Bienenfeld Finishes 111th at NCAA Cross Country Championships

Aaron Bienenfeld, making his national meet debut and the first appearance for a runner from the University of Cincinnati program since 2011, finished 111th overall at the 2018 NCAA Cross Country Championships Saturday afternoon on the Thomas Zimmer Championship Course in Madison, Wis.

Opens in a new window 2018 NCAA XC Results (M)
Bienenfeld Finishes 111th at NCAA Cross Country ChampionshipsBienenfeld Finishes 111th at NCAA Cross Country Championships
CINCINNATI - Aaron Bienenfeld, making his national meet debut and the first appearance for a runner from the University of Cincinnati program since 2011, finished 111th overall at the 2018 NCAA Cross Country Championships Saturday afternoon on the Thomas Zimmer Championship Course in Madison, Wis. Bienenfeld covered the 10,000m course in a personal-best time of 30:42.8 and rose 91 places over the final 8,000m of the race to post the best finish of any male runner from the American Athletic Conference in the national meet.

// QUICK NOTES
•    Bienenfeld ran 30:42.8 to finish 111th overall nationally
•    From the 2k split to the finish line, Bienenfeld improved his placement by 91 spots, climbing from 202nd to 111th by the end of the race
•    His placement ranks as the seventh-best in program history and the fifth-best among UC's individual qualifiers that raced
•    Based upon time, Bienenfeld ranks seventh all-time in program history at the NCAA meet and fourth among the individual qualifiers
•    Also, Bienenfeld's time was a 39.1 second improvement over his first collegiate 10k cross country race when he placed 12th at the NCAA Great Lakes Region Championships last week in 31:21.9
•    Bienenfeld was the top finisher from the American Athletic Conference and defeated the 2018 NCAA Great Lakes Region champion
•    He also was the 24th finisher among all individual qualifiers in the competition (38 entrants)
•    When the men's race began, it was 30 degrees (felt like 21 degrees) with snow on the ground from showers the night before

// MEN'S 10,000m RACE
Bienenfeld got off to a slow start as he covered the first 2,000m of the race in 6:00.7, placing him 202nd overall in the field of 252 runners. But, the bronze medalist in the 2018 AAC Championships and USTFCCCA All-Region honoree began to make up ground as he improved his standing at each of the check points along the way, starting with a massive leap of 41 spots when he sat 161st overall at the 4.1k split (12:31.0). From there, he moved up another 35 positions to sit in 126th place at the 6k marker (18:19.4) before climbing another 11 spots to 115th at the 8k split (24:39.1). Bienenfeld then crossed the finish line in 30:42.8 to finish 111th overall in his first NCAA national competition.

// MORE ON HIS FINISH
Bienenfeld's finish was the best among all entrants from the American Athletic Conference in the men's 10,000m race with Peter Lynch, the top finisher for Tulsa's team, was 114th in 30:47.0. Emmanuel Rotich, the reigning AAC Champion from Tulane, was 155th overall in 31:05.3. To top it off, Bienenfeld, who was the 14th finisher among all runners from the NCAA Great Lakes Region, bested the 2018 region champion, Jaret Carpenter of Purdue, who was 119th overall.

// HISTORICALLY
Bienenfeld posted a personal best time in the race as he shaved nearly 40 seconds from his previous best. Last week, at the regional meet, he ran his first collegiate 10,000m cross country race and posted a time of 31:21.9 to place 12th in the race and earn USTFCCCA All-Region accolades. Today, he ran 39.1 seconds faster despite the colder temperatures and snow on the ground. His time of 30:42.8 also gives him the fourth-fastest time in program history among individual NCAA qualifiers while his placement (111th) ranks him fifth among individual qualifiers.

// TEAM STANDINGS
Top-ranked Northern Arizona captured the team title once again as they scored 83 points to defeat their closest competitor, #2 BYU, who took second with 116 points. The Top 4 teams each earn trophies from the NCAA, meaning #4 Portland (160) and #8 Colorado (178) earned trophies by placing third and fourth, respectively. Tulsa, the lone team to qualify from the AAC, placed 30th overall with 777 points in the 31-team field.

// NEXT UP
The indoor track and field season is now upon the Bearcats as they will send a contingent of competitors to Bloomington, Ind., on December 7 for the Hoosier Open. Following the holiday break, the indoor season will kick into high gear as UC will take part in six competitions over a seven-week span starting with the Jim Green Invitational (Kentucky) on January 11-12. All those meets will lead to the 2019 AAC Championships (Feb. 22-23) and NCAA Indoor Championships (March 8-9), both of which will be held in Birmingham, Ala., at the CrossPlex.

2018 NCAA Championships
Thomas Zimmer Championship Course • Madison, Wis.
Race #2 • Men's 10,000m
Overall Team Standings (Top 10)

1. #1 Northern Arizona • 83
2. #2 BYU • 116
3. #4 Portland • 160
4. #8 Colorado • 178
5. #7 Stanford • 201
6. #6 Washington • 213
7. #5 Iowa State • 220
8. #3 Wisconsin • 240
9. #13 Colorado State • 309
10. #16 NC State & #9 Boise State • 342
31 teams scored

Individual Results:

111. Aaron Bienenfeld • 30:42.8
252 finishers