Tickets// THE STARTING LINE
One week removed from its first meet of the season, the University of Cincinnati women's cross country team is ready to toe the line once again this weekend as the Bearcats will venture to Terre, Haute, Ind., Saturday morning for the inaugural John McNichols Invitational. The meet, set to be conducted at the LaVern Gibson Championship Course in Terre Haute, will see the women race 5,000m starting a 9:30 a.m.
// FOLLOW US
For up to the minute updates, follow UC Track & Field/Cross Country (@GoBearcatsTFXC) on Twitter, Facebook (GoBearcatsTFXC) and Instagram (GoBearcatsTFXC).
// MADZIA TOP 30
On Wednesday (September 6), the NCAA released the names on its Woman of the Year Top 30 list and former Bearcats standout Juliana Madzia was listed. Madzia was one of 543 women across all three NCAA divisions that was nominated this year (229 from Division I) for the prestigious award that has been given annually since 1991. The award is built upon recognizing female student-athletes that demonstrate its four core tenants: athletics, academics, service and leadership. Madzia, one of two from the American Athletic Conference that has advanced this far, will now await word from the NCAA when they later this month announce the three finalist from each of the three divisions. The 2017 recipient will be announced at a dinner October 22 in Indianapolis.
// IN THE MEET: JOHN McNICHOLS
Nine different schools will be represented in the women's 5,000m race at the John McNichols Invitational Saturday morning, including: Cincinnati, Evansville, Indiana State, Louisville, Marian (Ind.), McKendree, Michigan, Rose-Hulman and St. Mary (Kansas)
// LET'S PREVIEW
This weekend's run will not only serve as a competitive meet for the Bearcats, but also will afford them the opportunity to run at the same venue that will later play host to the 2017 NCAA Great Lakes Region Championships (November 10). The LaVern Gibson Championship Course has been utilized for numerous championship competitions, including the NCAA Championships.
// MORE ON THE REGION
Four of the five NCAA Division I programs set to run this weekend are members of the Great Lakes Region, meaning this Saturday's event will allow the Bearcats a chance to race with some of the athletes they will see in Terre Haute later this season. According to the first USTFCCCA Region Rankings that were released this week, three teams set to run are currently ranked in the Top 15 of their respective Division I regions, including Great Lakes teams Michigan (#1) and Indiana State (#14) and Southeast Region team Louisville (#2). In the latest national rankings, three teams are among the Top 30 in their respective polls, including #3 Michigan and #28 Louisville in NCAA Division I and #23 St Mary in the NAIA rankings.
// RESULTS
To access results the day of the meet, you can visit TimingMD.net and follow the prompts to the results page for the women's 5,000m run.
// HISTORY: JOHN McNICHOLS
This week's invitational is the inaugural event being held in memory of John McNichols, who was the longest tenured head coach in the history of Sycamore Athletics as he served as head track and field and cross country coach for 34 years prior to his untimely death in December of 2016 at the age of 66. The meet will also hold a men's 8,000m run at 10 a.m.
// LET'S REVIEW: BUTLER OPENER
• The men opened their season September 1 at the Butler Opener and placed third overall
• Rookies Matt Stump (15th) and Ryan Guenthner (17th) were the top finishers for the Bearcats in the 6,000m run in Carmel, Ind.
• Newcomers Steven Zombory (18th) and Branden Nosker (30th) also made their UC debuts
// LET'S REVIEW: QUEEN CITY - MEN
• The men scored 65 points and placed third among the five teams in the meet
• Dan Huben was the top finisher, placing third overall in the 5,000m race at 15:02.4
• Seamus Collins (11th), Nick Grismer (15th) and Spencer Clark (17th) all placed in the Top 20
// LET'S REVIEW: QUEEN CITY - WOMEN
• The women scored 69 points and finished third overall among six teams in the meet
• Madison Dunlap was the top finisher for the women, placing ninth overall (18:05.3)
• Hannah Markel also earned a Top 10 finish as she was 10th in 18:06.5
• Rookie Sam Mikula was 13th (18:19.9) to give the Bearcats three in the Top 15
// BIG IMPROVEMENTS
In the women's race, the Top 2 Bearcats each not only placed in the Top 10, but also posted huge PRs for 5,000m. Dunlap's previous best was 19:31.0 run in 2014 before she lowered that PR by 1:25.7 to 18:05.3. Markel was just behind Dunlap as her PR improved by 1:23.3 after she ran 18:06.5 this year before running 19:29.8 last year as a freshman. Both previous bests were recorded at the Friendship Invitational in Cedarville.
