TicketsCINCINNATI - The NCAA has announced its 2016-17 Sportsmanship Award winners with University of Cincinnati track and field senior Alex Bloom earning the men's Division I accolade following a strong display of integrity and sportsmanship during the 2017 American Athletic Conference Indoor Championships held in February.
Bloom is one of seven individuals to be honored for the past academic year. According to the NCAA, "the award recognize the athletes and administrators who exemplify sportsmanship, of the core principles of the NCAA."
At the conference indoor meet, Bloom was on a roll in the heptathlon, a seven-event, two-day competition. In the fourth and final event of the first day of competition in Birmingham, Ala., Bloom entered into his top event - the high jump - and cleared the first six heights he attempted, easily taking the win with a then-top clearance of 2.13m (6-11.75). But, Bloom was not done and cleared 2.16m (7-01.00) on his second attempt to break seven feet for the first time in his career. He then took aim at clearing 2.19m (7-2.25), but was unsuccessful, settling for a big 953 points in the heptathlon and breaking five records: the school's overall indoor high jump record, the school's heptathlon high jump record, the AAC heptathlon high jump record, the AAC heptathlon meet record and the facility record.
Following the event, Bloom noticed he was credited for clearing 2.19m instead of his actual clearance of 2.16m. Immediately, he alerted the meet officials of the inaccuracy to ask it be corrected, knowing that change would lower his overall score. By comparison, the higher clearance would have given Bloom 29 more points in the overall standings.
"Those centimeters could have made a difference in the standings, but Alex knew that good sportsmanship and ethics was far more important than a few additional points," said Maggie McKinley, Cincinnati's executive senior associate athletics director and senior woman administrator.
Bloom joins Evie Tate of Clemson cross country, Rahel Pease of Louisville cross country, Pablo Jara of Wingate men's soccer, Thomas Caulfield of St. Lawrence track and field and Maddie Pronovost of Middlebury track and field on the recipients list for the 2016-17 academic year. For more information on the award winners, click HERE.
Bloom is one of seven individuals to be honored for the past academic year. According to the NCAA, "the award recognize the athletes and administrators who exemplify sportsmanship, of the core principles of the NCAA."
At the conference indoor meet, Bloom was on a roll in the heptathlon, a seven-event, two-day competition. In the fourth and final event of the first day of competition in Birmingham, Ala., Bloom entered into his top event - the high jump - and cleared the first six heights he attempted, easily taking the win with a then-top clearance of 2.13m (6-11.75). But, Bloom was not done and cleared 2.16m (7-01.00) on his second attempt to break seven feet for the first time in his career. He then took aim at clearing 2.19m (7-2.25), but was unsuccessful, settling for a big 953 points in the heptathlon and breaking five records: the school's overall indoor high jump record, the school's heptathlon high jump record, the AAC heptathlon high jump record, the AAC heptathlon meet record and the facility record.
Following the event, Bloom noticed he was credited for clearing 2.19m instead of his actual clearance of 2.16m. Immediately, he alerted the meet officials of the inaccuracy to ask it be corrected, knowing that change would lower his overall score. By comparison, the higher clearance would have given Bloom 29 more points in the overall standings.
"Those centimeters could have made a difference in the standings, but Alex knew that good sportsmanship and ethics was far more important than a few additional points," said Maggie McKinley, Cincinnati's executive senior associate athletics director and senior woman administrator.
Bloom joins Evie Tate of Clemson cross country, Rahel Pease of Louisville cross country, Pablo Jara of Wingate men's soccer, Thomas Caulfield of St. Lawrence track and field and Maddie Pronovost of Middlebury track and field on the recipients list for the 2016-17 academic year. For more information on the award winners, click HERE.