// ON THE STARTING LINE
The championship season gets underway this week for the University of Cincinnati track and field program as the Bearcats will travel south to Birmingham, Ala., for the 2018 American Athletic Conference Indoor Track & Field Championships. The meet, which will be held inside the Birmingham CrossPlex for the third year in a row, will take place Friday and Saturday and will be used to crown individual, relay and team champions.
// IN THE MEET
This year, the women's field will be comprised of 12 teams as Wichita State joins the competition while the men's field will increase one to eight with the addition of the Shockers. Fielding both genders this year will be ECU, Houston, Memphis, Tulsa, UConn and USF while SMU, Temple, Tulane and UCF will have only a women's team.
// ABOUT THE MEET
Twelve women's team and eight men's teams are set to battle it out for team, individual and relay titles at the American Athletic Conference Championships this week in Alabama. The meet will run two days with only a handful events conducting finals on Friday with the remainder taking place Saturday. Team scoring will be in effect throughout (10-8-6-5-4-3-2-1) with the most points earning that team the conference title. The Top 3 finishers in each event will earn all-conference honors as well.
// ON AIR
The American Digital Network will stream the entire meet live each day with the first events taking place each morning at 9 a.m. CT (10 a.m. ET)(Watch Day 1 | Watch Day 2). Live results also will be available through the web site: XPressTiming.com. For more information on both, visit TheAmerican.org/ITF.
// FOLLOW US
GoBearcats.com is your one-stop destination for all things UC Athletics. Socially, the team can also be followed on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram with all using the handle GoBearcatsTFXC. As always, fans are encouraged to join in the conversation using the hashtag #Bearcats. For the conference meet, be sure to follow @AmericanXCTrack and use the hashtag #AmericanITF.
// QUICK STARTS
• Over the weekend, Annette Echikunwoke threw 24.78m, the #2 mark in NCAA history, #4 performance all-time in college and the #3 (tie) mark all-time on the world list
• For her efforts, Echikunwoke was named the USTFCCCA NCAA Division I Women's National Athlete of the Week, making her the first in program history to earn a weekly national award
• Echikunwoke also was named the AAC Female Field Athlete of the Week for the third time
• Both Sam Meece (#3) and Chris Province (#6) landed on the Top 10 list in the men's weight throw with their PRs at Ohio State over the weekend
• All 7 individuals and all 4 members of the relay that captured AAC titles last year are back this season, including five individual women and two men
• Heading into the conference meet, UC athletes hold the top marks in eight individual (six women, two men) and one women's relay event
• If the NCAA meet were today, the women would qualify four individuals and the men two
• The UC women, winners of the past two outdoor titles, are seeking their first indoor conference crown in the history of the program after finishing second each of the past two years
• There are 4 men's and 3 women's events that a UC athlete has not won in program history after knocking off two last year by winning the women's 400m and 4x400m relay
• Adrian Valles is the three-time defending pole vault champion and will be going for a career indoor sweep and his seventh career AAC title
• Loretta Blaut will look to defend her title in the high jump and keep the crown in Cincinnati in an event that no other school has won on the women's side since the AAC's inception
// ECHIKUNWOKE GOES DEEP
Annette Echikunwoke had yet another outstanding meet over the weekend as she not only dominated the weight throw at the Buckeye Tune-Up, but did so with a huge mark of 24.78m (81-03.75), a mark that ranks her highly among the all-time best.
• NCAA: with her toss, Echikunwoke now ranks #2 all-time in NCAA history with only Brittany Riley (Southern Illinois) ahead of her with a collegiate-record toss of 25.56m (2007). Echikunwoke's mark also stands as the #4 performance in NCAA history with Riley holding the Top 3.
• World: Echikunwoke, who entered the season ranked #16 on the all-time World Top 20, moved up to a tie for #3 with her throw.
• DYK #1: Echikunwoke's mark was the best in the nation last weekend and was further than any mark recorded at the USATF National Indoor Championships. In the NCAA, she had the #1, #2, #3 and #6 marks of the week last week in her series of six throws at Ohio State.
• DYK #2: Since her first collegiate meet in 2015 where she threw 17.28m (56-08.50), Echikunwoke has improved her PR by 24' 5.25".
// FEELING HONORED
For the first time in program history, a member of the program was honored with a weekly award from the USTFCCCA as Echikunwoke was selected the NCAA Division I Women's National Athlete of the Week following her performance in Columbus. Echikunwoke also was named the AAC Female Field Athlete of the Week for the third time this season.
// IN THE USTFCCCA RANKINGS - TEAM NATIONAL
The updated USTFCCCA computer rankings were released this week with the women remaining at #25 and the men falling to #58. It marks the sixth week in a row the women have been ranked in the Top 30, the first time since last year when UC was #29, #25, #26 and #26 in the first four releases and marks the 12th regular season Top 30 for the women while also marking the 22nd week in a row UC has been in the national Top 50 during the regular season after having only been in the Top 50 six total times from 2008-15.
// #SQUADGOALS
When looking at the national rankings, the USTFCCCA also calculates Squad Rankings, which are based upon the Top 4 marks each team produces in the same event and averages those marks. This week, the women have four squads in the Top 16, including the shot put (5), 400m (9), weight throw (10) and high jump (16).
// IN THE USTFCCCA RANKINGS - TEAM REGIONAL
Along with the national rankings were an update to the latest regional rankings that saw the men maintain their #9 standing in the Great Lakes Region while the women slipped one spot to #5. The women remained in the Top 5 in the region on the strength of two marks that are currently tops among all athletes in the Great Lakes, including Loretta Blaut in the high jump (1.84m) and Annette Echikunwoke in the weight throw (23.69m).
