Aaron Bienenfeld Season 2018-19

INDIVIDUAL HONORS & AWARDS
NCAA Cross Country Individual Qualifier – 2018, 2019
USTFCCCA Great Lakes Region Cross Country Male Runner of the Year – 2019
USTFCCCA All-Great Lakes Region Cross Country – 2018, 2019
American Athletic Conference Cross Country Male Runner of the Year – 2019
American Athletic Conference Individual Champion – Cross Country – 2019
American Athletic Conference Individual Champion – 10,000m Run (outdoor) – 2018, 2019
American Athletic Conference Individual Champion – 5,000m Run (indoor) – 2020
American Athletic All-Conference – Cross Country – 2018, 2019
American Athletic All-Conference – 10,000m Run (outdoor) – 2018, 2019
American Athletic All-Conference – 5,000m Run (outdoor) – 2018, 2019
American Athletic All-Conference – 5,000m Run (indoor) – 2018, 2019
American Athletic All-Conference – 3,000m Run (indoor) – 2019
 
INTERNATIONAL COMPETITIONS REPRESENTING GERMANY
European U23 Championships – Cross Country – 2018, 2019
European U23 Championships – 10,000m Run (outdoor) – 2019
European Mountain Racing Championships – 2017
 
QUICK NOTES: One of the top distance runners in program history... has captured four conference titles in his time, including the 2019 cross country crown, both the 2018 and 2019 outdoor 10,000m run titles, and the 2020 indoor 5,000m victory... holds three school records individually, including the indoor 5,000m run and the 5,000m and 10,000m outdoor runs... indoors, ran 13:48.56 in 2020 to break Eric Finan’s mark of 14:17.07 (2011) while becoming the first UC man to break 14 minutes in the indoor event... outdoors, ran 29:34.37 in 2019 to break the standard in the 10,000m before adding the 5,000m title during the 2020 summer after running 13:42.72 in Vienna, Austria, to beat Finan’s previous mark by over two seconds... ranks highly in several other events, including standing #2 in the indoor mile (4:04.77) and indoor 3,000m (8:01.89) while also being part of the #2 4x800m relay (7:41.68 in 2019)... outdoors, ranks #7 in the 1,500m (3:48.80).
 
2019-20 SEASONS
2020 OTF (SR): No season was conducted because of the COVID-19 global pandemic... continued to run in Germany with his club team... competed in Vienna, Austria, and placed third in the 5,000m run in a time of 13:42.72 to break the UC record that had stood since 2011 (Eric Finan, 13:44.91).
2020 ITF (SR): Captured his first indoor conference crown as he won the 5,000m title in a meet-record 13:55.38 at the AAC Indoor Championships... ran 13:48.56 to finish fifth at the Husky Classic in Seattle to break the school record of 14:17.07 that Eric Finan ran in 2011, a more than 28-second improvement on the previous standard... also placed second in the 3,000m run at the AAC meet, clocking a time of 8:05.51 to earn all-conference accolades... turned in a time of 8:01.89 in the same even at the Indiana Relays to post the second-best time in program history... race the mile twice on the year, opening with a then-PR of 4:07.17 to take second at the Jim Green Invitational... ran 4:04.77 to win the Charlie Thomas Invitational and move up to #2 all-time in program history, just 0.63 seconds off the record (4:04.14, Jeff Johnson, 1984).
2019 XC (SR): Had one of most successful seasons in program history as he was undefeated in the four races he ran... ended the year winning the NCAA Great Lakes Region title in 29:59.9 and was named the USTFCCCA Great Lakes Region Male Runner of the Year... he qualified individually for the NCAA Championships for the second year in a row, but declined to run as chose instead to represent Germany at the 2019 European U23 Championships... in the international competition, he place 14^th overall to help his team earn a bronze medal in the overall standings... back at UC, he won the AAC title in 23:43.3, easily claiming the crown and the honor of AAC Male Runner of the Year... prior to that, he opened his year winning the Rhodes Invitational in 24:10.1 before winning the ‘white’ race at the NCAA Pre-National meet in 24:04.5.
 
