CINCINNATI - It was another banner day for the University of Cincinnati cross country program Friday afternoon in Madison, Wis., as Aaron Bienenfeld captured the individual title in the men's 10,000m run while the Bearcats women combined to post on their best competitions in program history at the 2019 NCAA Great Lakes Region Championships. The meet, one of nine regional competitions being held throughout the nation Friday, saw the women place 11th overall, the third-highest placement in program history, while Bienenfeld once again punched his ticket to the NCAA Cross Country Championships as an individual qualifier.
// TEAM STANDINGS
WOMEN: the Cincinnati women were the first to compete on the day and placed 11th overall in the 31-team field as the Bearcats tallied 374 points. Unranked in the USTFCCCA Great Lakes Region Top 15 ahead of the meet, the Bearcats not only finished in the Top 15 for just the seventh time in program history, but did so by defeating six squads ranked ahead of them in the region, including #9 Miami (12th at 386); #10 Toledo (16th at 433); #12 Akron (14th at 441); #13 Ball State (19th at 533); #14 Dayton (15th at 423); and #15 Ohio (25th at 652). Michigan State, ranked sixth nationally, and Michigan finished 1-2 in the team standings to earn the region's two automatic qualifications as the Spartans won with 49 points with the Wolverines second with 74. The Top 5 in the regional standings were rounded out by #7 Wisconsin (100), #20 Ohio State (134) and #16 Notre Dame (144).
MEN: the Bearcats headed into the meet ranked 15th in the region and finished one position shy as their 478 points placed them 16th overall. UC did finish ahead of three teams that were ranked in the USTFCCCA Great Lakes Region Top 15 ahead of the meet, including #12 Oakland (19th at 537); #13 Youngstown State (23th at 589); and #14 Milwaukee (18th at 506). The top of the standings saw quite the close contest as Purdue, ranked #17 nationally, won with 79 points, while the next three teams were separated by two points. #19 Notre Dame was the second-place team and second automatic qualifier with 85 points while unranked Michigan and #13 Indiana rounded out the Top 4 with 86 and 87 points, respectively. The Top 5 was capped by host and #9 Wisconsin, who was fifth with 96 points.
// MORE ON THE WOMEN'S FINISH
• The 11th-place finished tied for the third-highest finish in program history
• Today's finish was the best since the 2007 team placed sixth overall (the highest finish in program history)
• The 11th-place finish is only the seventh Top 15 showing all-time for the women (since 1980)
• The 374 points are the team's seventh-lowest tallied in an NCAA regional competition
• UC scored under 400 points at the region for just the seventh time in program history
• The 14-place improved from last year's 25th-place showing is the biggest improvement in program history
• Four women placed in the Top 100 for just the fourth time in program history and the first since the 2009 meet
// BIENENFELD WINS AGAIN
For the fourth time this season, Bienenfeld raced for the Bearcats. And, for the fourth time this year, Bienenfeld won his race. Already the victor at the Rhodes College Invitational, the white race of the NCAA Pre-National Invitational and most recently the American Athletic Conference Championships, Bienenfeld took off out of the gate and held a 10.2-second advantage on the field at the 2,000m split. From there, his lead grew to 18.7 seconds at 4,000m and then to 25.4 at 6,000m. At the 8,000m split, his lead was trimmed to 16.3 seconds before he held off all challengers to win by 5.6 seconds after running 29:59.9 for the win. That time marks his first race under 30 minutes for 10,000m in cross country and, along with it being a 42-second PR, it also marked the first sub-30-minute time at the regional meet for a UC man in program history.
// MORE ON BIENENFELD'S YEAR... SO FAR
• Bienenfeld improved 11 spots at the regional meet after placing 12th last year in his debut
• By placing in the Top 25, he earned USTFCCCA All-Region honors once again
• He is just the second UC man to win a regional crown and the first since Eric Finan in 2010
• He joins Finan as the only four-time individual race winner in a single season at UC after Finan did so in 2011
• Bienenfeld is just the third UC man to post back-to-back Top 15 finishes at the NCAA Great Lakes Region meet and the first since 2011 when Finan was second after winning the 2010 meet. Chris Reis (10th in 2000 and 15th in 2001) is the third member of the list.
