TicketsCINCINNATI - With the conference championships behind them, 17 members of the University of Cincinnati track & field program will head to Jacksonville, Fla., this week to compete in the NCAA East Preliminary Round meet inside Hodges Stadium on the campus of North Florida. The meet serves as the opening rounds of the national meet with 48 individuals (24 teams in relays) in each event looking to earn one of the 12 qualifying spots into the national finals in Austin, Texas (June 5-8).
// HOW IT WORKS
Jacksonville (East) and Sacramento (West) will welcome the Top 48 individuals and Top 24 relays from their respective regions to the competition next weekend with the Top 12 in all events advancing to the NCAA Finals in Texas. On the track, many events will have first round runs before running the quarterfinals on site with the semifinals and final being run in Austin. The field events will be slightly different. In the horizontal events (high jump and pole vault), the competition will continue until 12 individuals (with ties broken for 12th place) remain. In all other field events, each competitor receives three attempts (jumps or throws) with the Top 12 moving on to Austin.
// HOW TO FOLLOW
FloTrack will stream the meet live on its website (subscription required). Live results also will be available (go to the red box at the top of this story).
// NOTING THE BEARCATS • WOMEN
TRIPLE THREAT
• Haisha Bisiolu (hi-ee-shuh bee-see-oh-lew) is a senior from Union, N.J. (Union HS) and is a returning All-American after helping the 4x400m relay to USTFCCCA All-America Second Team honors at the 2017 NCAA Finals, the first relay All-America accolade in the history of the UC program (men and women included).
• Bisiolu is set to race in three events as she has qualified individually in the 200m and 400m events while also helping the 4x100m relay team qualify.
• She qualified in the 200m with a best of 23.70 that she ran at the Tennessee Relays (4/12) and in the 400m with a time of 53.75 that she clocked at UC's Oliver Nikoloff Invitational (4/6), a time that ranks fourth-best in program history.
• At the AAC Championships, she scored in three events, including seventh place in the 400m and on both relays (4x100m & 4x400m) that took runner-up honors.
• In her career, she has helped both relays break the school record - including the 4x100m relay at the AAC meet - and ranks in the Top 6 in outdoor 100m (#6), 200m (#3) and 400m (#4).
• EAST MEET: 200m (Friday, 7:30pm), 400m (Thursday, 7:20pm) & 4x100m (Saturday, 6:00pm)
POLISHED BRASS
• Sadie Brass (Sr., Mount Vernon, Ohio/Mount Vernon HS) is making her debut in the NCAA East Preliminary meet after posting a big PR at the AAC Championships, punching her ticket to the first-round competition on her final clearance.
• Brass was one of the big story lines out of the AAC meet for the Bearcats as the senior cleared a personal-best 4.01m (13-01.75) to take runner-up honors in the pole vault, improving her personal-best clearance by 5.25" that she jumped two weeks prior at the Lyles/Wood Invitational (4/27) in Louisville (3.87m/12.08.50).
• With her clearance in the conference competition, she not only scored eight points for the team, she also became only the seventh women in UC history to clear four meters outdoors, moving up to #7 on the all-time Top 10.
• The eight points she scored also marked the first time she has tallied points for the team at a conference competition
• EAST MEET: Pole Vault (Friday, 5:00pm)
BROOKE BACK FOR MORE
• Brooke Catherine (Sr., Normal, Ill./Normal HS) is making her third-consecutive appearance in the NCAA East meet and will look to reach the national finals for the first time.
• Catherine enters with a season-best clearance of 4.06m (13-03.75), which came at the Texas Relays (3/29).
• Recently, she placed eighth in the AAC Outdoor Championships (3.81m/12-06.00) after tying for sixth indoors.
• Catherine is a two-time AAC champion after sweeping the titles in 2018
• In her career, she has cleared a best of 4.21m (13-09.75) outdoors and 4.26m (13-11.75) indoors with her outdoor clearance capturing the 2018 AAC Outdoor Championship crown
• EAST MEET: Pole Vault (Friday, 5:00pm)
FABULOUS FROSH
• Caisja Chandler (ceige-uh [like the color beige]) is one of the top freshmen in program history and in the American as she recently was named the 2019 AAC Outdoor Track & Field Female Freshman of the Year, adding to the same title she earned after the 2019 AAC Indoor Championships.
• In her first outdoor season, Chandler (Cleveland, Ohio/Euclid HS) the rookie decimated the Bearcats' record book as she had a hand in four school records, including the freshman and overall mark in the 100m; the freshman mark in the 200m; and the 4x100m relay.