// RETURNING CHAMPIONS
Last year, the women won five individual events, including Bryana Robinson in the 400m, Kellsa Mbah in the long jump, Loretta Blaut in the high jump, Annette Echikunwoke in the weight throw and Naomi Urbano in the pentathlon, while adding the 4x400m relay title. The men also won two individual events with Adrian Valles capturing the pole vault and Jimmy Brooks winning the 400m. This year, every single one of those champions, including all four women on the relay, are back and looking to defend their titles.
// SEEKING A FIRST - EVENTS
Last year, two events were won by Bearcats women that UC had not previously won in its conference indoor history, including the 400m dash and the 4x400m relay. With those two removed from the list, only four men's events (60m, 60mH, triple jump and heptathlon) and three women's events (60m, 3,000m and 5,000m) remain on the list.
// SEEKING A FIRST - TEAM
The past two years, the UC women have placed second in the AAC Indoor Championships, including a two-point loss to UCF last year (122-120). The reigning back-to-back outdoor champions, the women will look to capture the team title this weekend and, should they win, would capture their first indoor conference title in women's program history.
// VALLES GOING FOR THE SWEEP
Friday afternoon, Adrian Valles will take part in the pole vault where he will look to capture his fourth conference indoor crown in a row and his seventh-consecutive (including outdoors) AAC title. In the history of the league (2014 to present), no individual has won the same event four times. If Valles can successfully defend his crown, he will become the first to do so in AAC history.
// KEEPER OF THE CROWN
In another vertical event, Loretta Blaut will look to maintain UC's dominance in the high jump as she will not only try to defend her crown, but also keep the title in Cincinnati. Since the league began, UC is the only school to have won the women's indoor high jump crown as Erika Hurd won the first three titles before Blaut won last year's event
// TAKE ME TO YOUR LEADERS
Heading into the conference meet, the Bearcats hold 41 marks that rank in the Top 8 with the women holding 23 and the men 18. On those lists, the women have seven marks that lead the league while the men have two. The leaders for the women include Loretta Blaut (high jump), Brooke Catherine (pole vault), Annette Echikunwoke (shot put & weight throw), Bryana Robinson (400m), Naomi Urbano (pentathlon) and the 4x400m relay (Haisha Bisiolu, Tiona Lattimore, Deanna Gesicki and Robinson). The men's leaders included Alex Bloom (high jump) and Adrian Valles (pole vault).
// IF IT WERE TODAY...
If the regular season had ended last week, four women and two men would be preparing to represent UC at the NCAA Indoor Championships in College Station, Texas, as each hold marks ranking them in the Top 16 nationally, which is the cut-off to qualify to the national meet. On the women's side, Annette Echikunwoke is ranked #1 in the weight throw; Loretta Blaut is tied for #11 in the high jump; and both Brooke Catherine and Bryana Robinson are tied for #16 in the pole vault and 400m dash, respectively. On the men's side, Adrian Valles is ranked #3 in the pole vault while Alex Bloom is #11 in the heptathlon standings.
// THROWING THEIR WEIGHT AROUND
In Columbus, the men's weight throwers also had a solid meet as both Sam Meece and Chris Province recorded marks that now rank them in the all-time Top 10 in program history. Meece recorded a best of 18.64m (61-02.00) to move up the #3 position while also bettering his own UC freshman record. Province, the former rookie record holder, hit a mark of 17.18m (56-04.25) to improve his all-time best by nearly three feet and claim the #6 position all-time.
// YOU'RE ON THE LIST
Speaking of the Top 10 lists, so far this year, 98 marks recorded by the Bearcats - including 55 by the women and 43 from the men - found a home on the all-time Top 10. Included in that list are 17 marks (10 women, 7 men) that also went down for school records.
// RECORD BREAKERS
Five individual women, two women's relays and four individual men accounted for the school records that have been broken this indoor season. For the women, Echikunwoke broke the weight throw mark three different times while also adding a record-breaking performance in the shot put. Tiona (300m) and Bryana Robinson (400m) each broke individual sprint records before assisting relays in resetting the top mark as Lattimore was part of both the DMR with Sam Mikula, Alexis Anton and Meg Westerheide, and the 4x400m with Robinson, Haisha Bisiolu and Deanna Gesicki. Brooke Catherine took over the top spot in the pole vault while Angelica Lightfoot broke the pentathlon shot put record as well. On the men's side, Sam Meece has reset the freshman weight throw record three times while Alex Bloom broke the heptathlon total points and heptathlon 60m dash records. Adrian Valles broke his own record in the pole vault for the fourth time in his career while Austin Edwards tied the 60m dash record.
PREVIOUSLY NOTED
// FIRE 400
The members of the women's 4x400m relay brought the heat in Nashville as the each turned in superb times in the open 400m before laying down a school-record 3:36.96 in the relay at the end of the meet. In the open, Bryana Robinson led the way running 53.31, just off her season-best and UC record 53.08, while Tiona Lattimore was just behind her in 53.75, the #3 time in program history. Haisha Bisiolu ran 54.46 to post the #4 time in Bearcats history with Deanna Gesicki running 56.28 to post the #10 time in program history, meaning all four women are now in the Top 10 for the first time. Later in the meet, the four came together and ran 3:36.96, breaking their own school record by 3.17 seconds as they ran splits of 53.7 (Lattimore), 54.5 (Bisiolu), 55.5 (Gesicki) and 52.9 (Robinson). Through the weekend, the relay is the leader in the American while the individual runners rank #1 (Robinson), #2 (Lattimore), #4 (Bisiolu) and #9 (Gesicki) in the open 400m race. If they were to finish this way at the conference meet, that would be a huge 33 points for the women's team.