2018-19 SEASONS
2019 OUT (JR): Repeated as the AAC champion at 10,000m, winning the title in a meet-record time of 30:21.63... broke the school record in the same event earlier in the year with a time of 29:34.37 to win the Penn Relays... added a third-place showing in the 5,000m run at the AAC Championships and qualified to the NCAA East Region Preliminary Round where he was ninth overall in 14:09.84, just missing a spot in the national finals... ran a PR and UC #2 time of 13:57.81 in the 5,000m to open the year at the Stanford Invitational... came back one week later to run 3:48.80 at the Nikoloff Open to post the #7 time in program history... following the collegiate season, ran a personal-best and UC record time of 29:12.30 to finish seventh at the German National Championships to qualify for the European U23 Championships, where he finished 15^th overall... also was the national runner-up in the U23 5,000m championships in Germany, running 14:16.59.
2019 IN (JR): Scored twice and earned all-conference (Top 3) honors at the AAC Championships as he finished third in both the 3,000m and 5,000m runs... ran a UC record-time of 14:08.81 in the 5,000m at the Music City Challenge... ran the #2 time in the 3,000m at the Gladstein Invitational (8:14.21)... won the mile at the Charlie Thomas Invitational with a time of 4:10.12, the #6 mark in program history... raced in one relay, the 4x800m, at the Gladstein Invitational and helped the team to a time of 7:41.68, the #2 mark in program history.
2018 XC (JR): The team’s top finisher in six races he ran, he advanced to the NCAA Championships and placed 111^th overall, the highest finish of any runner from the AAC… the fifth man to individually qualify for nationals in program history and the first since 2011, he took 12^th at the NCAA Great Lakes Region Championships to earn USTFCCCA All-Region accolades after placing third at the AAC Championships to earn all-conference accolades… finished in the Top 12 in his first five collegiate races before heading to nationals… missed the season-opening Queen City Invitational as he was taking second in the German Senior Mountain Racing Championships… ran 23:56.8 at the Greater Louisville Classic to finish fourth overall and shave 1:04.4 off his previous best time… rank a 39.1 second PR at the national meet despite snowy conditions… named the AAC Runner of the Week (Oct. 2) after his performance in Louisville… also finished fourth at the German U23 Cross Country Championships to earn a berth in the 2018 European XC Championships in the Netherlands.
 
2017-18 SEASONS
2018 OUT (SO): Captured the program’s first 10,000m championship as he completed a tactical run in humid conditions at the AAC Championships in Cincinnati with a winning time of 30:50.31… also took runner-up honors in the 5,000m run to score 18 points for the team… ran 14:12.84 to win the 5,000m run at the War Eagle Invitational (Auburn) and turn in the #2 time in program history… six days later, he traveled to the Penn Relays and ran 29:52.13 in the 10,000m to record the #3 time in UC history and just the fourth time under 30 minutes in Bearcats history in the event… qualified for and competed in the NCAA East Preliminary Round meet at 5,000m, running 14:18.41 to place 18^th overall… missed advancing to the NCAA Championships by six places (Top 12 advance) after entering the race ranked 43^rd in the East… also raced the 800m and 1,500m events once each as well… raced several times in Germany during the summer, placing fifth in the German U23 Championships at 5,000m and helping the 3x1,000m relay to a bronze medal.
2018 IN (SO): Made an immediate impact on the program after joining the Bearcats in January… ran 8:23.99 in the 3,000m at the Kentucky Invitational for the #7 time in program history following his first collegiate race… followed that up with an improvement to 8:16.12 to finish fourth at the AAC Championships, moving up to #3 all-time in program history… took runner-up honors in the 5,000m run at the conference meet as well, running an improved time of 14:13.82 to also break the school record that had stood for seven years… ran 14:29.23 at the Music City Challenge earlier in the season for the #3 mark all-time… also ran 4:10.82 in the mile at the Charlie Thomas Invitational to give him the #9 slot on the all-time Top 10… ran six individual races with only his first mile (4:13.64) not making the all-time Top 10 in UC history.
 
PRIOR TO UC: Represented Germany at the 16^th European Mountain Racing Championships in Kamnik, Slovakia, in July 2017, finishing 43^rd overall in the senior division… from March through June (2017), competed in four different German national championship events… placed third in the German Junior Cross Country Championships in March before placing 20^th in the German Half-Marathon Championships one month later… placed 14^th in the 10,000m run at the track & field championships in May before placing third in the 5,000m run at the German Junior Track & Field Championships in June.
 
PERSONAL BEST MARKS
Cross Country
8,000m • 23::43.3 (AAC Championships • 11/1/19)
10,000m • 29:59.9 (NCAA Great Lakes Region • 11/15/19)
 
Indoor Track & Field
Mile • 4:04.77 (Charlie Thomas Invite • 2/8/20) • UC #2
3,000m • 8:01.89 (Indiana Relays • 2/1/20) • UC #2
5,000m • 13:48.56 (Husky Classic • 2/1420) • UC RECORD

Outdoor Track & Field
800m • 1:54.02 (Oliver Nikoloff Open • 3/31/18)
1,500m • 3:48.80 (Nikoloff Open • 4/6/19) • UC #7
5,000m • 13:42.72 (Vienna Meeting • 7/11/20) • UC RECORD