TicketsCINCINNATI - Although her career did not end the way she hoped, Loretta Blaut found her way onto the podium at the NCAA Indoor Track & Field Championships once again as the local product placed third in the high jump in the national competition held inside the CrossPlex in Birmingham, Ala. With her bronze medal, Blaut capped her career earning USTFCCCA All-America First Team accolades for the fifth time in her career, bringing her all-time total to six honors.
// HOW IT HAPPENED
The competition opened at 1.71m (5-07.25) with all 15 women clearing the bar. Blaut followed that up with her second, first-attempt clearance at 1.76m (5-09.25) to sit in a tie for sixth at the time. The bar climbed to 1.81m (5-11.25) where Blaut needed three attempts to clear, but, by doing so, guaranteed herself at least a Top 4 placement in the competition. With the bar moved to 1.87m (6-01.50), Blaut was unable to clear on her three attempts, which would have tied her own school record, joining two other jumpers with three misses. Texas Tech's Zarriea Willis was able to clear that height to win the meet with Quamecha Morrison of Bethune-Cookman taking second based on fewer misses than Blaut.
// PROGRAM HISTORY
With her honor earned tonight, Blaut closed her UC career with six total USTFCCCA All-America honors, including five first-team honors and one second-team honor. All told, Blaut is the most decorated woman in program history (Annette Echikunwoke and Erika Hurd each had four) while also moving into a tie for the most honors earned by any member of the program - male and female - with both Al Lanier (1972-73) and Adrian Valles (2015-18) both earning six in their careers for the men. Both men earned six first-team honors, giving Blaut the distinction of the most decorated female and sitting third all-time in first-team honors.
// MORE ON BLAUT
On a conference level, Blaut was a five-time American Athletic Conference champion as she swept the past three indoor titles and added a pair of outdoor crowns in between those titles, giving her five in a row to cap her time in the league. She will now leave UC with the outdoor school and conference record with a best of 1.88m (6-02.00) while her 1.87m indoor mark tying for the school record while standing as the AAC record. She also holds the meet record for both the AAC indoor and outdoor competitions.
// IN THE STANDINGS
With the six points Blaut earned with her third-place finish, the Bearcats placed tied for 35th in the nation at the meet, sharing the spot with Boise State, Indiana, Oklahoma State and Providence and ranking second among all AAC teams in the meet (Houston score 12 points and tied for 15th). Overall, Arkansas won the team title with 62 points while USC (51.0), Oregon (32.0) and Ohio State (28.0) rounded out the Top 4 finishers that earned trophies from the NCAA.
// ON DECK
The Bearcats will not compete again until the end of March with a trio of meets on the slate. Many of the Bearcats will travel to the Texas Relays (March 28-30) while several distance runners will venture to California for the Stanford Invitational (March 28-30). Some athletes will stay in the region and head north to the Cedarville Invitational that will be held March 30.
2019 NCAA Indoor Championships
CrossPlex • Birmingham, Ala.
March 9, 2019 • Day 2 Results
Women's Results
Team Standings (FINAL)
1. Arkansas • 62.0
2. USC • 51.0
3. Oregon • 32.0
4. Ohio State • 28.0
t35. CINCINNATI, Indiana, Oklahoma State, Providence & Boise State • 6.0
High Jump • FINAL
3. Loretta Blaut • 1.84m (6-00.50) • USTFCCCA All-America First Team • 6.0 points
// HOW IT HAPPENED
The competition opened at 1.71m (5-07.25) with all 15 women clearing the bar. Blaut followed that up with her second, first-attempt clearance at 1.76m (5-09.25) to sit in a tie for sixth at the time. The bar climbed to 1.81m (5-11.25) where Blaut needed three attempts to clear, but, by doing so, guaranteed herself at least a Top 4 placement in the competition. With the bar moved to 1.87m (6-01.50), Blaut was unable to clear on her three attempts, which would have tied her own school record, joining two other jumpers with three misses. Texas Tech's Zarriea Willis was able to clear that height to win the meet with Quamecha Morrison of Bethune-Cookman taking second based on fewer misses than Blaut.
// PROGRAM HISTORY
With her honor earned tonight, Blaut closed her UC career with six total USTFCCCA All-America honors, including five first-team honors and one second-team honor. All told, Blaut is the most decorated woman in program history (Annette Echikunwoke and Erika Hurd each had four) while also moving into a tie for the most honors earned by any member of the program - male and female - with both Al Lanier (1972-73) and Adrian Valles (2015-18) both earning six in their careers for the men. Both men earned six first-team honors, giving Blaut the distinction of the most decorated female and sitting third all-time in first-team honors.
// MORE ON BLAUT
On a conference level, Blaut was a five-time American Athletic Conference champion as she swept the past three indoor titles and added a pair of outdoor crowns in between those titles, giving her five in a row to cap her time in the league. She will now leave UC with the outdoor school and conference record with a best of 1.88m (6-02.00) while her 1.87m indoor mark tying for the school record while standing as the AAC record. She also holds the meet record for both the AAC indoor and outdoor competitions.
// IN THE STANDINGS
With the six points Blaut earned with her third-place finish, the Bearcats placed tied for 35th in the nation at the meet, sharing the spot with Boise State, Indiana, Oklahoma State and Providence and ranking second among all AAC teams in the meet (Houston score 12 points and tied for 15th). Overall, Arkansas won the team title with 62 points while USC (51.0), Oregon (32.0) and Ohio State (28.0) rounded out the Top 4 finishers that earned trophies from the NCAA.
// ON DECK
The Bearcats will not compete again until the end of March with a trio of meets on the slate. Many of the Bearcats will travel to the Texas Relays (March 28-30) while several distance runners will venture to California for the Stanford Invitational (March 28-30). Some athletes will stay in the region and head north to the Cedarville Invitational that will be held March 30.
2019 NCAA Indoor Championships
CrossPlex • Birmingham, Ala.
March 9, 2019 • Day 2 Results
Women's Results
Team Standings (FINAL)
1. Arkansas • 62.0
2. USC • 51.0
3. Oregon • 32.0
4. Ohio State • 28.0
t35. CINCINNATI, Indiana, Oklahoma State, Providence & Boise State • 6.0
High Jump • FINAL
3. Loretta Blaut • 1.84m (6-00.50) • USTFCCCA All-America First Team • 6.0 points