// MORE ON THE RELAY
Last year, the relay team made history as the first Bearcats relay to not only make the national meet, but also earned All-America honors (second team). Their record run this past weekend added to their historical accounts as they posted the #4 time ever at UC when combining indoor and outdoor marks, giving them the Top 4 marks all-time. When removing their three marks run last year during the outdoor season that broke the record each time, the team's indoor mark run last weekend is faster than any other relay team UC has ever assembled.
// BIENENFELD CONTINUES TO ADD
Aaron Bienenfeld joined the program in January and has raced four times with three of his time ranking among the program's all-time Top 10. More interestingly is the fact that those three times have come in three different events as he currently ranks #9 in the mile (4:10.82), #7 in the 3,000m run (8:23.99) and #3 in the 5,000m (14:29.23) with the longest race being run last week in Nashville. He is now just the second Bearcats to be listed on all three lists with only former All-American standout Eric Finan joining him as the #2, #1 and #1, respectively, in the three races.
// WOMEN's DISTANCE HITTING THE BRICKS
The women's distance squad had runners in three different events post times that moved them up the all-time Top 10 charts in program history over the weekend. Senior Alexis Anton ran 2:13.38 to lower her personal best and claim the #6 position on the 800m chart. Two rookies were back at it once again this week as well. Hannah Markel (redshirt freshman) continued her back-and-forth PR lowering with true freshman Sam Mikula in the mile as Markel ran 5:02.29 to move past Mikula one week after Mikula ran 5:03.26 to overtake Markel. With Markel's time in Nashville, she is the fourth Bearcats woman to run under 5:03 in the event. Mikula took her turn on the track and raced the 3,000m event where she ran 10:01.07 to post the #7 time in UC history. The two rookies are now both on the mile and the 3,000m charts with Markel ranked #4 and #3, respectively, while Mikula is #6 and #7, respectively.
// BLAUT CONTINUES TO STREAK
Loretta Blaut continued to do what she has done all season and that is win high jump competitions. Blaut made it 6-for-6 on the year as she captured the title in Nashville with a best of 1.81m. While she didn't clear a season-best mark for the fifth week in a row, she did manage to clear 1.80m or better for the fifth week in a row and post the ninth-best clearance in the nation last weekend.
// STUDENT DEFEATS TEACHER
Bloom collected his first accolade of the season after another successful heptathlon competition in Texas, this time scoring a personal-best 5,649 points in the two-day, seven-event competition to not only better his previous best by 45 points, but also take down the school record by 33 points. The previous record was 5,616 points that Chris Wineberg, Bloom's current coach, scored 14 years ago in 2004. Currently, Bloom ranks #11 in the NCAA and #2 in the American after recording the third-highest score of the weekend across the nation. To get to his record point total, Bloom posted personal-best marks in four of the seven events, opening the competition with a UC heptathlon record time of 7.03 in the 60m dash. He also moved to #3 on the program's heptathlon shot put chart with a heave of 12.78m (41-11.25) on the first day of competition. On the final day, he posted PRs in the final two events of the day, first in the pole vault as he cleared 4.55m (14-11.00). Needing 771 points in the 1,000m run, Bloom scored 803 points as he ran a best of 2:46.50 to not only post the #4 heptathlon 1,000m time in program history, but also break Wineberg's overall scoring record.
// UC HOSTING AAC OUTDOORS IN 2018
This season, the 2018 American Athletic Conference Outdoor Track & Field Championships will be hosted by the Bearcats at Gettler Stadium and Coy Field. The three-day meet will take place May 11-13 on the UC campus and will mark the first AAC track & field meet the Bearcats have played host and the second AAC meet UC has hosted after holding the 2016 AAC Cross Country Championships at Voice of America MetroPark in West Chester. The last time the Bearcats played host to a conference meet came in 2010 when the BIG EAST meet was held at Gettler Stadium.
// MEN ACADEMICALLY HONORED
Following the cross country season, the American Athletic Conference announced its annual award winners with the UC men being named the 2017 AAC Team Academic Award winners. This is the second year in a row that the Bearcats men have won the award, which is given to the team with the highest cumulative GPA.
// ECHIKUNWOKE NAMED TRAILBLAZER
The University of Cincinnati African American Alumni Affiliate (4A) recently announced its 2018 Class of Onyx & Ruby Award honorees with Annette Echikunwoke being named the recipient of the Student Trailblazer Award and will be honored at the Onyx & Ruby Gala February 24 at the Sharonville Convention Center. The first national champion in program history after winning the 2017 NCAA weight throw title was selected for the award that is given annually to individuals who create university firsts or were at the forefront of movements and activities. For more information on the Gala and all award honorees, visit: Alumni.UC.edu/ORG18/Bios.
// GRADE CHECK
On January 10, Student-Athlete Support Services (SASS) released academic data for the 2017 Fall semester, including those athletes that finished the semester with a 3.0 or better grade-point average. Overall, 62 track & field/cross country student-athletes recorded better than a 3.0 GPA, including 34 women and 28 men, to earn a place on the Bearcats Honor Roll. Of those student-athletes, 25 women and 19 men maintained a 3.4 GPA or better to garner Dean's List accolades. Also, four men and three women recorded perfect 4.0 GPAs to be named TopCats. That list included Spencer Clark, Dan Huben, Jacob Rieman and Adrian Valles for the men and Alexis Gray, Grace O'Donnell and Tessa Ward for the women.
// RETURNING CHAMPION
On March 11, 2017, Annette Echikunwoke capture the national title in the weight throw at the NCAA Indoor Championships, collecting the first crown in program history as she won with a heave of 22.42m (73-06.75). With her win, Echikunwoke became just the fifth UC student-athlete to win an individual national title in the history of UC Athletics. Prior to her victory, two diving and two swimming titles had been captured by Bearcats with the last coming in 2010 when Josh Schneider won the men's 50 freestyle. Echikunwoke also is now just the second UC woman to win an individual national crown, joining diver Becky Ruehl, who won the 1996 platform event at the NCAA meet. Prior to that trio, Pat Evans won the 3m diving event in 1989 and Charles Keating brought home the first gold with the title in 200 butterfly in 1946.
