TicketsCINCINNATI — Cincinnati track and field standout Juliette Laracuente-Huebner has been designated as one of 32 track athletes from 17 institutions selected as an elite athlete, the United States Olympic & Paralympic Committee and USA Track & Field announced.
The designation comes through the Elite Athlete Pathway Project, created to identify and remove obstacles faced by elite student-athletes who train and compete both collegiately and internationally.
To qualify, track athletes must be a USATF Tier or Tokyo Prospect Program-qualified athlete for 2027, have qualified for the 2026 World Athletics Outdoor Championships, achieved the 2026 championship standard during the 2025-26 season and be on track to achieve the 2027 championship standard during the 2026-27 season.
The designation gives elite student-athletes more flexibility to balance their collegiate and international careers, allowing them to customize training plans and gain easier access to elite development resources, without compromising academic standards or missing class time.
An incredibly decorated track and field standout, Laracuente-Huebner capped her historic 2025-26 campaign by being named the Bob Bowlsby Award recipient — the Big 12's highest individual honor for a conference student-athlete.
Her banner year included setting five school records at Cincinnati. Indoors, she established UC records in the pentathlon (4,442 points), the 60-meter hurdles (8.24 seconds) and the long jump (6.36 meters). Outdoors, she set UC records in the heptathlon (6,086 points) and the long jump (6.42 meters).
That success was matched by a sweep of conference and national accolades. Laracuente-Huebner was named the 2026 Big 12 Track and Field Scholar-Athlete of the Year and won the Big 12 outdoor heptathlon title before earning Outdoor First Team All-American honors with a runner-up finish at the NCAA Outdoor Championships. Indoors, she claimed the Big 12 pentathlon title and finished third at the NCAA Indoor Championship as an Indoor First Team All-American.