• In the 100m, Chandler broke the rookie mark in her first race of the season (11.67 at the Texas Relays) before lowering her time each of her next four races, including breaking the previous record of 11.53 by running 11.48 (+0.2) in the prelims at the AAC meet and then placing third overall with a lowered time of 11.30 (+2.9) in the final.
• In the 200m, she opened the year with the #6 time at UC (23.56) before dropping that to 23.18 at the Tennessee Relays (4/12) to move up to #2 all-time at UC and break the school record. She lowered it further in the final of the AAC meet, running 23.15 (+1.3) to finish as the runner-up.
• In the relays, Chandler led off the team's record run (44.27) to take second place at the AAC meet before anchoring the 4x400m relay to second place with the #10 in UC history (3:38.86), bringing her total points scored to 18.0 at her first outdoor conference meet.
• Chandler enters the meet ranked 12th in the 100m and 16th in the 200m, sitting her close to the line of making the national meet (Top 12). Should she qualify to Austin, she would be the first UC woman to reach the NCAA outdoor finals in the 100m and just the second in the 200m (Charlyn Ray, 2002).
• EAST MEET: 100m (Thursday, 6:30pm), 200m (Friday, 7:30pm) and 4x100m (Saturday, 6:00pm)
THROWING HER WEIGHTS AROUND
• Annette Echikunwoke (eh-chih-cuh-wook-ee) is no stranger to the East meet, although she has not competed in the event since the 2017 season after redshirting last year. Echikunwoke (Sr., Pickerington, Ohio/North HS) is a four-time USTFCCCA All-America First Team honoree with one the hammer and three in the indoor weight throw where she also was the 2017 NCAA Champion.
• Echikunwoke has qualified in a pair of events once again as she enters the meet ranked sixth in the hammer and 13th in the shot put, events she has qualified to the NCAA Finals, including the hammer in 2016 (8th place) and the shot put in 2017 (21st place).
• She continues to be one of the best hammer throwers around as she broke the conference's overall, conference meet and UC school record with a heave of 62.30m (214-04) at the AAC meet, bringing her collegiate career improvement to 58' 8" from her first mark in 2015 of 47.46m (155-08)
• Echikunwoke scored a total of 20 points at the AAC Championships as she took runner-up honors in the shot put and was seventh in the discus.
• She recorded her best shot put mark of the year of 16.55m (54-04.75) at the Oliver Nikoloff Invitational in Cincinnati (4/6) with her lifetime best of 16.79m (55-01.00) coming in 2017, a mark that broke the UC record.
• EAST MEET: Hammer (Thursday, 4:00pm) & Shot Put (Saturday, 5:15pm)
MARABLE MOVING UP
• Kennedy Marable (mare-uh-bull) is making her NCAA East debut as she qualified 40th in the triple jump, using her final attempt at the AAC Championships to push her way into the regional meet.
• Marable (So., Toledo, Ohio/Sylvania Southview HS) entered the meet with a career-best of 12.11m (39-08.75) and nearly didn't make the final as she fouled her first two attempts at the AAC meet. But, a PR bounce of 12.37m on her third attempt helped her to the final and sparked a streak of four marks in a row in which she easily smashed her previous PR (12.37m, 12.33m, 12.34m and 12.62m).
• Not only did her final jump punch her ticket to Jacksonville, it also moved her up to #3 on the program's all-time ledger with only a pair of 13-meter jumpers ahead of her, including teammate Irati Mitxelena (#1 at 13.22m) and Rebecka Abrahamsson (#2 at 13.21m).
• EAST MEET: Triple Jump (Saturday, 3:00pm)
MIGHTY MITXELENA
• Irati Mitxelena (ih-rah-tee mits-uh-lay-nuh) returns to the NCAA East meet once again and will look to reach the NCAA Finals for the first time in her career as her entry mark has her sitting 13th in the region, one spot outside of the Top 12.
• Mitxelena swept the triple jump competitions in the AAC in 2019 and won the outdoor crown with a lifetime best of 13.22m (43-04.50).
• Her mark at the AAC meet not only won the competition, but broke the school record that was previously held by Abrahamsson at 13.21m (43-04.25).
• Mitxelena is the reigning Spain U23 long jump champion (6.26m) and was the runner-up (13.14m) in the triple jump in the same meet last summer.
• EAST MEET: Triple Jump (Saturday, 3:00pm)
MALIN MAKES IT IN (TWICE)
• Malin Smith (muh-linn) is in her first collegiate outdoor season and qualified in a pair of events, including the shot put and discus.
• Smith (Fr., Lansing, Mich./Waverly HS) enters the regional meet following a fifth-place finish in the shot put and an eighth-place finish in the discus at the AAC Outdoor Championships, scoring five points in her debut.
