T&F Returns to Kentucky for Rod McCravy Meet

// ON THE STARTING LINE
Following one week off from competition, the University of Cincinnati track & field program returns to action this weekend as the Bearcats will face a strong group of teams in the 2020 Rod McCravy Memorial Track & Field Meet this Friday and Saturday inside Nutter Field House in Lexington, Ky. The Bearcats are one of 17 teams set to compete on the Kentucky campus with the field featuring 11 men's and 8 women's teams that entered the season ranked among the national Top 75 according to the USTFCCCA.

// QUICK SPLITS
• Cincinnati is set to compete in Kentucky for the third time this indoor season (Jingle Bells, Jim Green & Rod McCravy) and the final time until returning for the NCAA East Preliminary Round meet (May 28-30) at the end of the outdoor season
• One UC man and one woman would currently qualify (Top 16) to the NCAA Indoor Championships if the season ended last week (#12 Mitxelena, W Triple Jump / #13 Greenlee IV, M 60mH)
• Two weeks ago, the Bearcats posted four marks that ranked among the Top 10 of the week across the nation according to the USTFCCCA
• On the AAC order lists, the men hold seven marks ranking in the Top 10 of the league with two leading the way while the women hold six with two leaders as well

// MEET INFORMATION
• The Rod McCravy Memorial Track & Field Meet will run Friday and Saturday in Lexington, Ky.
• Representatives from 17 different schools will be on hand to compete
• Included in this meet will be the first men's heptathlon of the indoor season for Damien Berthenet as the senior will look to post a big mark just over one month out from the AAC meet
• Several individuals are set to make their season debuts this week, including men's sprinters Anthony Woods, Tyrese Vanhorne and Akari Porter, women's sprinter Tiona Lattimore and men's distance runner Julius Hild

// HIGHLY RANKED
• 11 of the men's teams and 8 of the women's teams scheduled to compete enter with preseason rankings according to the January 9 national release by the USTFCCCA​​​​​​​
• Five women's teams entering the meet are currently ranked among the Top 25 nationally in their respective divisions, including NCAA Division I teams #7 Minnesota, #10 Kentucky, #13 Iowa and #14 Penn State, as well as NCAA Division II Ashland, who is #6
• Two men's team's are ranked among the national Top 25 in their respective divisions, including Ashland (#4 in NCAA Division II) and #16 Iowa (NCAA Division I)

// GOING LIVE
There are two ways to get results and live action this weekend. The meet will be streamed live on SEC Network+ with Matt Schumacker calling the action. Live streaming is scheduled to being Friday at 5:00 p.m. for the start of the women's 600m final and continue through the end of the men's 200m dash. Saturday's stream is slated to begin at 12:40 p.m. (women's mile) and concluding after the end of the men's 4x400m relays. Live results also will be provided by PT Timing throughout the meet. Links to both are available in the red box at the top of the page.

// AMONG THE BEST • WEEKLY
Two weeks ago, the Bearcats competed at the Jim Green Invitational in Lexington with four marks turned that ranked among the best in the national according to the USTFCCCA Weekly Top 10 lists. On the men's side, Aaron Bienenfeld made his season debut and raced to a time of 4:07.17 to record the # time in the mile that week. On the women's side, Irati Mitxelena bounced her way to the #5 position in the triple jump with a best of 12.79m while Malin Smith's toss of 15.57m was the #10 mark in the shot put. Additionally, the team of Rylee Penn, Carmen Licht, Carmela Henning and Sam Mikula posted a time of 12:07.71 in the distance medley relay for the #3 time of the week.

// AMONG THE BEST • SEASONAL
Heading into the weekend, two Bearcats are among the Top 16 nationally in their respective events, which is where they want to be at the end of the regular season to earn a berth into the NCAA Indoor Championships. Those two include Irati Mitxelena in the women's triple jump and Arthur Greenlee IV in the men's 60m hurdles. Mitxelena is currently ranked #12 nationally with her best of 12.79m while Greenlee IV is #13 in the hurdles at 7.79. Angelica Lightfoot is close to the cut line as she currently ranks #19 in the pentathlon (3,579 points).

// TAKE ME TO YOUR LEADERS!
Through last week's competitions, the Bearcats hold four marks that currently lead the American with 10 more ranked in the Top 3. On the men's side, Aaron Bienenfeld leads in the mile (4:07.17) while Andre Wright is tops in the triple jump (15.23m). On the women's side, Irati Mitxelena is the leader in the triple jump (12.79m) while team of Rylee Penn, Carmen Licht, Carmela Henning and Sam Mikula hold the top time in the distance medley relay (12:07.71).

// BIENENFELD IS BACK
Following a successful cross country season and an appearance in the 2019 European XC Championships for the German U23 team, Aaron Bienenfeld was back on the track in the red and black two weeks ago, once again opening with the mile run. The senior lowered his PR by five seconds to place second overall in 4:07.17. His time also pushed him up to #5 the program's all-time Top 10 ledger as just the sixth man to run under 4:10 indoors at UC. He also posted the third-fastest time in the nation on the weekend according to the USTFCCCA.

// MIGHTY MITXELENA
Irati Mitxelena bounced her way to the triple jump victory at the Jim Green Invitational as she hit a season-best mark of 12.79m (41-11.50). That mark ranked as the fifth-best in the nation that week (according to the USTFCCCA Top 10) and put her in the lead in the AAC. She also is currently ranked 12th nationally as she seeks her first appearance in the NCAA Indoor Championships.

// FEELING HONORED
For their efforts, both Bienenfeld and Mitxelena were selected for weekly awards from the league. Bienenfeld was selected as the AAC Male Track Athlete of the Week (January 15) while Mitxelena was chosen as the AAC Female Field Athlete of the Week (January 15). The honors are the first of season for both and the third of the year for Bienenfeld after he was twice named the AAC Male Runner of the Week in cross country.

// BIG MARKS FROM FRESHMEN
At the Jim Green Invitational, a pair of true freshmen recorded big marks for the women as Maddie Walker made her debut on the track in the 3,000m run and Hannah Jackson continued to throw well in the weight toss. Walker covered the 3,000m run on the 291m flat track in 9:55.27 to finish third in the race and add her name to the all-time Top 10 as she now ranks #4. In the weight, Jackson improved her best of 17.94m (58-10.25) to move up one spot to #5 on UC's Top 10.

// UP AND OVER
In the men's pole vault, Austin Goolsby provided some excitement as the sophomore cleared 5.05m (16-06.75) to finish second in the meet. That clearance is a lifetime best and placed him in a tie for the #9 position on the program's all-time Top 10. He also is now just the 12th man in program history to record an indoor clearance of 5.00m or better.

PREVIOUSLY NOTED
// BREAKING AN OLD RECORD
Chris Borzor opened his season in fine form as the sophomore sprinter raced in a pair of non-NCAA events and turned in some of the best times in the nation and in the history of the program. In the first meet of the year, the Jingle Bells Open at Kentucky, Borzor blazed a time of 1:03.10 in the 500m to post the #3 time in program history and the fastest time in the NCAA that week. One week later, he took to the track at the Hoosier Open in Indiana and busted out a time of 33.98 in the 300m for the #2 time in the nation and the fastest recorded in school history. In fact, his time not only was the first in UC history to go under 34 seconds, it also snapped the 33-year-old record of 34.31 run by Chuck Kiser in 1986. Oh, and if you are doing the math, the 33 year-old mark was broken by... 0.33 seconds.

// FOLLOW US
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// UP NEXT
The Bearcats will be back in action next week when they travel to Bloomington, Ind., to take part in the Indiana Relays hosted by IU.