// RETURNING ALL-AMERICANS
Along with Echikunwoke, the Bearcats have one other returning indoor All-American and five more that earned the national accolade during the outdoor season last year. Adrian Valles finished fifth in the men's pole vault indoors last year before taking national runner-up honors outdoor to collect a pair of USTFCCCA All-America First Team honors, bringing his career total to five. Loretta Blaut placed in a tie for sixth in the high jump outdoors to earn first team honors while the team of Haisha Bisiolu, Deanna Gesicki, Tiona Lattimore and Bryana Robinson combined to earn USTFCCCA All-America Second Team honors in the 4x400m relay outdoors, the first for a relay in program history.
// THAT'S A FIRST
The women's 4x400m relay team was full of firsts in 2017. The quartet swept the 4x400m relay events at the AAC Indoor and AAC Outdoor Championships for the first crowns in program history. Then, the ladies broke the school record several times, including in their win at the conference outdoor meet before breaking it once again, running 3:36.59 at the regional meet to qualify for the national finals, marking the first UC relay to reach the NCAA outdoor meet. They weren't done there, however, as they broke the record once again in Eugene, running 3:35.96 in the semifinals to finish 15th overall. Despite not reaching the final, the team did earn USTFCCCA All-America Second Team accolades, marking the first time in program history a relay team earned All-America status.
// INTERNATIONALLY KNOWN
For the second time in his career, Adrian Valles took part in one of the largest meets in the world as he represented his native Spain in the 2017 IAAF World Outdoor Championships in London this past summer. Valles, who competed at the world meet in Beijing, China, in 2015, placed 16th overall in the qualification round this year. To get to London, Valles continued to chase a clearance of 5.70m throughout much of the collegiate season before he was added to the field in a pole vault competition in Landau, Germany. In the street event (raised runway on a city street), Valles climbed over the qualifying standard and punched his ticket to London.
// XC: DUNLAP EARNS ALL-CONFERENCE
Heading into the 2016 cross country season, the Bearcats women had not had an all-conference (Top 15) finisher in the AAC Championships. Then, Juliana Madzia, who was honored as a Top 30 selection for the 2016-17 NCAA Woman of the Year Award, finished 13th at the meet UC hosted to earn the program's first all-conference accolade since Ruth Limo at the 2004 Conference USA meet. This year, Madison Dunlap ran a personal-best time on a hilly course in Philadelphia to place 15th overall and earn her first all-conference selection and the program's second in as many years. The 15th woman in program history to earn cross country all-conference honors (25th total honor), Dunlap combines with Madzia to earn back-to-back conference honors for the first time since 2001 and 2002 when Angie Kist and Limo finished 12th and 10th, respectively, at the CUSA meet.
// HELLO! MY NAME IS...
The Bearcats welcomed 22 newcomers to the program this year, including 18 true freshmen, with 17 of those total newcomers joining the men's roster. Joining the men's track & field and cross country rosters are freshmen Cameron Davis (Strongsville), Connor Duricky (Mentor), Ryan Guenthner (Louisville, Ky.), Danny Jones (Canal Winchester), Albert Kalala (Cincinnati), Isaiah McCall (Lexington, Ky.), Sam Meece (Napolean), Issac Naayers (Lancaster), Cannon Riddle (Hilliard), Jacob Rieman (Beavercreek), Matt Stump (Medina), Brandon White (Stafford, Va.) and Zion Wynn (Loveland). The men also welcomed in transfers Marcus Abraham (Charlotte, N.C./Gardner-Webb U.), Branden Nosker (Troy, Ohio/Mississippi State) and Anthony Woods (Macedonia, Ohio/Ohio Dominican U.) with Steven Zombory (Chardon) joining the program after running for the campus running club. On the women's side, four of the five newcomers are true freshmen, including Sydney Hess (Curtice), Kennedy Marable (Toledo), Sam Mikula (Columbus) and Katrina Patterson (Clarence, N.Y.) with the fifth newcomer being Mary Purtsa (Germany).
// WELCOME TO UC!
While the majority of newcomers to the 2017-18 rosters were men, the 2018-19 signing class is comprised mostly of women. The class, which will join the Bearcats in time for the 2018 cross country and 2019 track & field seasons, includes 13 members, including nine women and four men. The women's class includes Faith Banks (Macedonia), Kaylia Black (Sandusky), Caisja Chandler (Euclid), Kylie Cutlip (Quaker City), Izzy Kline (Newton Falls), Carmen Licht (Macedonia), Leah Maschino (Maineville), Rylee Penn (Corona, Calif.) and Malin Smith (Lansing, Mich.) while the newest members of the men's program will include Toni Banos (Berga, Spain), Aaron Bienenfeld (Frankfurt, Germany), Austin Goolsby (Hillsboro) and Quincy Mitchell (Hanahan, S.C.).
// TWO MORE TO ADD
The Bearcats men added a pair of mid-year competitors over the winter break as signee Bienenfeld and transfer Andre Wright are ready to compete for the Bearcats immediately. Both individuals will be entering their sophomore seasons with Bienenfeld coming from the University of Frankfurt (Germany) and Wright transferring in from Liberty University. Bienenfeld will run in the distance events while Wright will take part in the horizontal jumps (long and triple).
// UP NEXT
Following the conference meet, those Bearcats that are ranked in the Top 16 nationally will earn a spot in the NCAA Championships that will take place March 9-10 in College Station, Texas. The NCAA will reveal the qualifiers later next week.
