Tickets// THE STARTING LINE
The championship season is upon the University of Cincinnati cross country teams this week as the Bearcats are set to travel to Philadelphia, Pa., Saturday, October 28, for the 2017 American Athletic Conference Cross Country Championships. The meet, which will be hosted by Temple, will be held at Belmont Plateau with the men's 8,000m championship set to start at 10 a.m. and the women's 6,000m championship to follow with a 10:50 a.m. start.
// FOLLOW US
For up to the minute updates, follow UC Track & Field/Cross Country (@GoBearcatsTFXC) on Twitter, Facebook (GoBearcatsTFXC) and Instagram (GoBearcatsTFXC) and join in the conversation by using the hashtag #Bearcats. For the championship meet, follow The American's XC account (@AmericanXCTrack) and use the hashtag #AmericanXC.
// MEET SCHEDULE
The AAC meet will consist of just two races, a men's 8,000m run and a women's 6,000m run. Each team is allowed to enter up to nine runners in each race with the Top 5 finishers on each squad scoring points toward each teams' totals.
// LIVE STREAMING & RESULTS
The American Digital Network will broadcast the meet live Saturday. The web stream can be view at TheAmerican.org/Watch.
Live results for the meet can be found at XCMeet.io/meets/416.
// THE STAKES
The first four AAC championship titles of the 2017-18 academic year are up for grabs this weekend in Philadelphia as the meet will crown a men's and women's individual conference champion as well as a men's and women's team champion.
// IN THE MEET
The men's 8,000m championship will feature competitors form 10 teams, including Cincinnati, ECU, Houston, Memphis, host Temple, Tulane, Tulsa, UConn, USF and Wichita State. The women's 6,000m championship will feature all 12 teams in the conference with the list including all 10 men's teams and the addition of SMU and UCF. Saturday's races will mark the first conference competition for Wichita State, who joined the American earlier this year.
// LOOKING BACK: 2016 AAC MEET - WOMEN
Last year, the Bearcats played host to the AAC meet at Voice of America MetroPark in West Chester and finished sixth overall with 180 points as Juliana Madzia was the team's top finisher, placing 13th and earning all-conference accolades. The finish for the women was their best since placing sixth at the 2004 Conference USA Championships while their 180 points were also the lowest since 2004. The finish also marked the first time in four years as members of the AAC that the Bearcats finished better than 10th or 11th and their first time in single digits since 2012 when they placed eighth in their final Big East race.
// LOOKING BACK: 2016 AAC MEET - MEN
The men rebounded from a fifth-place showing the year before to return to the Top 3 for the third time in four years as members of the AAC as they placed third in a very close battle. Tulsa was the easy winner with 22 points while Tulane (101), UC (109) and UConn (114) were separated by just 13 points for the runner-up trophy. Both Toby Loveridge (7th) and Dan Huben (13th) placed in the Top 15 for the Bearcats to earn all-conference honors as well.
// LEADING THE WAY
Both teams have raced four times this season with junior Nick Grismer leading the way twice for the men and senior Madison Dunlap twice for the women. Outside of senior Dan Huben leading the men once, the remaining three leaders are all young, including true freshmen Matt Stump for the men and Sam Mikula for the women and sophomore Hanna Markel for the women.
// CHAMPIONSHIP HISTORY - WOMEN
• The women have raced in a conference meet 32 times and placed their highest at third in six
• Last year's sixth-place showing ranks as the 16th-best finish in program history while the 180 points scored ranks as the 18th-best
• Madzia's all-conference finish was the first for the program as members of the AAC and the first since Ruth Limo placed 12th at the 2004 Conference USA meet
• All told, Madzia was the 14th Bearcats women to earn all-conference honors, bringing home the 24th all-time accolade
// CHAMPIONSHIP HISTORY - MEN
• The men have raced in 37 championships, winning both the 1995 and 1996 Conference USA titles while adding 17 more Top 3 finishes
• Last year's third-place finish was the 10th bronze medal earned in program history while the 109 points scored ranks as the 22nd-best
• 25 men have collected 45 all-conference honors in program history, including at least one in each of the past four AAC meets
• The Bearcats also have had five individual champions in its history with Eric Finan's 2011 win at the Big East meet being the last won
// RECAP: 2017 NCAA PRE-NATIONAL - WOMEN
• The Bearcats ran in the unseeded (black) race in Louisville their last time out, scoring 518 points to place 20th overall (29 teams)
• Freshman Sam Mikula was the top finisher for the women as she placed 84th overall in 22:30.9, a personal-best time for the rookie
• Madison Dunlap was just behind her in 86th place (22:31.4) as the team's Top 5 were all within 30 seconds of one another
// RECAP: 2017 NCAA PRE-NATIONAL - MEN
• The men scored 320 points and placed 13th overall in the unseeded race out of 24 squads
• Nick Grismer took top honors for the Bearcats for the second time in as many races, finishing the 8k course in a PR 25:30.7 and 71st place
• True freshman Ryan Guenthner had a career day as he was 77th overall in 25:36.1
PREVIOUSLY NOTED
// 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 was not selected as one of the three finalist from each of the three divisions.
// 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
Following a week off from competition, the Bearcats will venture to Terre Haute, Ind., on Friday, November 10, to compete in the 2017 NCAA Great Lakes Region Championships that will be held at the LaVern Gibson Championship Course. The Top 2 teams in the standings will earn automatic berths into the NCAA Championships later in November in Louisville.
