CINCINNATI - Damien Berthenet has been named the 2020 American Athletic Conference Men's Indoor Field Most Outstanding Performance award recipient for his school-record and championship-winning performance in the heptathlon last week at the AAC Indoor Championships in Birmingham, Ala. The award is given annually to the student-athlete that records the highest ranking mark in the NCAA among all events in the AAC meet with Berthenet's 5,693 points in the heptathlon earning him the honor.
Berthenet's score ranked as the 10th-best in the nation this year and the seventh-best recorded over the course of the weekend across all divisions nationally. With his score, he not only bettered his PR and took down Alex Bloom's school record from 2018, he also moved into the Top 16 nationally and qualified for the NCAA Indoor Championships that will be held next weekend in Albuquerque, N.M.
Only the second UC man to qualify for the indoor heptathlon at the national championships (Bloom, 2018), Berthenet put on a show in Birmingham as he broke three school records and added four other marks that rank among the best in program history. On the first day, the Frenchman tallied 3,146 points, the second-highest total in program history. He ran 7.16 in the 60m (#4 in UC heptathlon history) and jumped 7.01m (23-00.00) in the long jump. Then, he tossed the shot put out to 14.29m (46-10.75) for the UC heptathlon record before clearing 1.95m (6-04.75) in the high jump, just 0.01m off his season-best clearance.
On the second day, Berthenet opened with a UC heptathlon-record time of 8.31 in the 60m hurdles before clearing 4.80m (15-09.00) in the pole vault, the fourth-best clearance in UC heptathlon history. Finally, in the 1,000m run, he toured the track in 2:47.37 to secure his first conference crown while tallying 2,547 points, the second-highest total in program history.
// SECOND AWARD
Berthenet's honor is the second for the UC men in the 2020 AAC meet as Chris Borzor was named the 2020 AAC Male Most Valuable Performer following the meet. Borzor was selected after he blasted the field to win the 200m in 20.84 - a PR and UC record - to qualify for the NCAA Championships as the #13 seed. The sophomore also took second in the 400m in a PR 47.43 to score 18 points and lead the men to third place overall, their highest finish in the AAC era with 101 points, also the highest total in an AAC meet for UC.
// NEXT MEET
Berthenet is one of three Bearcats that will venture to Albuquerque next weekend for the NCAA Indoor Track & Field Championships that will take place March 13-14. He opens the heptathlon Friday at 11 a.m. MT (1 p.m. ET) with the 60m and opens Saturday at 10 a.m. MT (12 p.m. ET) with the 60m hurdles. While Berthenet will compete both days, his teammates, Caisja Chandler and Borzor, will race in the women's and men's 200m dash, respectively. Chandler will run in the semifinals at 7:40 p.m. MT (9:40 p.m ET) and Borzor at 8:15 p.m. MT (10:15 p.m. ET) Friday. Should they advance, the men's and women's finals are set for Saturday at 5:50 p.m. MT (7:50 p.m. ET) and 6:00 p.m. MT (8:00 p.m. ET), respectively.
Berthenet Named AAC Men’s Field Most Outstanding Performer
Damien Berthenet has been named the 2020 American Athletic Conference Men's Indoor Field Most Outstanding Performance award recipient for his school-record and championship-winning performance in the heptathlon last week at the AAC Indoor Championships in Birmingham, Ala.