• In the shot put, she recorded her season and personal-best mark of 15.23m (49-11.75) at the Nikoloff Invitational in Cincinnati, a mark that also ranks her sixth all-time in program history.
• In the discus, she recorded a season-best mark in four-consecutive meets ahead of the AAC competition, posting a best of 50.31m (165-01) at the Billy Hayes Invitational in Indiana (5/3) to move up to #2 all-time in program history as only the second woman to surpass 50 meters in the event.
• EAST MEET: Shot Put (Saturday, 5:15pm) & Discus (Friday, 12:00pm)
GOING RELAY FAST
• The relay team consists of a mix of youth and experience, featuring senior Bisiolu, junior Tiona Lattimore and freshmen Faith Banks and Chandler.
• The quartet (Chandler to Bisiolu to Banks to Lattimore) ran three races together this year and finished second in all three while posting all-time Top 10 marks in program history, including running 44.27 at the AAC Championships to break the school record.
• The group is no stranger to racing together as they also ran the 4x200m at the Tennessee Relays (4/13), posting a school-record time of 1:34.38 to win the event, while also running the 4x400m relay together once, posting the #10 time in program history of 3:38.86 at the AAC Championships.
• EAST MEET: 4x100m Relay (Saturday, 6:00pm)
// NOTING THE BEARCATS • MEN
X MARCUS THE SPOT
• Marcus Abraham (Sr., Charlotte, N.C./Victory Christian Center/Gardner-Webb) is making his second appearance in a row at the East meet and once again will compete in the shot put after placing 38th last year.
• Abraham recently placed third in the shot put at the AAC Championships with a mark of 17.48m (57-04.25) to earn his first all-conference outdoor honor.
• His best mark of the season came at the Oliver Nikoloff Invitational in Cincinnati (4/6) as he won the event with a toss of 17.84m (58-06.00) to reset his PR and post the #2 mark in program history.
• He has hit marks of 17 meters in five of his seven competitions this season including opening the year with a then-PR of 17.55m (57-07.00).
• EAST MEET: Shot Put (Saturday, 2:45pm)
GERMAN PRECISION
• Aaron Bienenfeld (bean-en-feld) has had a remarkable year for the Bearcats as the junior qualified for and competed in the NCAA Cross Country Championships and is now looking to reach his second NCAA Finals this academic year as he will run in the 5,000m event in Jacksonville.
• Bienenfeld (Jr., Frankfurt, Germany/University of Frankfurt) enters the meet following an AAC meet that saw him repeat as the 10,000m champion before placing third in the 5,000m run to score 16 points for the men and help them to third place, the best finish for the Bearcats in AAC history (since 2014).
• He recorded his qualifying time for the 5,000m at the Stanford Invitational (3/29) where he ran 13:57.81, the second-best time in UC history and just the third sub-14 minute mark at UC.
• He also ran 29:34.37 to win the Penn Relays title (4/25) in the 10,000m run while breaking the school record and qualifying for the East meet as well.
• Bienenfeld opened the season running 3:48.80 in the 1,500m run at the Nikoloff (4/6) to post the #7 mark in UC history as well.
• EAST MEET: 5,000m (Saturday, 8:45pm)
DON'T SNORE ON BORZOR
• Chris Borzor (bore-zore) made his presence felt at UC as the rookie smashed the previous 200m school and freshman records on several occasions while also running the open 400m and taking part in several relays throughout the season.
• Borzor (Fr., Uniondale, N.Y./Uniondale HS) opened his season in the 200m with a time of 20.92 to break the freshman record for the first of three times while also moving onto the all-time Top 10 at #2. One meet later, at the Tennessee Relays (4/12), he ran 20.72 to not only break his own rookie mark, but also the overall school record. At the AAC Championships, he ran 20.57 in the final to finish third overall and break the pair of school records once again.
• He also has raced the 400m four times, posting a time of 47.37 to finish third in the AAC for his second all-conference honor of the meet.
• EAST MEET: 200m (Friday, 7:55pm)
LAUNCHING MEECE-LES
• Sam Meece (So., Napolean, Ohio/Napolean HS) enters the East meet set to compete in a pair of events as he qualified for both the hammer and discus.
• Meece scored 18 points for the team as he scored in all three weight events at the AAC meet, including winning the hammer, taking fourth in the discus and sixth in the shot put.
• At the conference meet, Meece opened the weekend with a victory in the hammer as he launched the ball out to 62.30m (204-04) to break the school record that had stood since 2008 (61.87m/203-00) as well becoming just the third Bearcats man to throw over 200' in the event.