The championship season is upon the University of Cincinnati cross country teams this week as the Bearcats are set to travel to Philadelphia, Pa., Saturday, October 28, for the 2017 American Athletic Conference Cross Country Championships. The meet, which will be hosted by Temple, will be held at Belmont Plateau with the men's 8,000m championship set to start at 10 a.m. and the women's 6,000m championship to follow with a 10:50 a.m. start.
// FOLLOW US
For up to the minute updates, follow UC Track & Field/Cross Country (@GoBearcatsTFXC) on Twitter, Facebook (GoBearcatsTFXC) and Instagram (GoBearcatsTFXC) and join in the conversation by using the hashtag #Bearcats. For the championship meet, follow The American's XC account (@AmericanXCTrack) and use the hashtag #AmericanXC.
// MEET SCHEDULE
The AAC meet will consist of just two races, a men's 8,000m run and a women's 6,000m run. Each team is allowed to enter up to nine runners in each race with the Top 5 finishers on each squad scoring points toward each teams' totals.
// LIVE STREAMING & RESULTS
The American Digital Network will broadcast the meet live Saturday. The web stream can be view at TheAmerican.org/Watch.
Live results for the meet can be found at XCMeet.io/meets/416.
// THE STAKES
The first four AAC championship titles of the 2017-18 academic year are up for grabs this weekend in Philadelphia as the meet will crown a men's and women's individual conference champion as well as a men's and women's team champion.
// IN THE MEET
The men's 8,000m championship will feature competitors form 10 teams, including Cincinnati, ECU, Houston, Memphis, host Temple, Tulane, Tulsa, UConn, USF and Wichita State. The women's 6,000m championship will feature all 12 teams in the conference with the list including all 10 men's teams and the addition of SMU and UCF. Saturday's races will mark the first conference competition for Wichita State, who joined the American earlier this year.
// LOOKING BACK: 2016 AAC MEET - WOMEN
Last year, the Bearcats played host to the AAC meet at Voice of America MetroPark in West Chester and finished sixth overall with 180 points as Juliana Madzia was the team's top finisher, placing 13th and earning all-conference accolades. The finish for the women was their best since placing sixth at the 2004 Conference USA Championships while their 180 points were also the lowest since 2004. The finish also marked the first time in four years as members of the AAC that the Bearcats finished better than 10th or 11th and their first time in single digits since 2012 when they placed eighth in their final Big East race.
// LOOKING BACK: 2016 AAC MEET - MEN
The men rebounded from a fifth-place showing the year before to return to the Top 3 for the third time in four years as members of the AAC as they placed third in a very close battle. Tulsa was the easy winner with 22 points while Tulane (101), UC (109) and UConn (114) were separated by just 13 points for the runner-up trophy. Both Toby Loveridge (7th) and Dan Huben (13th) placed in the Top 15 for the Bearcats to earn all-conference honors as well.
// LEADING THE WAY
Both teams have raced four times this season with junior Nick Grismer leading the way twice for the men and senior Madison Dunlap twice for the women. Outside of senior Dan Huben leading the men once, the remaining three leaders are all young, including true freshmen Matt Stump for the men and Sam Mikula for the women and sophomore Hanna Markel for the women.
// CHAMPIONSHIP HISTORY - WOMEN
• The women have raced in a conference meet 32 times and placed their highest at third in six
• Last year's sixth-place showing ranks as the 16th-best finish in program history while the 180 points scored ranks as the 18th-best
• Madzia's all-conference finish was the first for the program as members of the AAC and the first since Ruth Limo placed 12th at the 2004 Conference USA meet
• All told, Madzia was the 14th Bearcats women to earn all-conference honors, bringing home the 24th all-time accolade
// CHAMPIONSHIP HISTORY - MEN
• The men have raced in 37 championships, winning both the 1995 and 1996 Conference USA titles while adding 17 more Top 3 finishes
• Last year's third-place finish was the 10th bronze medal earned in program history while the 109 points scored ranks as the 22nd-best
• 25 men have collected 45 all-conference honors in program history, including at least one in each of the past four AAC meets
• The Bearcats also have had five individual champions in its history with Eric Finan's 2011 win at the Big East meet being the last won
// RECAP: 2017 NCAA PRE-NATIONAL - WOMEN
• The Bearcats ran in the unseeded (black) race in Louisville their last time out, scoring 518 points to place 20th overall (29 teams)
• Freshman Sam Mikula was the top finisher for the women as she placed 84th overall in 22:30.9, a personal-best time for the rookie
• Madison Dunlap was just behind her in 86th place (22:31.4) as the team's Top 5 were all within 30 seconds of one another
// RECAP: 2017 NCAA PRE-NATIONAL - MEN
• The men scored 320 points and placed 13th overall in the unseeded race out of 24 squads
• Nick Grismer took top honors for the Bearcats for the second time in as many races, finishing the 8k course in a PR 25:30.7 and 71st place
• True freshman Ryan Guenthner had a career day as he was 77th overall in 25:36.1
PREVIOUSLY NOTED
// 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 was not selected as one of the three finalist from each of the three divisions.
// 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
Following a week off from competition, the Bearcats will venture to Terre Haute, Ind., on Friday, November 10, to compete in the 2017 NCAA Great Lakes Region Championships that will be held at the LaVern Gibson Championship Course. The Top 2 teams in the standings will earn automatic berths into the NCAA Championships later in November in Louisville.