The championship season gets underway this week for the University of Cincinnati track and field program as the Bearcats will travel south to Birmingham, Ala., for the 2018 American Athletic Conference Indoor Track & Field Championships. The meet, which will be held inside the Birmingham CrossPlex for the third year in a row, will take place Friday and Saturday and will be used to crown individual, relay and team champions.
// IN THE MEET
This year, the women's field will be comprised of 12 teams as Wichita State joins the competition while the men's field will increase one to eight with the addition of the Shockers. Fielding both genders this year will be ECU, Houston, Memphis, Tulsa, UConn and USF while SMU, Temple, Tulane and UCF will have only a women's team.
// ABOUT THE MEET
Twelve women's team and eight men's teams are set to battle it out for team, individual and relay titles at the American Athletic Conference Championships this week in Alabama. The meet will run two days with only a handful events conducting finals on Friday with the remainder taking place Saturday. Team scoring will be in effect throughout (10-8-6-5-4-3-2-1) with the most points earning that team the conference title. The Top 3 finishers in each event will earn all-conference honors as well.
// ON AIR
The American Digital Network will stream the entire meet live each day with the first events taking place each morning at 9 a.m. CT (10 a.m. ET)(Watch Day 1 | Watch Day 2). Live results also will be available through the web site: XPressTiming.com. For more information on both, visit TheAmerican.org/ITF.
// FOLLOW US
GoBearcats.com is your one-stop destination for all things UC Athletics. Socially, the team can also be followed on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram with all using the handle GoBearcatsTFXC. As always, fans are encouraged to join in the conversation using the hashtag #Bearcats. For the conference meet, be sure to follow @AmericanXCTrack and use the hashtag #AmericanITF.
// QUICK STARTS
• Over the weekend, Annette Echikunwoke threw 24.78m, the #2 mark in NCAA history, #4 performance all-time in college and the #3 (tie) mark all-time on the world list
• For her efforts, Echikunwoke was named the USTFCCCA NCAA Division I Women's National Athlete of the Week, making her the first in program history to earn a weekly national award
• Echikunwoke also was named the AAC Female Field Athlete of the Week for the third time
• Both Sam Meece (#3) and Chris Province (#6) landed on the Top 10 list in the men's weight throw with their PRs at Ohio State over the weekend
• All 7 individuals and all 4 members of the relay that captured AAC titles last year are back this season, including five individual women and two men
• Heading into the conference meet, UC athletes hold the top marks in eight individual (six women, two men) and one women's relay event
• If the NCAA meet were today, the women would qualify four individuals and the men two
• The UC women, winners of the past two outdoor titles, are seeking their first indoor conference crown in the history of the program after finishing second each of the past two years
• There are 4 men's and 3 women's events that a UC athlete has not won in program history after knocking off two last year by winning the women's 400m and 4x400m relay
• Adrian Valles is the three-time defending pole vault champion and will be going for a career indoor sweep and his seventh career AAC title
• Loretta Blaut will look to defend her title in the high jump and keep the crown in Cincinnati in an event that no other school has won on the women's side since the AAC's inception
// ECHIKUNWOKE GOES DEEP
Annette Echikunwoke had yet another outstanding meet over the weekend as she not only dominated the weight throw at the Buckeye Tune-Up, but did so with a huge mark of 24.78m (81-03.75), a mark that ranks her highly among the all-time best.
• NCAA: with her toss, Echikunwoke now ranks #2 all-time in NCAA history with only Brittany Riley (Southern Illinois) ahead of her with a collegiate-record toss of 25.56m (2007). Echikunwoke's mark also stands as the #4 performance in NCAA history with Riley holding the Top 3.
• World: Echikunwoke, who entered the season ranked #16 on the all-time World Top 20, moved up to a tie for #3 with her throw.
• DYK #1: Echikunwoke's mark was the best in the nation last weekend and was further than any mark recorded at the USATF National Indoor Championships. In the NCAA, she had the #1, #2, #3 and #6 marks of the week last week in her series of six throws at Ohio State.
• DYK #2: Since her first collegiate meet in 2015 where she threw 17.28m (56-08.50), Echikunwoke has improved her PR by 24' 5.25".
// FEELING HONORED
For the first time in program history, a member of the program was honored with a weekly award from the USTFCCCA as Echikunwoke was selected the NCAA Division I Women's National Athlete of the Week following her performance in Columbus. Echikunwoke also was named the AAC Female Field Athlete of the Week for the third time this season.
// IN THE USTFCCCA RANKINGS - TEAM NATIONAL
The updated USTFCCCA computer rankings were released this week with the women remaining at #25 and the men falling to #58. It marks the sixth week in a row the women have been ranked in the Top 30, the first time since last year when UC was #29, #25, #26 and #26 in the first four releases and marks the 12th regular season Top 30 for the women while also marking the 22nd week in a row UC has been in the national Top 50 during the regular season after having only been in the Top 50 six total times from 2008-15.
// #SQUADGOALS
When looking at the national rankings, the USTFCCCA also calculates Squad Rankings, which are based upon the Top 4 marks each team produces in the same event and averages those marks. This week, the women have four squads in the Top 16, including the shot put (5), 400m (9), weight throw (10) and high jump (16).
// IN THE USTFCCCA RANKINGS - TEAM REGIONAL
Along with the national rankings were an update to the latest regional rankings that saw the men maintain their #9 standing in the Great Lakes Region while the women slipped one spot to #5. The women remained in the Top 5 in the region on the strength of two marks that are currently tops among all athletes in the Great Lakes, including Loretta Blaut in the high jump (1.84m) and Annette Echikunwoke in the weight throw (23.69m).