• Then, in the shot put, he threw a PR 16.95m (55-07.50) to post the #7 mark in UC history while finishing sixth in the meet.
• In the discus, he threw a best of 56.14m (184-02) at the Penn Relays (4/27) to place fourth in the Championship of America and become only the second man at UC to have a throw measure 55 meters or better.
• EAST MEET: Hammer (Thursday, 12:00pm) & Discus (Friday, 4:00pm)
TWO FOR Q
• Quincy Mitchell (Fr., Hanahan, S.C./Hanahan HS) qualified for the sprint double in his first collegiate outdoor season as he will run in both the 100m and 200m events this week.
• He raced in both events at the AAC Championships, placing 12th and 14th, respectively.
• Mitchell twice won the South Carolina title in the 100m and added one in the 200m as well as earning several All-America honors at the New Balance Outdoor Nationals, including finishing second in the 100m in 2016.
• With the Bearcats, Mitchell has run 10.39 in the 100m to break the UC freshman record and tie for the #2 mark in program history while also running 20.95 in the 200m for the #3 time in program history.
• EAST MEET: 100m (Thursday, 6:55pm) & 200m (Friday, 7:55pm)
SCHILLE SCHILLE!
• Andrew Schille (shill-ee) has qualified for the 10,000m run in his lone season with the Bearcats after a successful undergraduate career across the river at Northern Kentucky, where he was a four-time conference champion for the Norse.
• Schille (Gr., Cincinnati/Oak Hills/NKU) had a strong season for the Bearcats as he turned in all-time Top 4 times in the 1,500m (3:47.98), 5,000m (14:14.97) and 10,000m (29:41.85), times that rank #4, #3 and #3, respectively.
• To qualify for his first NCAA East meet, Schille ran 29:41.85 at the Penn Relays (4/25) and placed second behind teammate Bienenfeld while lowering his PR in the event by 1:13.
• At the AAC Championships, he scored nine points as he placed third in the 1,500m and doubled back later in the day to take sixth in the 5,000m.
• EAST MEET: 10,000m (Thursday, 9:40pm)
THE WRIGHT BOUNCE
• Andre Wright (So., Westminster, S.C./Seneca HS/Liberty) is in his first year competing for the Bearcats after transferring in from Liberty and qualified for his first NCAA East meet in the triple jump.
• Wright posted strong marks in the triple in his first three meets of the year, bouncing his way to the school's #5 mark the first two meets (14.82m and 15.03m) before hitting a mark of 15.24m (50-00.00) to win the Lyles/Wood Invitational in Louisville (4/27) to move up to #4 all-time.
• The same meet he jump 15.03m (Oliver Nikoloff in Cincinnati, 4/6), he also posted a PR 7.35m (24-01.50) in the long jump.
• At the conference meet, he scored in both horizontal events, finishing eighth in the triple and seventh in the long.
• EAST MEET: Triple Jump (Saturday, 3:00pm)
// UP NEXT
Action gets underway Thursday in Jacksonville with the hammer leading things off as Meece starts at noon and Echikunwoke at 4 p.m. Running events get started at 6:30 p.m. with Chandler and Mitchell in the first round runs of the women's and men's 100m, respectively.
Bearcats Event Schedule
Thursday, May 23
12:00 pm • Hammer (M) • First Round • Meece
4:00 pm • Hammer (W) • First Round • Echikunwoke
6:30 pm • 100m (W) • First Round • Chandler
6:55 pm • 100m (M) • First Round • Mitchell
7:20 pm • 400m (W) • First Round • Bisiolu
9:40 pm • 10,000m (M) • Semifinal • Schille
Friday, May 24
12:00 pm • Discus (W) • First Round • Smith
4:00 pm • Discus (M) • Fist Round • Meece
5:00 pm • Pole Vault (W) • First Round • Brass & Catherine
5:30 pm • 400m (W) • Quarterfinal • Bisiolu
6:00 pm • 100m (W) • Quarterfinal • Chandler
6:15 pm • 100m (M) • Quarterfinal • Mitchell
7:30 pm • 200m (W) • First Round • Chandler & Bisiolu
7:55 pm • 200m (M) • First Round • Borzor & Mitchell
Saturday, May 25
2:45 pm • Shot Put (M) • First Round • Abraham
3:00 pm • Triple Jump (W) • First Round • Marable & Mitxelena
5:15 pm • Shot Put (W) • First Round • Echikunwoke & Smith
6:00 pm • 4x100m (W) • Quarterfinal (Banks, Bisiolu, Chandler, Lattimore)
6:30 pm • Triple Jump (M) • First Round • Wright
7:35 pm • 200m (W) • Quarterfinal • Chandler & Bisiolu
7:50 pm • 200m (M) • Quarterfinal • Borzor & Mitchell
8:45 pm • 5,000m (M) • Quarterfinal • Bienenfeld
// HOW IT WORKS
Jacksonville (East) and Sacramento (West) will welcome the Top 48 individuals and Top 24 relays from their respective regions to the competition next weekend with the Top 12 in all events advancing to the NCAA Finals in Texas. On the track, many events will have first round runs before running the quarterfinals on site with the semifinals and final being run in Austin. The field events will be slightly different. In the horizontal events (high jump and pole vault), the competition will continue until 12 individuals (with ties broken for 12th place) remain. In all other field events, each competitor receives three attempts (jumps or throws) with the Top 12 moving on to Austin.