// IN THE WOMEN'S RACE
The women led off the day of racing and were in 12th after 2,000m before holding steady at 4,000m and then finishing 11th over 6,000m. Lauren Kemper led the charge for the women as she finished 45th in her debut, running 21:25.6 for the 10th-best finished (by place) in UC women's program history. Just the 11th Top 15 finish in program history, Kemper is now just the sixth UC woman to finish in the Top 50 at the regional meet.
Ellie Leather was second on the team as she finished 52nd overall in 21:34.8 with Hannah Markel (21:46.6) and Maddie Walker (21:54.7) just behind her in 64th and 73rd, respectively. With those finishes, the quartet marked the first time since 2009 and the fourth time ever that UC had four women finish in the Top 100 in the same regional race.
Katrina Patterson rounded out the five scoring positions for the Bearcats as she crossed the finish line in 22:59.7 to place 142nd. The final two Bearcats in the race were Rylee Penn (23:18.0) and Ellee Bullock (23:21.4), who placed 153rd and 154th, respectively.
// IN THE MEN'S RACE
The Bearcats sent six other men to the starting line, including four making their 10,000m debuts. Toni Banos, back for his second race in the regional meet, moved up 57 spots from last year's showing to place 75th overall after he ran 32:12.5. That time is a huge personal-best time of 1:12.8 after he ran 33:25.3 last year. Tyler Wirth, the 2019 AAC Male Freshman of the Year, was next as he placed 104th in his debut (32:48.3) while fellow rookie Matt Hoak ran 33:41.9 in his debut to place 146th. The scoring places were rounded out by Ryan Guenthner, who was 160th in 34:05.3. Also racing for the men were two more making their debuts, including Jase Headings (35:13.9), a redshirt freshman, and Jonathan Harley (35:51.3), a former member of the UC Running Club, who placed 181st and 188th, respectively.
// NEXT MEET
Bienenfeld will travel to Terre Haute, Ind., on Saturday, November 23, to compete in the NCAA Cross Country Championships. The meet will be held on the LaVern Gibson Championship Course, the same venue Bienenfeld won the NCAA Pre-National Invitational earlier this year and placed 12th in the 10,000m in the regional race last year. The official line-up of teams and individuals that qualified to the meet will be announced by 5 p.m. ET Saturday, November 16, on NCAA.com.
2019 NCAA Great Lakes Region Championships
Thomas Zimmer Course • Madison, Wis.
Race #1 • Team Results (Top 10) • Women's 6,000m
1. Michigan State (#6) • 49
2. Michigan • 74
3. Wisconsin (#7) • 100
4. Ohio State (#20) • 134
5. Notre Dame (#16) • 144
6. Indiana • 175
7. Butler (#24) • 234
8. Purdue • 280
9. Eastern Michigan • 283
10. Xavier • 320
11. Cincinnati • 374
31 teams scored
Individual Results
45. Lauren Kemper • 21:25.6
52. Ellie Leather • 21:34.8
64. Hannah Markel • 21:46.6
73. Maddie Walker • 21:54.7
142. Katrina Patterson • 22:59.7
153. Rylee Penn • 23:18.0
154. Ellee Bullock • 23:21.4
215 runners finished
Race #2 • Team Results (Top 10) • Men's 10,000m
1. Purdue (17) • 79
2. Notre Dame (19) • 85
3. Michigan • 86
4. Indiana (13) • 87
5. Wisconsin (9) • 96
6. Michigan State • 170
7. Butler • 197
8. Akron • 298
9. Ohio State • 326
10. Eastern Michigan • 347
16. Cincinnati • 478
29 teams scored
Individual Results
1. Aaron Bienenfeld • 29:59.9 • PR • CHAMPION • USTFCCCA All-Region
75. Toni Banos • 32:12.5 • PR
104. Tyler Wirth • 32:48.3 • PR
146. Matt Hoak • 33:41.9 • PR
160. Ryan Guenthner • 34:05.3
181. Jase Headings • 35:13.9 • PR
188. Jonathan Harley • 35:51.3 • PR
201 runners finished
Bienenfeld Golden at NCAA Great Lakes Regional
It was another banner day for the University of Cincinnati cross country program Friday afternoon in Madison, Wis., as Aaron Bienenfeld captured the individual title in the men's 10,000m run while the Bearcats women combined to post on their best competitions in program history at the 2019 NCAA Great Lakes Region Championships.