// RETURNING CHAMPIONS
Last year, the women won five individual events, including Bryana Robinson in the 400m, Kellsa Mbah in the long jump, Loretta Blaut in the high jump, Annette Echikunwoke in the weight throw and Naomi Urbano in the pentathlon, while adding the 4x400m relay title. The men also won two individual events with Adrian Valles capturing the pole vault and Jimmy Brooks winning the 400m. This year, every single one of those champions, including all four women on the relay, are back and looking to defend their titles.
// SEEKING A FIRST - EVENTS
Last year, two events were won by Bearcats women that UC had not previously won in its conference indoor history, including the 400m dash and the 4x400m relay. With those two removed from the list, only four men's events (60m, 60mH, triple jump and heptathlon) and three women's events (60m, 3,000m and 5,000m) remain on the list.
// SEEKING A FIRST - TEAM
The past two years, the UC women have placed second in the AAC Indoor Championships, including a two-point loss to UCF last year (122-120). The reigning back-to-back outdoor champions, the women will look to capture the team title this weekend and, should they win, would capture their first indoor conference title in women's program history.
// VALLES GOING FOR THE SWEEP
Friday afternoon, Adrian Valles will take part in the pole vault where he will look to capture his fourth conference indoor crown in a row and his seventh-consecutive (including outdoors) AAC title. In the history of the league (2014 to present), no individual has won the same event four times. If Valles can successfully defend his crown, he will become the first to do so in AAC history.
// KEEPER OF THE CROWN
In another vertical event, Loretta Blaut will look to maintain UC's dominance in the high jump as she will not only try to defend her crown, but also keep the title in Cincinnati. Since the league began, UC is the only school to have won the women's indoor high jump crown as Erika Hurd won the first three titles before Blaut won last year's event
// TAKE ME TO YOUR LEADERS
Heading into the conference meet, the Bearcats hold 41 marks that rank in the Top 8 with the women holding 23 and the men 18. On those lists, the women have seven marks that lead the league while the men have two. The leaders for the women include Loretta Blaut (high jump), Brooke Catherine (pole vault), Annette Echikunwoke (shot put & weight throw), Bryana Robinson (400m), Naomi Urbano (pentathlon) and the 4x400m relay (Haisha Bisiolu, Tiona Lattimore, Deanna Gesicki and Robinson). The men's leaders included Alex Bloom (high jump) and Adrian Valles (pole vault).
// IF IT WERE TODAY...
If the regular season had ended last week, four women and two men would be preparing to represent UC at the NCAA Indoor Championships in College Station, Texas, as each hold marks ranking them in the Top 16 nationally, which is the cut-off to qualify to the national meet. On the women's side, Annette Echikunwoke is ranked #1 in the weight throw; Loretta Blaut is tied for #11 in the high jump; and both Brooke Catherine and Bryana Robinson are tied for #16 in the pole vault and 400m dash, respectively. On the men's side, Adrian Valles is ranked #3 in the pole vault while Alex Bloom is #11 in the heptathlon standings.
// THROWING THEIR WEIGHT AROUND
In Columbus, the men's weight throwers also had a solid meet as both Sam Meece and Chris Province recorded marks that now rank them in the all-time Top 10 in program history. Meece recorded a best of 18.64m (61-02.00) to move up the #3 position while also bettering his own UC freshman record. Province, the former rookie record holder, hit a mark of 17.18m (56-04.25) to improve his all-time best by nearly three feet and claim the #6 position all-time.
// YOU'RE ON THE LIST
Speaking of the Top 10 lists, so far this year, 98 marks recorded by the Bearcats - including 55 by the women and 43 from the men - found a home on the all-time Top 10. Included in that list are 17 marks (10 women, 7 men) that also went down for school records.
// RECORD BREAKERS
Five individual women, two women's relays and four individual men accounted for the school records that have been broken this indoor season. For the women, Echikunwoke broke the weight throw mark three different times while also adding a record-breaking performance in the shot put. Tiona (300m) and Bryana Robinson (400m) each broke individual sprint records before assisting relays in resetting the top mark as Lattimore was part of both the DMR with Sam Mikula, Alexis Anton and Meg Westerheide, and the 4x400m with Robinson, Haisha Bisiolu and Deanna Gesicki. Brooke Catherine took over the top spot in the pole vault while Angelica Lightfoot broke the pentathlon shot put record as well. On the men's side, Sam Meece has reset the freshman weight throw record three times while Alex Bloom broke the heptathlon total points and heptathlon 60m dash records. Adrian Valles broke his own record in the pole vault for the fourth time in his career while Austin Edwards tied the 60m dash record.
PREVIOUSLY NOTED
// FIRE 400
The members of the women's 4x400m relay brought the heat in Nashville as the each turned in superb times in the open 400m before laying down a school-record 3:36.96 in the relay at the end of the meet. In the open, Bryana Robinson led the way running 53.31, just off her season-best and UC record 53.08, while Tiona Lattimore was just behind her in 53.75, the #3 time in program history. Haisha Bisiolu ran 54.46 to post the #4 time in Bearcats history with Deanna Gesicki running 56.28 to post the #10 time in program history, meaning all four women are now in the Top 10 for the first time. Later in the meet, the four came together and ran 3:36.96, breaking their own school record by 3.17 seconds as they ran splits of 53.7 (Lattimore), 54.5 (Bisiolu), 55.5 (Gesicki) and 52.9 (Robinson). Through the weekend, the relay is the leader in the American while the individual runners rank #1 (Robinson), #2 (Lattimore), #4 (Bisiolu) and #9 (Gesicki) in the open 400m race. If they were to finish this way at the conference meet, that would be a huge 33 points for the women's team.