PREVIOUSLY NOTED
// RETURNING ALL-CONFERENCE
Looking back at last year's American Athletic Conference Championships, three Bearcats placed in the Top 15 of their respective races and were named to the all-conference team. Of those three individuals, only senior Dan Huben returns in 2017 after placing 13th last year.
// MOVED ON
The Bearcats also have lost two of their all-conference honorees from last year as both Juliana Madzia and Toby Loveridge earned their degrees during the 2016-17 academic year.
// REVIEW: 2016 MEN
The men finished just outside of the trophy places at the conference meeting, finishing third overall at the meet held in Cincinnati. Both Toby Loveridge (7th) and Dan Huben (13th) earned all-conference honors with their finishes. The men also improved in the regional standings as they placed 17th overall with Huben leading the way in 58th, a huge improvement from the 2015 meet.
// REVIEW: 2016 WOMEN
The women had a great year as they placed sixth at the American Athletic Conference Championships, the best finish for the UC women since a sixth-place showing at the 2006 Conference USA event. Juliana Madzia was the top finisher for the women in five races and earned all-conference by finishing 13th at the AAC meet.
// HELLO! MY NAME IS...
The Bearcats will have seven new runners on the roster this year, including four men and three women. For the ladies, the newcomers include Sydney Hess (Curtice, Ohio), Sam Mikula (Columbus) and Katrina Patterson (Clarence, N.Y.). On the men's side, the newcomers include true freshmen Ryan Guenthner (Louisville) and Matt Stump (Medina, Ohio), junior Steven Zombory (Chardon) and senior Branden Nosker (Troy, Ohio). Zombory was a member of the UC Running Club the past two years while Nosker raced for Mississippi State.
// UP NEXT
Both teams will take the next two weeks off from competition before returning to the starting line as the Bearcats will return to Cedarville on September 29 to race in the 2017 All-Ohio Cross Country Championships. The meet, held at the Elvin R. King Cross Country Course on the Cedarville University campus, will see the men's 8,000m race start at 2 p.m. with the women's 6,000m run starting at 2:45 p.m. There also will be a men's open 8,000m run (3:30 p.m.) and a women's open 6,000m run (4:15 p.m.) before awards are handed out at 5 p.m.
One week removed from its first meet of the season, the University of Cincinnati women's cross country team is ready to toe the line once again this weekend as the Bearcats will venture to Terre, Haute, Ind., Saturday morning for the inaugural John McNichols Invitational. The meet, set to be conducted at the LaVern Gibson Championship Course in Terre Haute, will see the women race 5,000m starting a 9:30 a.m.
// FOLLOW US
For up to the minute updates, follow UC Track & Field/Cross Country (@GoBearcatsTFXC) on Twitter, Facebook (GoBearcatsTFXC) and Instagram (GoBearcatsTFXC).
// MADZIA TOP 30
On Wednesday (September 6), the NCAA released the names on its Woman of the Year Top 30 list and former Bearcats standout Juliana Madzia was listed. Madzia was one of 543 women across all three NCAA divisions that was nominated this year (229 from Division I) for the prestigious award that has been given annually since 1991. The award is built upon recognizing female student-athletes that demonstrate its four core tenants: athletics, academics, service and leadership. Madzia, one of two from the American Athletic Conference that has advanced this far, will now await word from the NCAA when they later this month announce the three finalist from each of the three divisions. The 2017 recipient will be announced at a dinner October 22 in Indianapolis.
// IN THE MEET: JOHN McNICHOLS
Nine different schools will be represented in the women's 5,000m race at the John McNichols Invitational Saturday morning, including: Cincinnati, Evansville, Indiana State, Louisville, Marian (Ind.), McKendree, Michigan, Rose-Hulman and St. Mary (Kansas)
// LET'S PREVIEW
This weekend's run will not only serve as a competitive meet for the Bearcats, but also will afford them the opportunity to run at the same venue that will later play host to the 2017 NCAA Great Lakes Region Championships (November 10). The LaVern Gibson Championship Course has been utilized for numerous championship competitions, including the NCAA Championships.
// MORE ON THE REGION
Four of the five NCAA Division I programs set to run this weekend are members of the Great Lakes Region, meaning this Saturday's event will allow the Bearcats a chance to race with some of the athletes they will see in Terre Haute later this season. According to the first USTFCCCA Region Rankings that were released this week, three teams set to run are currently ranked in the Top 15 of their respective Division I regions, including Great Lakes teams Michigan (#1) and Indiana State (#14) and Southeast Region team Louisville (#2). In the latest national rankings, three teams are among the Top 30 in their respective polls, including #3 Michigan and #28 Louisville in NCAA Division I and #23 St Mary in the NAIA rankings.
