TicketsCINCINNATI - The University of Cincinnati cross country teams opened the championship portion of their 2018 season Thursday morning in less than ideal conditions rain and mud hampered the American Athletic Conference Cross Country Championships that were held at the Golf Club at Audubon Park in New Orleans, La. Despite the remnants of Hurricane Wilma bringing rain throughout the race that added two to three minutes to each runner's time on the day, the Bearcats rallied to post strong showings, including Aaron Bienenfeld placing third overall in the men's 8,000m run to earn AAC All-Conference accolades.
// QUICK NOTES
• The men finished fifth overall and the women were eighth
• Wichita State won the women's team title and Tulsa captured their fifth men's crown in a row
• Bienenfeld placed third overall, his highest finish this year and the best finish for a UC runner as members of the AAC
• Bienenfeld also posted the best finish for a UC runner since 2011 when Eric Finan won the BIG EAST title
• For the men, their fifth-place showing marked the fifth time in six years they have placed in the Top 5 of the AAC
• The women's eighth-place finish gives them two Top 8 placements in the past three years, the most since 2002-04 when they were 7th, 6th and 6th in Conference USA
• Sammy Hentz, who scored in the 800m indoors last year and ranks among the all-time best in program history at that distance, was the team's top finisher on the day in 40th place
// TEAM STANDINGS
The women's team race was one of the closest in AAC history as the Top 3 were separated by four points with WSU claiming its first crown with 63 points while Tulsa (65) and Temple (67) were just behind the Shockers. The Top 5 was rounded out by SMU and last year's champion UConn, who were separated by one point, 88-89. The Bearcats finished eighth overall with 225 points, their second-best finish in the six years of AAC competition behind only their sixth-place finish in 2016. In fact, their team placement ties for the 20th-best in program history.
On the men's side, Tulsa ran away with their fifth crown in a row as the scored 32 points with Temple taking runner up honors with 51 points. The Top 5 was rounded out by UConn (91), WSU (109) and the Bearcats (138). With that finish, the UC men have now placed in the Top 5 of the AAC standings five times in the six years the league has existed with the Bearcats earning two runners-up, one third place and two fifth places.
// WOMEN'S 6,000m RACE
The women led off the day with Hentz posting the top finish for the Bearcats as she crossed the line in 24:27.5 to finish 40th overall. The 800m specialist led a close grouping of UC runners with the Top 5 finishing in a spread of 40.3 seconds between them. Ellee Bullock was just behind Hentz in 41st place in 24:33.7 while Hannah Markel (24:45.4), Katrina Patterson (24:57.2) and Maggie Breitenstein (25:07.8) rounded out the Top 5 scorers by finishing 44th, 48th and 53rd, respectively.
Four other Bearcats also ran with Sam Mikula placing 62nd in 25:38.9; Samantha Simms was 72nd in 26:11.2; Madalyn O'Dea was 77th in 26:28.3; and Sydney Hess was 85th in 26:54.1. Of the nine women that ran on the day, only two ran for UC last year (Markel and Mikula) as this year's team moved up one spot in the team standings with four women essentially running their first collegiate cross country seasons (Bullock, Patterson, Breitenstein and O'Dea).
// MEN'S 8,000m RACE
Bienenfeld again led the charge for the Bearcats, this time placing third overall in 27:11.5 to earn AAC All-Conference honors. In just his fourth collegiate cross country race, Bienenfeld collected his fourth Top 10 finish of the season and bettered his previous high finish of fourth that he recorded at both the John McNichols Invitational and the Bradley Pink Classic. His finish is the highest for any UC runner in the AAC era, beating out Kevin Fink's fifth-place showing in 2014, and is the highest attained at UC since 2011 when Eric Finan won the BIG EAST crown.
Nick Grismer was second on the squad as he placed 20th overall in 28:36.0 with Andrew Schille nearly joining him in the Top 25 as he was 26th overall in 28:55.0. The team's Top 5 scorers were rounded out by Toni Banos and Michael Vitucci, who finished 38th in 29:25.1 and 60th in 30:34.1, respectively. Four others ran for UC on the day, including Christian Stevens (30:46.1), Steven Zombory (31:20.1) and Matt Stump (32:20.1), who placed 63rd, 67th and 81st, respectively. Ryan Guenthner also started the race, but was unable to finish.
// ALL-CONFERENCE HISTORY
With his Top 15 finish, Bienenfeld became the 26th man in UC history (since 1980) to earn all-conference accolades, collecting the 46th overall award. He is the first UC man to earn the accolade since both Toby Loveridge (7th) and Dan Huben (13th) were recognized in 2016.
