TicketsCINCINNATI - The University of Cincinnati cross country teams battled frigid temperatures, muddy terrain and more nearly 30 different teams as they took part in the 2018 NCAA Great Lakes Region Championships Friday afternoon on the LaVern Gibson Championship Cross Country Course in Terre Haute, Ind. Racing in one of nine regional events around the nation, the Bearcats saw Aaron Bienenfeld place 12th overall in the men's 10,000m competition to earn USTFCCCA All-Region honors while helping the men finish 12th overall, their best finish since 2011, while the women were led by an impressive run from Hannah Markel to finish 25th as a team.
// QUICK NOTES
• The men finished 12th overall with 403 points, their best finish since 2011 (11th) and their first Top 15 finish since 2014 (14th)
• The men's 12th place showing also tied for the eighth-best regional finish for the team since 1980
• Bienenfeld finished 12th individually to earn all-region honors, the first UC runner to do so since Kevin Fink was 24th in 2014
• Bienenfeld posted the fourth-best regional finish in program history and raced to the sixth-fastest time (31:21.9) in a regional meet for UC
• Based on his finish, Bienenfeld has a chance to qualify for the NCAA Championships, which will be announced Saturday at 5 p.m.
• The women finished 25th, marking the fourth year in a row they posted a Top 25 showing in the Great Lakes
• Markel placed 87th overall, a 20-spot improvement over her finish from one year ago, and just missed a PR by three seconds
• Markel's finish makes her the 14th UC woman to finish in the Top 100 in the meet with the second-best finish in the AAC era behind Juliana Madzia's 66th-place finish in 2016
• Of the seven women that ran Friday, five were racing in the competition for the first time in their careers
// WOMEN'S 6,000m RACE
The women led off the day with Markel leading the charge with her 87th-place finish as she covered the 6,000m course in 22:19.1, just three seconds off her personal-best time of 22:16.1 that she ran earlier this year at the Bradley Pink Classic. Her finish gave UC a Top 100 finisher for the third year in a row after Madzia was 66th in 2016 and Madison Dunlap 99th last year. In fact, Markel's finish today was the second-best showing for a UC women since joining the AAC (2013) behind only Madzia's finish. Markel improved her finish by 20 places over last year's run to become the 14th woman in program history to finish in the Top 100 at the regional race while tying for the 27th-best finish in UC history.
The Top 5 scorers for the Bearcats finished within 19 seconds of one another to give the team a one minute spread on the day with the remaining scoring runners making their regional debuts for UC. Katrina Patterson led the group by finishing 136th overall (23:01.0) with Sammy Hentz (23:14.7) finishing 150th; Maggie Breitenstein (23:17.8) placing 156th; and Ellee Bullock (23:20.3) in 163rd. The remaining two Bearcats in the race included Sam Mikula (23:57.5) and Madalyn O'Dea (24:48.9), who placed 186th and 201st, respectively.
// TEAM STANDINGS
The women scored 687 points and finished 25th in a region which had 32 teams scoring on the day. The Bearcats earned a Top 25 finish for the fourth year in a row after placing 21st each of the past two years and 24th in 2015. #7 Michigan (46) and #11 Wisconsin (82) earned the region's two automatic berths into the NCAA Championships with #10 Michigan State (89), #18 Notre Dame (100) and #14 Indiana (137) rounding out the Top 5 teams in the standings.
// MEN'S 8,000m RACE
Bienenfeld ran a solid race and was sitting in second place through 5,000m before settling for 12th place overall and USTFCCCA All-Region accolades as a member of the Top 25 in just his fifth career cross country race and his first at 10,000m. He ran the course in 31:21.9 to turn in the sixth-fastest regional 10,000m time in program history while also posting the fourth-best regional finish in program history with only Eric Finan (1st in 2010 and 2nd in 2011) and Chris Reis (10th in 2000) sitting ahead of him. Just the sixth Top 15 finish in the region for a Bearcats man, Bienenfeld added to his stellar season in which he has finished in the Top 12 in all five races and added all-region honors to his American Athletic All-Conference honors earned two weeks ago when he placed third in New Orleans.
