to earn All-America accolades outdoors and the 16th overall with indoor included. Adding in Valles' finish, the duo tied for the most single-season All-America honors earned for the men's program, equaling the two honors attained in 2001, 2004 and 2013.
• Alex Bloom won his first decathlon title, scoring a personal-best 7,401 points. That total, which ranks second in UC history, placed him just outside the national Top 24, which automatically qualified to nationals, by just 70 points.

 
LACROSSE

• Won two conference games in a season for the first time in program history (Butler and Vanderbilt).
• Freshman Monica Borzillo and Sophomore Amanda Donovan were named Second Team All-BIG EAST Conference – becoming just the third and fourth players to earn All-Conference honors in school history.
• Borzillo broke school records for points in a season (73), assists in a season (34), points in a game (10) and assists in a game (6).
• Borzillo finished the season ranked among the top-50 of the NCAA in assists (29th), assists per game (31st), points (25th), points per game (26th), shots per game (41st), and shots on goal per game (41st).
• Borzillo was named the BIG EAST Rookie of the Week a league-leading five times in 2017.
• 19 student-athletes were named Academic All-BIG EAST Conference.

 
SPIRIT SQUADS

• The dance team welcomed a new head coach, Maureen Housum, a three-time National Dance Association All-American and four-time collegiate National Dance Association champion.
• Dance won its seventh national championship in hip-hop, coming from fourth place in semifinals to first in the finals, the first time a team has achieved that in NDA history.
• Cheer finished in the Top 5 at the UCA national championships, jumping from 13th place in the semis to fifth in finals
• UC mascot "Bearcat" was only one of 10 mascots selected to compete in the UCA mascot national championships, with a sixth-place finish.

 
SWIMMING AND DIVING

• Jacqueline Keire became the first student-athlete in American Athletic Conference history to be named the league's Most Outstanding Swimmer at the championship meet for the third consecutive season.
• The team had two participants at the NCAA Championships – Keire in the 50, 100 and 200 freestyle and Chris Bready in the 500 and 1650 freestyle.
• Keire finished seventh in the 200 freestyle for All-America honors after being named an honorable mention All-American in the previous two years.
• The women's team earned the bronze medal at the American Championships – its highest ever finish. The men's team also finished third to tie its best showing at the meet.
• The team accumulated 2 NCAA qualifiers, 6 conference champions, 18 school records, 27 NCAA B-cuts, 29 pool records and 75 top-10 times in 2016-17.

 
TENNIS

• The Bearcats put together a 17-7 overall record during their 2016-17 campaign, breaking the school record for the most spring wins in a season, topping the 2009 total of 16.
• UC went undefeated during the regular season in the month of April and rolled off 10-straight wins from March 24 to April 19.
• UC also put together an 11-1 record against Ohio Valley Regional opponents and was 5-0 against teams in the state of Ohio.
• The Bearcats were named as an Intercollegiate Tennis Association All-Academic Team while six individuals, Natalia Abdalla, Katya Bure, Ali Miller, Caroline Morton, Anna Philp and Kelly Poggensee-Wei, also earned ITA All-Academic honors.
• Poggensee-Wei earned the ITA/Cissie Leary Award for Sportsmanship for the Ohio Valley Region, UC's first ITA award (regional and national) in program history. The award, which is presented annually to a Division I women's player who displays inspiring dedication and commitment to her team, which has enhanced her team's performance and exemplified the spirit of college tennis, recognized the UC senior who made a strong comeback in 2017 after missing all of 2016 due to injury.
• Poggensee-Wei and Lauren Bellinger earned All-American Athletic Conference honors and finished the season ranked No. 16 and No. 19 in the Ohio Valley Region, respectively.
• The tennis team received an NCAA Public Recognition Award for its Academic Progress Rate, ranking in the Top-10 of all programs nationally in APR for the fourth-straight year.

 
VOLLEYBALL

• Advanced to the NCAA Championship for the first time since 2011 – earning the first at-large bid in the history of the American Athletic Conference.
• UC won seven postseason conference honors, the most in a single season since 2001. Jordan Thompson – Player of the Year; Jade Tingelhoff – Setter of the Year; Molly Alvey – Coach of the Year; Thompson/Tingelhoff/Carly Nolan – First Team All-Conference; Ciara Hill – Second Team All-Conference.
• Jordan Thompson became the first unanimous Player of the Year selection in the history of the American Athletic Conference.
• Jordan Thompson recorded her 1,000th career kill on Nov. 25, breaking a school and league record as the quickest player to 1,000 kills and was the first to reach the milestone as a sophomore.
• Three Bearcats will represent the USA this summer – Jordan Thompson as a member of the Collegiate National Team touring Thailand; Molly Alvey as the head coach of the Collegiate National Team touring Europe; Kevin Carroll as an assistant coach of the Collegiate National Team touring Europe.