// TIME CHANGES
The meet was originally supposed to start at 10 a.m. CT with the women's race, but heavy rain and thunderstorms were forecast for that time, so the AAC decided to push up the start to 8 a.m. CT. But, lightning was in the area around that time, pushing back the start times to 8:40 a.m. CT for the women and 9:30 a.m. CT for the men. Rain fell throughout the competition and, with the course being run in loops, the running areas become more muddy throughout the day.
// NEXT UP
Two weeks from Friday, the Bearcats will return to action as they will travel to Terre Haute, Ind., on November 9 for the 2018 NCAA Great Lakes Region Championships. The women's 6,000m race will lead things off at 11:15 a.m. on the LaVern Gibson Championship Course with the men's 10,000m run to follow at 12:15 p.m. The meet will be used as the selection tool to the NCAA Championships two weeks later in Madison, Wis.
2018 American Athletic Championships
Golf Club at Audubon Park • New Orleans, La.
Race #1 • Women's 6,000m
Overall Team Standings
1. Wichita State • 63
2. Tulsa • 65
3. Temple • 67
4. SMU • 88
5. UConn • 89
6. ECU • 162
7. Houston • 197
8. CINCINNATI • 225
9. UCF • 292
10. Memphis • 301
11. Tulane • 303
12. USF • 334
12 teams scored
Individual Results:
40. Sammy Hentz • 24:27.5
41. Ellee Bullock • 24:33.7
44. Hannah Markel • 24:45.4
48. Katrina Patterson • 24:57.2
53. Maggie Breitenstein • 25:07.8
62. Sam Mikula • 25:38.9
72. Samantha Simms • 26:11.2
77. Madalyn O'Dea • 26:28.3
85. Sydney Hess • 26:54.1
97 finishers
Race #2 • Men's 8,000m
Overall Team Standings:
1. Tulsa • 32
2. Temple • 51
3. UConn • 91
4. Wichita State • 109
5. CINCINNATI • 138
6. Tulane • 160
7. Memphis • 178
8. ECU • 209
9. Houston • 220
10. USF • 310
10 teams scored
Individual Results:
3. Aaron Bienenfeld • 27:11.5 • All-Conference
20. Nick Grismer • 28:36.0
26. Andrew Schille • 28:55.0
38. Toni Banos • 29:25.1
60. Michael Vitucci • 30:34.1
63. Christian Stevens • 30:46.1
67. Steven Zombory • 31:20.1
81. Matt Stump • 32:20.1
DNF Ryan Guenthner
86 finishers
// QUICK NOTES
• The men finished fifth overall and the women were eighth
• Wichita State won the women's team title and Tulsa captured their fifth men's crown in a row
• Bienenfeld placed third overall, his highest finish this year and the best finish for a UC runner as members of the AAC
• Bienenfeld also posted the best finish for a UC runner since 2011 when Eric Finan won the BIG EAST title
• For the men, their fifth-place showing marked the fifth time in six years they have placed in the Top 5 of the AAC
• The women's eighth-place finish gives them two Top 8 placements in the past three years, the most since 2002-04 when they were 7th, 6th and 6th in Conference USA
• Sammy Hentz, who scored in the 800m indoors last year and ranks among the all-time best in program history at that distance, was the team's top finisher on the day in 40th place
// TEAM STANDINGS
The women's team race was one of the closest in AAC history as the Top 3 were separated by four points with WSU claiming its first crown with 63 points while Tulsa (65) and Temple (67) were just behind the Shockers. The Top 5 was rounded out by SMU and last year's champion UConn, who were separated by one point, 88-89. The Bearcats finished eighth overall with 225 points, their second-best finish in the six years of AAC competition behind only their sixth-place finish in 2016. In fact, their team placement ties for the 20th-best in program history.
On the men's side, Tulsa ran away with their fifth crown in a row as the scored 32 points with Temple taking runner up honors with 51 points. The Top 5 was rounded out by UConn (91), WSU (109) and the Bearcats (138). With that finish, the UC men have now placed in the Top 5 of the AAC standings five times in the six years the league has existed with the Bearcats earning two runners-up, one third place and two fifth places.
// WOMEN'S 6,000m RACE
The women led off the day with Hentz posting the top finish for the Bearcats as she crossed the line in 24:27.5 to finish 40th overall. The 800m specialist led a close grouping of UC runners with the Top 5 finishing in a spread of 40.3 seconds between them. Ellee Bullock was just behind Hentz in 41st place in 24:33.7 while Hannah Markel (24:45.4), Katrina Patterson (24:57.2) and Maggie Breitenstein (25:07.8) rounded out the Top 5 scorers by finishing 44th, 48th and 53rd, respectively.
