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Cross, Crye Named Cincinnati's Student-Athletes of the Year

by David Cohen

Cincinnati standout athletes Kerrington Cross (baseball) and Joleigh Crye (swimming and diving) were named UC’s 2024-25 Male and Female Student-Athletes of the Year, as voted on by the athletics executive leadership team.

Cross, Crye Named Cincinnati's Student-Athletes of the YearCross, Crye Named Cincinnati's Student-Athletes of the Year

CINCINNATI – Cincinnati standout athletes Kerrington Cross (baseball) and Joleigh Crye (swimming and diving) were named UC’s 2024-25 Male and Female Student-Athletes of the Year, as voted on by the athletics executive leadership team. Both were surprised with the news by their head coaches, as seen below.

Baseball was named UC’s Team of the Year, claiming its first NCAA at-large postseason bid since 1974. The Bearcats, under second-year head coach Jordan Bischel, posted a program-record six ranked wins to go with four series wins over NCAA Tournament teams. Individual finalists were as follows:

Male Athlete of the Year Female Athlete of the Year
Justin Abrams - Track and Field Kya Epps - Track and Field
Astley Davis - Track and Field Jillian Hayes - Basketball
Ryan Ford - Golf Abby Knouff - Track and Field
Hunter Gubeno - Swimming and Diving Juliette Laracuente-Huebner - Track and Field
Luke Kandra - Football Amanda Ngandu Ntumba - Track and Field
Corey Kiner - Football Lauren Ottensmeyer - Lacrosse
Fred Moudani-Likibi - Track and Field Macaela Walker - Track and Field

 

Cross, the Big 12 Player of the Year, boasts four All-American honors to date. He slashed .396/.526/.647 in batting average, on-base percentage and slugging to go with 12 home runs and 50 RBI as Cincinnati returned to the NCAA Regionals for the first time since 2019.

The Brownsburg, Ind., native is also the seventh Bearcat to boast three All-Conference seasons, staying with the program amid a coaching change and becoming one of the league’s top hitters in Cincinnati’s first Big 12 season. Not only that, he has graduated with his bachelor’s degree in chemical engineering.

Crye, a junior from Avon, N.Y., began her legacy the moment she stepped on campus at UC. From qualifying for the NCAA Championship in her freshman year to becoming Cincinnati’s highest-placing female swimmer in program history, she has proudly represented the C-Paw on the biggest stages.

Crye secured her third-straight NCAA Championship meet appearance after clinching the program's first Big 12 Championship, a goal she set for herself at the beginning of the season. The last Bearcat to achieve three consecutive championships was Jacqueline Kiere in 2014, 2015, and 2016. Crye didn’t just qualify; competing alongside Olympic gold medalists and the nation’s top talent: she finished fourth in the country, earning the distinction of First Team All-American.

Beyond her individual achievements, she contributed to the team's success by anchoring the 200-yard medley relay, marking the first women’s relay to reach the NCAA Championships since 1986.