// MORE ON THE RELAY
Last year, the relay team made history as the first Bearcats relay to not only make the national meet, but also earned All-America honors (second team). Their record run this past weekend added to their historical accounts as they posted the #4 time ever at UC when combining indoor and outdoor marks, giving them the Top 4 marks all-time. When removing their three marks run last year during the outdoor season that broke the record each time, the team's indoor mark run last weekend is faster than any other relay team UC has ever assembled.
// BIENENFELD CONTINUES TO ADD
Aaron Bienenfeld joined the program in January and has raced four times with three of his time ranking among the program's all-time Top 10. More interestingly is the fact that those three times have come in three different events as he currently ranks #9 in the mile (4:10.82), #7 in the 3,000m run (8:23.99) and #3 in the 5,000m (14:29.23) with the longest race being run last week in Nashville. He is now just the second Bearcats to be listed on all three lists with only former All-American standout Eric Finan joining him as the #2, #1 and #1, respectively, in the three races.
// WOMEN's DISTANCE HITTING THE BRICKS
The women's distance squad had runners in three different events post times that moved them up the all-time Top 10 charts in program history over the weekend. Senior Alexis Anton ran 2:13.38 to lower her personal best and claim the #6 position on the 800m chart. Two rookies were back at it once again this week as well. Hannah Markel (redshirt freshman) continued her back-and-forth PR lowering with true freshman Sam Mikula in the mile as Markel ran 5:02.29 to move past Mikula one week after Mikula ran 5:03.26 to overtake Markel. With Markel's time in Nashville, she is the fourth Bearcats woman to run under 5:03 in the event. Mikula took her turn on the track and raced the 3,000m event where she ran 10:01.07 to post the #7 time in UC history. The two rookies are now both on the mile and the 3,000m charts with Markel ranked #4 and #3, respectively, while Mikula is #6 and #7, respectively.
// BLAUT CONTINUES TO STREAK
Loretta Blaut continued to do what she has done all season and that is win high jump competitions. Blaut made it 6-for-6 on the year as she captured the title in Nashville with a best of 1.81m. While she didn't clear a season-best mark for the fifth week in a row, she did manage to clear 1.80m or better for the fifth week in a row and post the ninth-best clearance in the nation last weekend.
// STUDENT DEFEATS TEACHER
Bloom collected his first accolade of the season after another successful heptathlon competition in Texas, this time scoring a personal-best 5,649 points in the two-day, seven-event competition to not only better his previous best by 45 points, but also take down the school record by 33 points. The previous record was 5,616 points that Chris Wineberg, Bloom's current coach, scored 14 years ago in 2004. Currently, Bloom ranks #11 in the NCAA and #2 in the American after recording the third-highest score of the weekend across the nation. To get to his record point total, Bloom posted personal-best marks in four of the seven events, opening the competition with a UC heptathlon record time of 7.03 in the 60m dash. He also moved to #3 on the program's heptathlon shot put chart with a heave of 12.78m (41-11.25) on the first day of competition. On the final day, he posted PRs in the final two events of the day, first in the pole vault as he cleared 4.55m (14-11.00). Needing 771 points in the 1,000m run, Bloom scored 803 points as he ran a best of 2:46.50 to not only post the #4 heptathlon 1,000m time in program history, but also break Wineberg's overall scoring record.
// UC HOSTING AAC OUTDOORS IN 2018
This season, the 2018 American Athletic Conference Outdoor Track & Field Championships will be hosted by the Bearcats at Gettler Stadium and Coy Field. The three-day meet will take place May 11-13 on the UC campus and will mark the first AAC track & field meet the Bearcats have played host and the second AAC meet UC has hosted after holding the 2016 AAC Cross Country Championships at Voice of America MetroPark in West Chester. The last time the Bearcats played host to a conference meet came in 2010 when the BIG EAST meet was held at Gettler Stadium.
// MEN ACADEMICALLY HONORED
Following the cross country season, the American Athletic Conference announced its annual award winners with the UC men being named the 2017 AAC Team Academic Award winners. This is the second year in a row that the Bearcats men have won the award, which is given to the team with the highest cumulative GPA.
// ECHIKUNWOKE NAMED TRAILBLAZER
The University of Cincinnati African American Alumni Affiliate (4A) recently announced its 2018 Class of Onyx & Ruby Award honorees with Annette Echikunwoke being named the recipient of the Student Trailblazer Award and will be honored at the Onyx & Ruby Gala February 24 at the Sharonville Convention Center. The first national champion in program history after winning the 2017 NCAA weight throw title was selected for the award that is given annually to individuals who create university firsts or were at the forefront of movements and activities. For more information on the Gala and all award honorees, visit: Alumni.UC.edu/ORG18/Bios.
// GRADE CHECK
On January 10, Student-Athlete Support Services (SASS) released academic data for the 2017 Fall semester, including those athletes that finished the semester with a 3.0 or better grade-point average. Overall, 62 track & field/cross country student-athletes recorded better than a 3.0 GPA, including 34 women and 28 men, to earn a place on the Bearcats Honor Roll. Of those student-athletes, 25 women and 19 men maintained a 3.4 GPA or better to garner Dean's List accolades. Also, four men and three women recorded perfect 4.0 GPAs to be named TopCats. That list included Spencer Clark, Dan Huben, Jacob Rieman and Adrian Valles for the men and Alexis Gray, Grace O'Donnell and Tessa Ward for the women.
// RETURNING CHAMPION
On March 11, 2017, Annette Echikunwoke capture the national title in the weight throw at the NCAA Indoor Championships, collecting the first crown in program history as she won with a heave of 22.42m (73-06.75). With her win, Echikunwoke became just the fifth UC student-athlete to win an individual national title in the history of UC Athletics. Prior to her victory, two diving and two swimming titles had been captured by Bearcats with the last coming in 2010 when Josh Schneider won the men's 50 freestyle. Echikunwoke also is now just the second UC woman to win an individual national crown, joining diver Becky Ruehl, who won the 1996 platform event at the NCAA meet. Prior to that trio, Pat Evans won the 3m diving event in 1989 and Charles Keating brought home the first gold with the title in 200 butterfly in 1946.