Four other Bearcats also ran with Sam Mikula placing 62nd in 25:38.9; Samantha Simms was 72nd in 26:11.2; Madalyn O'Dea was 77th in 26:28.3; and Sydney Hess was 85th in 26:54.1. Of the nine women that ran on the day, only two ran for UC last year (Markel and Mikula) as this year's team moved up one spot in the team standings with four women essentially running their first collegiate cross country seasons (Bullock, Patterson, Breitenstein and O'Dea).
// MEN'S 8,000m RACE
Bienenfeld again led the charge for the Bearcats, this time placing third overall in 27:11.5 to earn AAC All-Conference honors. In just his fourth collegiate cross country race, Bienenfeld collected his fourth Top 10 finish of the season and bettered his previous high finish of fourth that he recorded at both the John McNichols Invitational and the Bradley Pink Classic. His finish is the highest for any UC runner in the AAC era, beating out Kevin Fink's fifth-place showing in 2014, and is the highest attained at UC since 2011 when Eric Finan won the BIG EAST crown.
Nick Grismer was second on the squad as he placed 20th overall in 28:36.0 with Andrew Schille nearly joining him in the Top 25 as he was 26th overall in 28:55.0. The team's Top 5 scorers were rounded out by Toni Banos and Michael Vitucci, who finished 38th in 29:25.1 and 60th in 30:34.1, respectively. Four others ran for UC on the day, including Christian Stevens (30:46.1), Steven Zombory (31:20.1) and Matt Stump (32:20.1), who placed 63rd, 67th and 81st, respectively. Ryan Guenthner also started the race, but was unable to finish.
// ALL-CONFERENCE HISTORY
With his Top 15 finish, Bienenfeld became the 26th man in UC history (since 1980) to earn all-conference accolades, collecting the 46th overall award. He is the first UC man to earn the accolade since both Toby Loveridge (7th) and Dan Huben (13th) were recognized in 2016.
// TIME CHANGES
The meet was originally supposed to start at 10 a.m. CT with the women's race, but heavy rain and thunderstorms were forecast for that time, so the AAC decided to push up the start to 8 a.m. CT. But, lightning was in the area around that time, pushing back the start times to 8:40 a.m. CT for the women and 9:30 a.m. CT for the men. Rain fell throughout the competition and, with the course being run in loops, the running areas become more muddy throughout the day.
// NEXT UP
Two weeks from Friday, the Bearcats will return to action as they will travel to Terre Haute, Ind., on November 9 for the 2018 NCAA Great Lakes Region Championships. The women's 6,000m race will lead things off at 11:15 a.m. on the LaVern Gibson Championship Course with the men's 10,000m run to follow at 12:15 p.m. The meet will be used as the selection tool to the NCAA Championships two weeks later in Madison, Wis.
2018 American Athletic Championships
Golf Club at Audubon Park • New Orleans, La.
Race #1 • Women's 6,000m
Overall Team Standings
1. Wichita State • 63
2. Tulsa • 65
3. Temple • 67
4. SMU • 88
5. UConn • 89
6. ECU • 162
7. Houston • 197
8. CINCINNATI • 225
9. UCF • 292
10. Memphis • 301
11. Tulane • 303
12. USF • 334
12 teams scored
Individual Results:
40. Sammy Hentz • 24:27.5
41. Ellee Bullock • 24:33.7
44. Hannah Markel • 24:45.4
48. Katrina Patterson • 24:57.2
53. Maggie Breitenstein • 25:07.8
62. Sam Mikula • 25:38.9
72. Samantha Simms • 26:11.2
77. Madalyn O'Dea • 26:28.3
85. Sydney Hess • 26:54.1
97 finishers
Race #2 • Men's 8,000m
Overall Team Standings:
1. Tulsa • 32
2. Temple • 51
3. UConn • 91
4. Wichita State • 109
5. CINCINNATI • 138
6. Tulane • 160
7. Memphis • 178
8. ECU • 209
9. Houston • 220
10. USF • 310
10 teams scored
Individual Results:
3. Aaron Bienenfeld • 27:11.5 • All-Conference
20. Nick Grismer • 28:36.0
26. Andrew Schille • 28:55.0
38. Toni Banos • 29:25.1
60. Michael Vitucci • 30:34.1
63. Christian Stevens • 30:46.1
67. Steven Zombory • 31:20.1
81. Matt Stump • 32:20.1
DNF Ryan Guenthner
86 finishers