Just behind Bienenfeld was Andrew Schille, who covered the course in 31:50.0 to place 32nd overall. A three-time regional competitor (twice for Northern Kentucky ahead of this year's transfer), Schille turned in the 12th-fastest time in program history and joined Bienenfeld to give the program its first pair of Top 35 runners in the same race since 1995 when the trio of Mark Rupe (24th), Chad Disbennett (28th) and Kevin McGurk (31st) accomplished the feat.
The Top 5 scorers for the Bearcats were rounded out by Ryan Guenthner (33:10.6) in 114th; Nick Grismer (33:16.8) in 122nd and Toni Banos (33:25.3) in 132nd. For Guenthner, his placement was 14-position improvement over his rookie run in 2017 while Banos was part of the Top 5 for the team in his regional and 10,000m cross country racing debut. The final two runners for UC on the day were Christian Stevens (33:36.4) and Michael Vitucci (34:32.6), who finished 138th and 167th, respectively.
// TEAM STANDINGS
The men recorded their best finish since 2011 (11th place) by finishing 12th today after accumulating 403 points. The finish ties for the eighth-best showing in program history (since 1980) and marks the first Top 15 showing for the men since they placed 14th in 2014. Overall, #3 Wisconsin (49) and #10 Notre Dame (91) secured the automatic berths into the national meet with the Top 5 being rounded out by #27 Michigan (109), #15 Purdue (121) and #23 Indiana (124).
// WAIT AND SEE
With all regions having competed today, the fate of the rest of the field is now in the hands of the NCAA, who will select 13 at-large teams to round out the field of 31 teams that will race in Madison, Wis., November 17. Once those teams have been determined, individual qualifiers will be selected with Bienenfeld hoping to grab one. Once the teams are selected, the NCAA will take the Top 4 individual finishers from each region that did not see their team qualify to the national meet. After that, the NCAA will then select two at-large entries from the entire nationally pool to complete the individual field. All selections will be announced Saturday at 5 p.m. on NCAA.com.
// NEXT UP
Bienenfeld will await word from the NCAA to see if he is selected to compete in the NCAA Championships. The rest of the team will now turn their focus toward the start of the indoor track & field season that will get underway in early January.
2018 NCAA Great Lakes Region Championships
LaVern Gibson Championship Course • Terre Haute, Ind.
Race #1 • Women's 6,000m
Overall Team Standings (Top 10)
1. #7 Michigan • 46 • qualifies to NCAAs
2. #11 Wisconsin • 82 • qualifies to NCAAs
3. #10 Michigan State • 89
4. #18 Notre Dame • 100
5. #14 Indiana • 137
6. Eastern Michigan • 231
7. Ohio State • 265
8. Purdue • 280
9. Toledo • 297
10. Butler • 316
25. Cincinnati • 687
32 teams scored
Individual Results:
87. Hannah Markel • 22:19.1
136. Katrina Patterson • 23:01.0
150. Sammy Hentz • 23:14.7
156. Maggie Breitenstein • 23:17.8
163. Ellee Bullock • 23:20.3
186. Sam Mikula • 23:57.5
201. Madalyn O'Dea • 24:48.9
225 finishers
Race #2 • Men's 10,000m
Overall Team Standings (Top 10)
1. #3 Wisconsin • 49 • qualifies to NCAAs
2. #10 Notre Dame • 91 • qualifies to NCAAs
3. #27 Michigan • 109
4. #15 Purdue • 121
5. #23 Indiana • 124
6. Michigan State • 173
7. Butler • 234
8. Dayton • 243
9. Miami • 275
10. Bowling Green • 314
12. Cincinnati • 403
29 teams scored
Individual Results:
12. Aaron Bienenfeld • 31:21.9 • PR • USTFCCCA All-Region
32. Andrew Schille • 31:50.0
114. Ryan Guenthner • 33:10.6 • PR
122. Nick Grismer • 33:16.8
132. Toni Banos • 33:25.3 • PR
138. Christian Stevens • 33:36.4 • PR
167. Michael Vitucci • 34:32.6
204 finishers
// QUICK NOTES
• The men finished 12th overall with 403 points, their best finish since 2011 (11th) and their first Top 15 finish since 2014 (14th)
• The men's 12th place showing also tied for the eighth-best regional finish for the team since 1980
• Bienenfeld finished 12th individually to earn all-region honors, the first UC runner to do so since Kevin Fink was 24th in 2014
• Bienenfeld posted the fourth-best regional finish in program history and raced to the sixth-fastest time (31:21.9) in a regional meet for UC
• Based on his finish, Bienenfeld has a chance to qualify for the NCAA Championships, which will be announced Saturday at 5 p.m.
