BEARCATS ON THE RISE

AARON BIENENFELD 2019 AAC XC & 2020 AAC Indoor 5,000m Champion 2019 Euro XC U23 Competitor for Germany

CAISJA CHANDLER DAMIEN BERTHENET 2020 USTFCCCA Indoor All-American (200m) CHRIS BORZOR 2020 USTFCCCA Indoor All-American (HEP) 2020 AAC Runner-Up (60m & 200m) 2020 USTFCCCA Indoor All-American (200m) 2020 AAC Indoor Heptathlon Champion 2020 AAC Indoor 200m Champion Track & Field/Cross Country COMPETITIVE SUCCESS

SINCE 2006 UC Track and Field/Cross Country has…. • EARNED 46 USTFCCCA ALL-AMERICA CERTIFICATES • WON 89 INDIVIDUAL CONFERENCE TITLES • WON 7 RELAY TITLES • WON 21 MOST OUSTANDING PERFORMER AWARDS • WON 3 CONFERENCE TEAM TITLES • TEAM PLACED IN THE AAC’S TOP 2 TEN (10) TIMES

Arthur Greenlee IV capture the 60m Hurdles title at the 2020 AAC Indoor Championships as the men captured four individual crowns over two days in Birmingham, Ala.

2020 American Athletic Conference Indoor Runners-up Bearcats Women: 12th IN THE NATION

At the 2018 NCAA Indoor Championships in College Station, Texas, Echikunwoke placed second in the weight throw to score 8 team points one day before Blaut was the runner-up in the high jump after she tied for the title and settled for second after a seven-round jump-off to break the national title tie. With 16 points, the women placed 12th nationally, marking the first time UC has placed in the Top 15 nationally and just the second Top 25 placement (21st in 2017) in program history. The 10 points scored at the 2017 meet had stood as the most in program history as well. Looking Back at 2020, Another GOLDEN YEAR

Aaron Bienefeld won titles in cross country and the indoor 5,000m run for the Bearcats.

Chris Borzor ran 20.84 to win the 200m dash, earn an NCAA berth and take home the AAC Most Valuable Performer Award at the 2020 indoor meet. CONFERENCE GOLD Including cross country and indoor track & field (outdoor was cancelled in 2020 because of the COVID-19 pandemic), the Bearcats captured five conference titles, all on the men’s side: MEN (5) • Berthenet, Damien • Heptathlon (indoor) • Bienenfeld, Aaron • Cross Country & 5,000m Run (indoor) • Borzor, Chris • 200m Dash (indoor) • Greenlee IV, Arthur • 60m Hurdles (indoor)

The 2020 NCAA Indoor Championships also were canceled because of the pandemic. Three Bearcats qualified to compete in the meet, including Berthenet (heptathlon) and Borzor (200m) for the men and Caisja Chandler (200m) for the women. Each were named USTFCCCA Indoor All-Americans (5/26/20). Arthur Greenlee IV captured the 60m hurdles crown at the 2020 indoor championships. Nationally Known ALL-AMERICANS

Annette Echikunwoke earned All-America honors in the shot put in her final collegiate meet, placing ninth in Austin in 2019.

RECENT USTFCCCA ALL-AMERICANS - WOMEN 2020 Indoor (1): • Chandler, Caisja • 200m (no teams*)

2019 Outdoor (1): • Echikunwoke, Annette • Hammer – 9th (2nd)

RECENT USTFCCCA ALL-AMERICANS - MEN 2020 Indoor (2): • Berthenet, Damien • Heptathlon (no teams*) • Borzor, Chris • 200m (no teams*)

2019 Outdoor: None

* NOTE: the 2020 NCAA Indoor and NCAA Outdoor Track & Field Championships were canceled because of the COVID- 19 global pandemic. It was determined (May 26, 2020) FIRST TEAM that all qualifiers to the indoor meet would be named All- In her final collegiate season, Loretta Blaut finished third at the 2019 NCAA Indoor Championships Americans (no 1st/2nd teams) to become the most decorated woman in team history with her sixth USTFCCCA All-America honor. A Historical Look at ALL-AMERICAN HISTORY - MEN • 16 individuals with 29 honors • Since 2012: 7 men with 13 honors ALL-AMERICANS • Al Lanier and Adrian Valles are the most decorated men with each having earned six career All- America honors… both men also have finished as a national runner-up, the highest finish for a man in program history

ALL-AMERICAN HISTORY - WOMEN • 15 individuals with 30 honors • Since 2012: 13 women with 27 honors • Echikunwoke won the program’s first national title in 2017 (indoor weight) • Loretta Blaut’s six career USTFCCCA All-America honors makes her the most decorated woman in UC history

ALL-AMERICAN HISTORY - TOTAL • 31 different Bearcats have combined to earn 59 All-America awards in program history