// HOW TO FOLLOW
FloTrack will stream the meet live on its website (subscription required). Live results also will be available (go to the red box at the top of this story).
// NOTING THE BEARCATS • WOMEN
TRIPLE THREAT
• Haisha Bisiolu (hi-ee-shuh bee-see-oh-lew) is a senior from Union, N.J. (Union HS) and is a returning All-American after helping the 4x400m relay to USTFCCCA All-America Second Team honors at the 2017 NCAA Finals, the first relay All-America accolade in the history of the UC program (men and women included).
• Bisiolu is set to race in three events as she has qualified individually in the 200m and 400m events while also helping the 4x100m relay team qualify.
• She qualified in the 200m with a best of 23.70 that she ran at the Tennessee Relays (4/12) and in the 400m with a time of 53.75 that she clocked at UC's Oliver Nikoloff Invitational (4/6), a time that ranks fourth-best in program history.
• At the AAC Championships, she scored in three events, including seventh place in the 400m and on both relays (4x100m & 4x400m) that took runner-up honors.
• In her career, she has helped both relays break the school record - including the 4x100m relay at the AAC meet - and ranks in the Top 6 in outdoor 100m (#6), 200m (#3) and 400m (#4).
• EAST MEET: 200m (Friday, 7:30pm), 400m (Thursday, 7:20pm) & 4x100m (Saturday, 6:00pm)
POLISHED BRASS
• Sadie Brass (Sr., Mount Vernon, Ohio/Mount Vernon HS) is making her debut in the NCAA East Preliminary meet after posting a big PR at the AAC Championships, punching her ticket to the first-round competition on her final clearance.
• Brass was one of the big story lines out of the AAC meet for the Bearcats as the senior cleared a personal-best 4.01m (13-01.75) to take runner-up honors in the pole vault, improving her personal-best clearance by 5.25" that she jumped two weeks prior at the Lyles/Wood Invitational (4/27) in Louisville (3.87m/12.08.50).
• With her clearance in the conference competition, she not only scored eight points for the team, she also became only the seventh women in UC history to clear four meters outdoors, moving up to #7 on the all-time Top 10.
• The eight points she scored also marked the first time she has tallied points for the team at a conference competition
• EAST MEET: Pole Vault (Friday, 5:00pm)
BROOKE BACK FOR MORE
• Brooke Catherine (Sr., Normal, Ill./Normal HS) is making her third-consecutive appearance in the NCAA East meet and will look to reach the national finals for the first time.
• Catherine enters with a season-best clearance of 4.06m (13-03.75), which came at the Texas Relays (3/29).
• Recently, she placed eighth in the AAC Outdoor Championships (3.81m/12-06.00) after tying for sixth indoors.
• Catherine is a two-time AAC champion after sweeping the titles in 2018
• In her career, she has cleared a best of 4.21m (13-09.75) outdoors and 4.26m (13-11.75) indoors with her outdoor clearance capturing the 2018 AAC Outdoor Championship crown
• EAST MEET: Pole Vault (Friday, 5:00pm)
FABULOUS FROSH
• Caisja Chandler (ceige-uh [like the color beige]) is one of the top freshmen in program history and in the American as she recently was named the 2019 AAC Outdoor Track & Field Female Freshman of the Year, adding to the same title she earned after the 2019 AAC Indoor Championships.
• In her first outdoor season, Chandler (Cleveland, Ohio/Euclid HS) the rookie decimated the Bearcats' record book as she had a hand in four school records, including the freshman and overall mark in the 100m; the freshman mark in the 200m; and the 4x100m relay.
• In the 100m, Chandler broke the rookie mark in her first race of the season (11.67 at the Texas Relays) before lowering her time each of her next four races, including breaking the previous record of 11.53 by running 11.48 (+0.2) in the prelims at the AAC meet and then placing third overall with a lowered time of 11.30 (+2.9) in the final.
