CINCINNATI - The 2020 track & field season gets underway officially Friday as the University of Cincinnati program will send 38 individuals to compete in the Jingle Bells Open hosted by Kentucky inside the Nutter Field House in Lexington, Ky. The one day meet will see 17 Bearcats men and 21 women open their 2020 seasons with 11 of those individuals representing UC for the first time in their careers.
// SCHEDULE & RESULTS
Competition at the Jingle Bells Open gets underway at 11:00 a.m. Friday with the 60m hurdles portion of the women's pentathlon. Field events start at 1:30 p.m. with the men's and women's high jump competitions while the track events are slated to begin at 4 p.m. with the preliminary rounds of the 60m dash for both the men and the women. Live results for the meet can be found on Kentucky's website, UKAthletics.com.
// IN THE MEET
The Jingle Bells Open will feature competitors from 11 teams. Along the with Bearcats and host Wildcats, the field is rounded out by the following schools: Berea, Campbellsville, Eastern Kentucky, Kentucky State, Kentucky Wesleyan, Lindsey Wilson, Midway, Trevecca Nazarene and Western Kentucky.
// NEWCOMERS
Two men and nine women will make their Cincinnati debuts Friday with 10 of those individuals being freshmen and one being a sophomore transfer. On the men's side, rookies David Endres (1,000m) and Lawrence Mitchell (high jump) are set to compete for the first time while nine rookie women also will compete for the first time, including Taylor Beard (pentathlon), Anna Evans (mile), Hannah Jackson (shot put, weight), Leah King (60m, 60mH, 300m, 4x400m), Calista Manns (60m, 60mH), Juliet McGregor (pentathlon) Jazmine Scott (60m, long jump, triple jump) and Macy Urig (pole vault). Also among the newcomers for the Bearcats is sophomore Victoria Abunaw (60m, 60mH, 300m), who comes to UC after running for Akron last year.
// AARON RUNNING AGAIN
The 21 headed to Kentucky Friday are not the only Bearcats racing this weekend as Aaron Bienenfeld is set to compete in the 2019 SPAR European Cross Country Championships in Lisbon, Portugal, Sunday. Bienenfeld, who earlier this week was named the AAC Male Runner of the Year for cross country, will represent Germany in the U23 race.
// NEXT UP
Cincinnati will be back in action next week when the team travels to Bloomington, Ind., on Friday, December 13, for the Hoosier Open. The one day meet, which is hosted by Indiana inside its Gladstein Fieldhouse, will begin at 3:45 p.m.
Track & Field Opens Indoor Season at Kentucky
The 2020 track & field season gets underway officially Friday as the University of Cincinnati program will send 38 individuals to compete in the Jingle Bells Open hosted by Kentucky inside the Nutter Field House in Lexington, Ky.