• The women finished 25th, marking the fourth year in a row they posted a Top 25 showing in the Great Lakes
• Markel placed 87th overall, a 20-spot improvement over her finish from one year ago, and just missed a PR by three seconds
• Markel's finish makes her the 14th UC woman to finish in the Top 100 in the meet with the second-best finish in the AAC era behind Juliana Madzia's 66th-place finish in 2016
• Of the seven women that ran Friday, five were racing in the competition for the first time in their careers
// WOMEN'S 6,000m RACE
The women led off the day with Markel leading the charge with her 87th-place finish as she covered the 6,000m course in 22:19.1, just three seconds off her personal-best time of 22:16.1 that she ran earlier this year at the Bradley Pink Classic. Her finish gave UC a Top 100 finisher for the third year in a row after Madzia was 66th in 2016 and Madison Dunlap 99th last year. In fact, Markel's finish today was the second-best showing for a UC women since joining the AAC (2013) behind only Madzia's finish. Markel improved her finish by 20 places over last year's run to become the 14th woman in program history to finish in the Top 100 at the regional race while tying for the 27th-best finish in UC history.
The Top 5 scorers for the Bearcats finished within 19 seconds of one another to give the team a one minute spread on the day with the remaining scoring runners making their regional debuts for UC. Katrina Patterson led the group by finishing 136th overall (23:01.0) with Sammy Hentz (23:14.7) finishing 150th; Maggie Breitenstein (23:17.8) placing 156th; and Ellee Bullock (23:20.3) in 163rd. The remaining two Bearcats in the race included Sam Mikula (23:57.5) and Madalyn O'Dea (24:48.9), who placed 186th and 201st, respectively.
// TEAM STANDINGS
The women scored 687 points and finished 25th in a region which had 32 teams scoring on the day. The Bearcats earned a Top 25 finish for the fourth year in a row after placing 21st each of the past two years and 24th in 2015. #7 Michigan (46) and #11 Wisconsin (82) earned the region's two automatic berths into the NCAA Championships with #10 Michigan State (89), #18 Notre Dame (100) and #14 Indiana (137) rounding out the Top 5 teams in the standings.
// MEN'S 8,000m RACE
Bienenfeld ran a solid race and was sitting in second place through 5,000m before settling for 12th place overall and USTFCCCA All-Region accolades as a member of the Top 25 in just his fifth career cross country race and his first at 10,000m. He ran the course in 31:21.9 to turn in the sixth-fastest regional 10,000m time in program history while also posting the fourth-best regional finish in program history with only Eric Finan (1st in 2010 and 2nd in 2011) and Chris Reis (10th in 2000) sitting ahead of him. Just the sixth Top 15 finish in the region for a Bearcats man, Bienenfeld added to his stellar season in which he has finished in the Top 12 in all five races and added all-region honors to his American Athletic All-Conference honors earned two weeks ago when he placed third in New Orleans.