• In the 200m, she opened the year with the #6 time at UC (23.56) before dropping that to 23.18 at the Tennessee Relays (4/12) to move up to #2 all-time at UC and break the school record. She lowered it further in the final of the AAC meet, running 23.15 (+1.3) to finish as the runner-up.
• In the relays, Chandler led off the team's record run (44.27) to take second place at the AAC meet before anchoring the 4x400m relay to second place with the #10 in UC history (3:38.86), bringing her total points scored to 18.0 at her first outdoor conference meet.
• Chandler enters the meet ranked 12th in the 100m and 16th in the 200m, sitting her close to the line of making the national meet (Top 12). Should she qualify to Austin, she would be the first UC woman to reach the NCAA outdoor finals in the 100m and just the second in the 200m (Charlyn Ray, 2002).
• EAST MEET: 100m (Thursday, 6:30pm), 200m (Friday, 7:30pm) and 4x100m (Saturday, 6:00pm)
THROWING HER WEIGHTS AROUND
• Annette Echikunwoke (eh-chih-cuh-wook-ee) is no stranger to the East meet, although she has not competed in the event since the 2017 season after redshirting last year. Echikunwoke (Sr., Pickerington, Ohio/North HS) is a four-time USTFCCCA All-America First Team honoree with one the hammer and three in the indoor weight throw where she also was the 2017 NCAA Champion.
• Echikunwoke has qualified in a pair of events once again as she enters the meet ranked sixth in the hammer and 13th in the shot put, events she has qualified to the NCAA Finals, including the hammer in 2016 (8th place) and the shot put in 2017 (21st place).
• She continues to be one of the best hammer throwers around as she broke the conference's overall, conference meet and UC school record with a heave of 62.30m (214-04) at the AAC meet, bringing her collegiate career improvement to 58' 8" from her first mark in 2015 of 47.46m (155-08)
• Echikunwoke scored a total of 20 points at the AAC Championships as she took runner-up honors in the shot put and was seventh in the discus.
• She recorded her best shot put mark of the year of 16.55m (54-04.75) at the Oliver Nikoloff Invitational in Cincinnati (4/6) with her lifetime best of 16.79m (55-01.00) coming in 2017, a mark that broke the UC record.
• EAST MEET: Hammer (Thursday, 4:00pm) & Shot Put (Saturday, 5:15pm)
MARABLE MOVING UP
• Kennedy Marable (mare-uh-bull) is making her NCAA East debut as she qualified 40th in the triple jump, using her final attempt at the AAC Championships to push her way into the regional meet.
• Marable (So., Toledo, Ohio/Sylvania Southview HS) entered the meet with a career-best of 12.11m (39-08.75) and nearly didn't make the final as she fouled her first two attempts at the AAC meet. But, a PR bounce of 12.37m on her third attempt helped her to the final and sparked a streak of four marks in a row in which she easily smashed her previous PR (12.37m, 12.33m, 12.34m and 12.62m).
• Not only did her final jump punch her ticket to Jacksonville, it also moved her up to #3 on the program's all-time ledger with only a pair of 13-meter jumpers ahead of her, including teammate Irati Mitxelena (#1 at 13.22m) and Rebecka Abrahamsson (#2 at 13.21m).
• EAST MEET: Triple Jump (Saturday, 3:00pm)
MIGHTY MITXELENA
• Irati Mitxelena (ih-rah-tee mits-uh-lay-nuh) returns to the NCAA East meet once again and will look to reach the NCAA Finals for the first time in her career as her entry mark has her sitting 13th in the region, one spot outside of the Top 12.
• Mitxelena swept the triple jump competitions in the AAC in 2019 and won the outdoor crown with a lifetime best of 13.22m (43-04.50).
• Her mark at the AAC meet not only won the competition, but broke the school record that was previously held by Abrahamsson at 13.21m (43-04.25).
• Mitxelena is the reigning Spain U23 long jump champion (6.26m) and was the runner-up (13.14m) in the triple jump in the same meet last summer.
• EAST MEET: Triple Jump (Saturday, 3:00pm)
MALIN MAKES IT IN (TWICE)
• Malin Smith (muh-linn) is in her first collegiate outdoor season and qualified in a pair of events, including the shot put and discus.
• Smith (Fr., Lansing, Mich./Waverly HS) enters the regional meet following a fifth-place finish in the shot put and an eighth-place finish in the discus at the AAC Outdoor Championships, scoring five points in her debut.
• In the shot put, she recorded her season and personal-best mark of 15.23m (49-11.75) at the Nikoloff Invitational in Cincinnati, a mark that also ranks her sixth all-time in program history.