// RESULTS
To access results the day of the meet, you can visit TimingMD.net and follow the prompts to the results page for the women's 5,000m run.
// HISTORY: JOHN McNICHOLS
This week's invitational is the inaugural event being held in memory of John McNichols, who was the longest tenured head coach in the history of Sycamore Athletics as he served as head track and field and cross country coach for 34 years prior to his untimely death in December of 2016 at the age of 66. The meet will also hold a men's 8,000m run at 10 a.m.
// LET'S REVIEW: BUTLER OPENER
• The men opened their season September 1 at the Butler Opener and placed third overall
• Rookies Matt Stump (15th) and Ryan Guenthner (17th) were the top finishers for the Bearcats in the 6,000m run in Carmel, Ind.
• Newcomers Steven Zombory (18th) and Branden Nosker (30th) also made their UC debuts
// LET'S REVIEW: QUEEN CITY - MEN
• The men scored 65 points and placed third among the five teams in the meet
• Dan Huben was the top finisher, placing third overall in the 5,000m race at 15:02.4
• Seamus Collins (11th), Nick Grismer (15th) and Spencer Clark (17th) all placed in the Top 20
// LET'S REVIEW: QUEEN CITY - WOMEN
• The women scored 69 points and finished third overall among six teams in the meet
• Madison Dunlap was the top finisher for the women, placing ninth overall (18:05.3)
• Hannah Markel also earned a Top 10 finish as she was 10th in 18:06.5
• Rookie Sam Mikula was 13th (18:19.9) to give the Bearcats three in the Top 15
// BIG IMPROVEMENTS
In the women's race, the Top 2 Bearcats each not only placed in the Top 10, but also posted huge PRs for 5,000m. Dunlap's previous best was 19:31.0 run in 2014 before she lowered that PR by 1:25.7 to 18:05.3. Markel was just behind Dunlap as her PR improved by 1:23.3 after she ran 18:06.5 this year before running 19:29.8 last year as a freshman. Both previous bests were recorded at the Friendship Invitational in Cedarville.
PREVIOUSLY NOTED
// RETURNING ALL-CONFERENCE
Looking back at last year's American Athletic Conference Championships, three Bearcats placed in the Top 15 of their respective races and were named to the all-conference team. Of those three individuals, only senior Dan Huben returns in 2017 after placing 13th last year.
// MOVED ON
The Bearcats also have lost two of their all-conference honorees from last year as both Juliana Madzia and Toby Loveridge earned their degrees during the 2016-17 academic year.
// REVIEW: 2016 MEN
The men finished just outside of the trophy places at the conference meeting, finishing third overall at the meet held in Cincinnati. Both Toby Loveridge (7th) and Dan Huben (13th) earned all-conference honors with their finishes. The men also improved in the regional standings as they placed 17th overall with Huben leading the way in 58th, a huge improvement from the 2015 meet.
// REVIEW: 2016 WOMEN
The women had a great year as they placed sixth at the American Athletic Conference Championships, the best finish for the UC women since a sixth-place showing at the 2006 Conference USA event. Juliana Madzia was the top finisher for the women in five races and earned all-conference by finishing 13th at the AAC meet.
// HELLO! MY NAME IS...
The Bearcats will have seven new runners on the roster this year, including four men and three women. For the ladies, the newcomers include Sydney Hess (Curtice, Ohio), Sam Mikula (Columbus) and Katrina Patterson (Clarence, N.Y.). On the men's side, the newcomers include true freshmen Ryan Guenthner (Louisville) and Matt Stump (Medina, Ohio), junior Steven Zombory (Chardon) and senior Branden Nosker (Troy, Ohio). Zombory was a member of the UC Running Club the past two years while Nosker raced for Mississippi State.
// UP NEXT
Both teams will take the next two weeks off from competition before returning to the starting line as the Bearcats will return to Cedarville on September 29 to race in the 2017 All-Ohio Cross Country Championships. The meet, held at the Elvin R. King Cross Country Course on the Cedarville University campus, will see the men's 8,000m race start at 2 p.m. with the women's 6,000m run starting at 2:45 p.m. There also will be a men's open 8,000m run (3:30 p.m.) and a women's open 6,000m run (4:15 p.m.) before awards are handed out at 5 p.m.