Just behind Bienenfeld was Andrew Schille, who covered the course in 31:50.0 to place 32nd overall. A three-time regional competitor (twice for Northern Kentucky ahead of this year's transfer), Schille turned in the 12th-fastest time in program history and joined Bienenfeld to give the program its first pair of Top 35 runners in the same race since 1995 when the trio of Mark Rupe (24th), Chad Disbennett (28th) and Kevin McGurk (31st) accomplished the feat.
The Top 5 scorers for the Bearcats were rounded out by Ryan Guenthner (33:10.6) in 114th; Nick Grismer (33:16.8) in 122nd and Toni Banos (33:25.3) in 132nd. For Guenthner, his placement was 14-position improvement over his rookie run in 2017 while Banos was part of the Top 5 for the team in his regional and 10,000m cross country racing debut. The final two runners for UC on the day were Christian Stevens (33:36.4) and Michael Vitucci (34:32.6), who finished 138th and 167th, respectively.
// TEAM STANDINGS
The men recorded their best finish since 2011 (11th place) by finishing 12th today after accumulating 403 points. The finish ties for the eighth-best showing in program history (since 1980) and marks the first Top 15 showing for the men since they placed 14th in 2014. Overall, #3 Wisconsin (49) and #10 Notre Dame (91) secured the automatic berths into the national meet with the Top 5 being rounded out by #27 Michigan (109), #15 Purdue (121) and #23 Indiana (124).
// WAIT AND SEE
With all regions having competed today, the fate of the rest of the field is now in the hands of the NCAA, who will select 13 at-large teams to round out the field of 31 teams that will race in Madison, Wis., November 17. Once those teams have been determined, individual qualifiers will be selected with Bienenfeld hoping to grab one. Once the teams are selected, the NCAA will take the Top 4 individual finishers from each region that did not see their team qualify to the national meet. After that, the NCAA will then select two at-large entries from the entire nationally pool to complete the individual field. All selections will be announced Saturday at 5 p.m. on NCAA.com.
// NEXT UP
Bienenfeld will await word from the NCAA to see if he is selected to compete in the NCAA Championships. The rest of the team will now turn their focus toward the start of the indoor track & field season that will get underway in early January.
2018 NCAA Great Lakes Region Championships
LaVern Gibson Championship Course • Terre Haute, Ind.
Race #1 • Women's 6,000m
Overall Team Standings (Top 10)
1. #7 Michigan • 46 • qualifies to NCAAs
2. #11 Wisconsin • 82 • qualifies to NCAAs
3. #10 Michigan State • 89
4. #18 Notre Dame • 100
5. #14 Indiana • 137
6. Eastern Michigan • 231
7. Ohio State • 265
8. Purdue • 280
9. Toledo • 297
10. Butler • 316
25. Cincinnati • 687
32 teams scored
Individual Results:
87. Hannah Markel • 22:19.1
136. Katrina Patterson • 23:01.0
150. Sammy Hentz • 23:14.7
156. Maggie Breitenstein • 23:17.8
163. Ellee Bullock • 23:20.3
186. Sam Mikula • 23:57.5
201. Madalyn O'Dea • 24:48.9
225 finishers
Race #2 • Men's 10,000m
Overall Team Standings (Top 10)
1. #3 Wisconsin • 49 • qualifies to NCAAs
2. #10 Notre Dame • 91 • qualifies to NCAAs
3. #27 Michigan • 109
4. #15 Purdue • 121
5. #23 Indiana • 124
6. Michigan State • 173
7. Butler • 234
8. Dayton • 243
9. Miami • 275
10. Bowling Green • 314
12. Cincinnati • 403
29 teams scored
Individual Results:
12. Aaron Bienenfeld • 31:21.9 • PR • USTFCCCA All-Region
32. Andrew Schille • 31:50.0
114. Ryan Guenthner • 33:10.6 • PR
122. Nick Grismer • 33:16.8
132. Toni Banos • 33:25.3 • PR
138. Christian Stevens • 33:36.4 • PR
167. Michael Vitucci • 34:32.6
204 finishers