• In the discus, she recorded a season-best mark in four-consecutive meets ahead of the AAC competition, posting a best of 50.31m (165-01) at the Billy Hayes Invitational in Indiana (5/3) to move up to #2 all-time in program history as only the second woman to surpass 50 meters in the event.
• EAST MEET: Shot Put (Saturday, 5:15pm) & Discus (Friday, 12:00pm)
GOING RELAY FAST
• The relay team consists of a mix of youth and experience, featuring senior Bisiolu, junior Tiona Lattimore and freshmen Faith Banks and Chandler.
• The quartet (Chandler to Bisiolu to Banks to Lattimore) ran three races together this year and finished second in all three while posting all-time Top 10 marks in program history, including running 44.27 at the AAC Championships to break the school record.
• The group is no stranger to racing together as they also ran the 4x200m at the Tennessee Relays (4/13), posting a school-record time of 1:34.38 to win the event, while also running the 4x400m relay together once, posting the #10 time in program history of 3:38.86 at the AAC Championships.
• EAST MEET: 4x100m Relay (Saturday, 6:00pm)
// NOTING THE BEARCATS • MEN
X MARCUS THE SPOT
• Marcus Abraham (Sr., Charlotte, N.C./Victory Christian Center/Gardner-Webb) is making his second appearance in a row at the East meet and once again will compete in the shot put after placing 38th last year.
• Abraham recently placed third in the shot put at the AAC Championships with a mark of 17.48m (57-04.25) to earn his first all-conference outdoor honor.
• His best mark of the season came at the Oliver Nikoloff Invitational in Cincinnati (4/6) as he won the event with a toss of 17.84m (58-06.00) to reset his PR and post the #2 mark in program history.
• He has hit marks of 17 meters in five of his seven competitions this season including opening the year with a then-PR of 17.55m (57-07.00).
• EAST MEET: Shot Put (Saturday, 2:45pm)
GERMAN PRECISION
• Aaron Bienenfeld (bean-en-feld) has had a remarkable year for the Bearcats as the junior qualified for and competed in the NCAA Cross Country Championships and is now looking to reach his second NCAA Finals this academic year as he will run in the 5,000m event in Jacksonville.
• Bienenfeld (Jr., Frankfurt, Germany/University of Frankfurt) enters the meet following an AAC meet that saw him repeat as the 10,000m champion before placing third in the 5,000m run to score 16 points for the men and help them to third place, the best finish for the Bearcats in AAC history (since 2014).
• He recorded his qualifying time for the 5,000m at the Stanford Invitational (3/29) where he ran 13:57.81, the second-best time in UC history and just the third sub-14 minute mark at UC.
• He also ran 29:34.37 to win the Penn Relays title (4/25) in the 10,000m run while breaking the school record and qualifying for the East meet as well.
• Bienenfeld opened the season running 3:48.80 in the 1,500m run at the Nikoloff (4/6) to post the #7 mark in UC history as well.
• EAST MEET: 5,000m (Saturday, 8:45pm)
DON'T SNORE ON BORZOR
• Chris Borzor (bore-zore) made his presence felt at UC as the rookie smashed the previous 200m school and freshman records on several occasions while also running the open 400m and taking part in several relays throughout the season.
• Borzor (Fr., Uniondale, N.Y./Uniondale HS) opened his season in the 200m with a time of 20.92 to break the freshman record for the first of three times while also moving onto the all-time Top 10 at #2. One meet later, at the Tennessee Relays (4/12), he ran 20.72 to not only break his own rookie mark, but also the overall school record. At the AAC Championships, he ran 20.57 in the final to finish third overall and break the pair of school records once again.
• He also has raced the 400m four times, posting a time of 47.37 to finish third in the AAC for his second all-conference honor of the meet.
• EAST MEET: 200m (Friday, 7:55pm)
LAUNCHING MEECE-LES
• Sam Meece (So., Napolean, Ohio/Napolean HS) enters the East meet set to compete in a pair of events as he qualified for both the hammer and discus.
• Meece scored 18 points for the team as he scored in all three weight events at the AAC meet, including winning the hammer, taking fourth in the discus and sixth in the shot put.
• At the conference meet, Meece opened the weekend with a victory in the hammer as he launched the ball out to 62.30m (204-04) to break the school record that had stood since 2008 (61.87m/203-00) as well becoming just the third Bearcats man to throw over 200' in the event.
• Then, in the shot put, he threw a PR 16.95m (55-07.50) to post the #7 mark in UC history while finishing sixth in the meet.
• In the discus, he threw a best of 56.14m (184-02) at the Penn Relays (4/27) to place fourth in the Championship of America and become only the second man at UC to have a throw measure 55 meters or better.