// RETURNING ALL-AMERICANS
Along with Echikunwoke, the Bearcats have one other returning indoor All-American and five more that earned the national accolade during the outdoor season last year. Adrian Valles finished fifth in the men's pole vault indoors last year before taking national runner-up honors outdoor to collect a pair of USTFCCCA All-America First Team honors, bringing his career total to five. Loretta Blaut placed in a tie for sixth in the high jump outdoors to earn first team honors while the team of Haisha Bisiolu, Deanna Gesicki, Tiona Lattimore and Bryana Robinson combined to earn USTFCCCA All-America Second Team honors in the 4x400m relay outdoors, the first for a relay in program history.
// THAT'S A FIRST
The women's 4x400m relay team was full of firsts in 2017. The quartet swept the 4x400m relay events at the AAC Indoor and AAC Outdoor Championships for the first crowns in program history. Then, the ladies broke the school record several times, including in their win at the conference outdoor meet before breaking it once again, running 3:36.59 at the regional meet to qualify for the national finals, marking the first UC relay to reach the NCAA outdoor meet. They weren't done there, however, as they broke the record once again in Eugene, running 3:35.96 in the semifinals to finish 15th overall. Despite not reaching the final, the team did earn USTFCCCA All-America Second Team accolades, marking the first time in program history a relay team earned All-America status.
// INTERNATIONALLY KNOWN
For the second time in his career, Adrian Valles took part in one of the largest meets in the world as he represented his native Spain in the 2017 IAAF World Outdoor Championships in London this past summer. Valles, who competed at the world meet in Beijing, China, in 2015, placed 16th overall in the qualification round this year. To get to London, Valles continued to chase a clearance of 5.70m throughout much of the collegiate season before he was added to the field in a pole vault competition in Landau, Germany. In the street event (raised runway on a city street), Valles climbed over the qualifying standard and punched his ticket to London.
// XC: DUNLAP EARNS ALL-CONFERENCE
Heading into the 2016 cross country season, the Bearcats women had not had an all-conference (Top 15) finisher in the AAC Championships. Then, Juliana Madzia, who was honored as a Top 30 selection for the 2016-17 NCAA Woman of the Year Award, finished 13th at the meet UC hosted to earn the program's first all-conference accolade since Ruth Limo at the 2004 Conference USA meet. This year, Madison Dunlap ran a personal-best time on a hilly course in Philadelphia to place 15th overall and earn her first all-conference selection and the program's second in as many years. The 15th woman in program history to earn cross country all-conference honors (25th total honor), Dunlap combines with Madzia to earn back-to-back conference honors for the first time since 2001 and 2002 when Angie Kist and Limo finished 12th and 10th, respectively, at the CUSA meet.
// HELLO! MY NAME IS...
The Bearcats welcomed 22 newcomers to the program this year, including 18 true freshmen, with 17 of those total newcomers joining the men's roster. Joining the men's track & field and cross country rosters are freshmen Cameron Davis (Strongsville), Connor Duricky (Mentor), Ryan Guenthner (Louisville, Ky.), Danny Jones (Canal Winchester), Albert Kalala (Cincinnati), Isaiah McCall (Lexington, Ky.), Sam Meece (Napolean), Issac Naayers (Lancaster), Cannon Riddle (Hilliard), Jacob Rieman (Beavercreek), Matt Stump (Medina), Brandon White (Stafford, Va.) and Zion Wynn (Loveland). The men also welcomed in transfers Marcus Abraham (Charlotte, N.C./Gardner-Webb U.), Branden Nosker (Troy, Ohio/Mississippi State) and Anthony Woods (Macedonia, Ohio/Ohio Dominican U.) with Steven Zombory (Chardon) joining the program after running for the campus running club. On the women's side, four of the five newcomers are true freshmen, including Sydney Hess (Curtice), Kennedy Marable (Toledo), Sam Mikula (Columbus) and Katrina Patterson (Clarence, N.Y.) with the fifth newcomer being Mary Purtsa (Germany).
// WELCOME TO UC!
While the majority of newcomers to the 2017-18 rosters were men, the 2018-19 signing class is comprised mostly of women. The class, which will join the Bearcats in time for the 2018 cross country and 2019 track & field seasons, includes 13 members, including nine women and four men. The women's class includes Faith Banks (Macedonia), Kaylia Black (Sandusky), Caisja Chandler (Euclid), Kylie Cutlip (Quaker City), Izzy Kline (Newton Falls), Carmen Licht (Macedonia), Leah Maschino (Maineville), Rylee Penn (Corona, Calif.) and Malin Smith (Lansing, Mich.) while the newest members of the men's program will include Toni Banos (Berga, Spain), Aaron Bienenfeld (Frankfurt, Germany), Austin Goolsby (Hillsboro) and Quincy Mitchell (Hanahan, S.C.).
// TWO MORE TO ADD
The Bearcats men added a pair of mid-year competitors over the winter break as signee Bienenfeld and transfer Andre Wright are ready to compete for the Bearcats immediately. Both individuals will be entering their sophomore seasons with Bienenfeld coming from the University of Frankfurt (Germany) and Wright transferring in from Liberty University. Bienenfeld will run in the distance events while Wright will take part in the horizontal jumps (long and triple).
// UP NEXT
Following the conference meet, those Bearcats that are ranked in the Top 16 nationally will earn a spot in the NCAA Championships that will take place March 9-10 in College Station, Texas. The NCAA will reveal the qualifiers later next week.