• EAST MEET: Hammer (Thursday, 12:00pm) & Discus (Friday, 4:00pm)
TWO FOR Q
• Quincy Mitchell (Fr., Hanahan, S.C./Hanahan HS) qualified for the sprint double in his first collegiate outdoor season as he will run in both the 100m and 200m events this week.
• He raced in both events at the AAC Championships, placing 12th and 14th, respectively.
• Mitchell twice won the South Carolina title in the 100m and added one in the 200m as well as earning several All-America honors at the New Balance Outdoor Nationals, including finishing second in the 100m in 2016.
• With the Bearcats, Mitchell has run 10.39 in the 100m to break the UC freshman record and tie for the #2 mark in program history while also running 20.95 in the 200m for the #3 time in program history.
• EAST MEET: 100m (Thursday, 6:55pm) & 200m (Friday, 7:55pm)
SCHILLE SCHILLE!
• Andrew Schille (shill-ee) has qualified for the 10,000m run in his lone season with the Bearcats after a successful undergraduate career across the river at Northern Kentucky, where he was a four-time conference champion for the Norse.
• Schille (Gr., Cincinnati/Oak Hills/NKU) had a strong season for the Bearcats as he turned in all-time Top 4 times in the 1,500m (3:47.98), 5,000m (14:14.97) and 10,000m (29:41.85), times that rank #4, #3 and #3, respectively.
• To qualify for his first NCAA East meet, Schille ran 29:41.85 at the Penn Relays (4/25) and placed second behind teammate Bienenfeld while lowering his PR in the event by 1:13.
• At the AAC Championships, he scored nine points as he placed third in the 1,500m and doubled back later in the day to take sixth in the 5,000m.
• EAST MEET: 10,000m (Thursday, 9:40pm)
THE WRIGHT BOUNCE
• Andre Wright (So., Westminster, S.C./Seneca HS/Liberty) is in his first year competing for the Bearcats after transferring in from Liberty and qualified for his first NCAA East meet in the triple jump.
• Wright posted strong marks in the triple in his first three meets of the year, bouncing his way to the school's #5 mark the first two meets (14.82m and 15.03m) before hitting a mark of 15.24m (50-00.00) to win the Lyles/Wood Invitational in Louisville (4/27) to move up to #4 all-time.
• The same meet he jump 15.03m (Oliver Nikoloff in Cincinnati, 4/6), he also posted a PR 7.35m (24-01.50) in the long jump.
• At the conference meet, he scored in both horizontal events, finishing eighth in the triple and seventh in the long.
• EAST MEET: Triple Jump (Saturday, 3:00pm)
// UP NEXT
Action gets underway Thursday in Jacksonville with the hammer leading things off as Meece starts at noon and Echikunwoke at 4 p.m. Running events get started at 6:30 p.m. with Chandler and Mitchell in the first round runs of the women's and men's 100m, respectively.
Bearcats Event Schedule
Thursday, May 23
12:00 pm • Hammer (M) • First Round • Meece
4:00 pm • Hammer (W) • First Round • Echikunwoke
6:30 pm • 100m (W) • First Round • Chandler
6:55 pm • 100m (M) • First Round • Mitchell
7:20 pm • 400m (W) • First Round • Bisiolu
9:40 pm • 10,000m (M) • Semifinal • Schille
Friday, May 24
12:00 pm • Discus (W) • First Round • Smith
4:00 pm • Discus (M) • Fist Round • Meece
5:00 pm • Pole Vault (W) • First Round • Brass & Catherine
5:30 pm • 400m (W) • Quarterfinal • Bisiolu
6:00 pm • 100m (W) • Quarterfinal • Chandler
6:15 pm • 100m (M) • Quarterfinal • Mitchell
7:30 pm • 200m (W) • First Round • Chandler & Bisiolu
7:55 pm • 200m (M) • First Round • Borzor & Mitchell
Saturday, May 25
2:45 pm • Shot Put (M) • First Round • Abraham
3:00 pm • Triple Jump (W) • First Round • Marable & Mitxelena
5:15 pm • Shot Put (W) • First Round • Echikunwoke & Smith
6:00 pm • 4x100m (W) • Quarterfinal (Banks, Bisiolu, Chandler, Lattimore)
6:30 pm • Triple Jump (M) • First Round • Wright
7:35 pm • 200m (W) • Quarterfinal • Chandler & Bisiolu
7:50 pm • 200m (M) • Quarterfinal • Borzor & Mitchell
8:45 pm • 5,000m (M) • Quarterfinal • Bienenfeld