AMONG THE BEST Loretta Blaut not only earned All-America With his fifth-place showing at the 2018 NCAA Indoor Championships, Adrian Valles earned his sixth honors but did so with high finishes as she career USTFCCCA All-America honor in the pole vault, tying him with Al Lanier (1972-73) for the placed second (indoor), second (outdoor) and most All-America honors in UC track & field history. third (indoor) in her final three NCAA meets. The Program’s First NCAA CHAMPION

Heading into the final toss of the weight throw at the 2017 NCAA Indoor Track & Field Championships in College Station, Texas, on March 11, 2017, the announcement rang out: “Now entering the ring, your 2017 national champion, Annette Echikunwoke of Cincinnati!” With her previous five throws, along with all the massive marks she had recorded throughout the season, the final throw of the day for Echikunwoke was just a formality as Echikunwoke had already secured her gold medal and the first national title in program history. In the early 1970’s, Al Lanier had come the closest as he was the national runner-up in the long jump four times in his career. But now, UC had its first champion in track and field and just the fifth individual title in UC history. Echikunwoke’s first-round toss of 21.87m (71’ 9”) was all she needed on the day, but she improved that to 21.81m (71’ 6.75”) before closing out the meet with her best mark of the day: a toss of 22.42m (73’ 6.75”), her seventh 22m A FIRST throw of the year (the rest of the nation combined for five). Echikunwoke won the program’s first national title at the 2017 “It is amazing for me to get the victory,” Echikunwoke said. “But it also means a lot to me to put UC on the map more and more. I just wanted to compete and NCAA Indoor Championships do the best I could do and the best I could do was win. It is a great feeling!” A Dynamic Conference Covering 10 States: AMERICAN ATHLETIC CONFERENCE The American began competition in the 2013-14 academic year and consists of 11 institutions covering 9 different states (12 and 10 when including football affiliate Navy). The teams that make up the American Athletic Conference for the 2020-21 are:

Cincinnati Bearcats East Carolina Pirates Houston Cougars Memphis Tigers SMU Mustangs Temple Owls Tulane Green Wave Tulsa Golden Hurricane UCF Golden Knights USF Bulls Wichita State Shockers

UConn departed the AAC following the 2019-20 season to rejoin the Big East U.S. National Events

Following the 2016 outdoor season, five with ties OLYMPIC TRIALS to the Bearcats program competed at the 2016 U.S. Olympic Team Trials – Track & Field in Eugene, Ore. In Eugene, Kenya Woodall competed in the 200m and 400m events with Loretta Blaut and Erika Hurd in the high jump and Macklin Tudor in the men’s discus. Former Bearcat and Olympic Silver Medalist David Payne David Payne was also in the meet, racing in the 110m hurdles. Cincinnati’s 110m Hurdles Record Holder & Olympic Silver Medalist for Team USA

Kenya Woodall

Caisja Chandler helped the Team USA 4x100m Relay Erika Hurd Loretta Blaut (third leg) to gold at the 2019 Pan-American U-20 Games International Success BEARCATS OLYMPIANS

MARY WINEBERG

A pair of Bearcats greats not only represented the United States at the Olympic Games, but also captured medals as Mary (Danner) Wineberg was part of the gold-medal winning 4x400m relay team and David Payne earned the silver medal in the 110m hurdles. Both former Bearcats represented the Americans at the 2008 Beijing Games.

DAVID PAYNE What They Are Saying about UC WHY CINCINNATI?

“I chose UC for the culture. It is a different feel than I could have ever imagined. We are together as one here at Cincinnati and I feel that makes us exceptional compared to other teams. I always felt at home and that helped me excel to a very high level in both academics and athletics. The coaching and support staff around us made sure we would achieve at the highest level in the country and I feel that makes the one of a kind.”

Alex Bloom ~ Combined Events & High Jump ~ 2018 UC Graduate / USTFCCCA All-America Second Team (indoor heptathlon)

“I chose UC because we are FAMILY! The love and ‘One Team’ spirit we have is unmatched. Everyone you encounter is genuinely for you and the advancement of not only your athletic, but academic career. UC has molded me into the compassionate, driven, hard-working person I am today. This is because of the limitless resources, encouragement, and support I received during my four years. The most amazing part about my experience at UC is the relationships I made here are ones that will last forever.”

Kellsa Mbah ~ Sprints, Relays & Jumps ~ 2018 UC Graduate / School Long Jump Record Holder / AAC Long Jump Champion Student-Athlete Support Services (S.A.S.S.) BEARCATS ACADEMICS Throughout the year, S.A.S.S. assists student-athletes in preparing to be a successful total person. Along with leadership and community service, S.A.S.S. continues to work with Bearcats academically, an area that continues to see great improvements as 56-percent of all student-athletes (a UC Athletics record) made the Dean’s List in Spring 2020 (3.4+ GPA) and the department averaged an overall GPA of 3.396, also a UC Athletics record. UC student-athletes have averaged a GPA of 3.0+ for 24-consecutive grading periods now.

Juliana Madzia not only graduated in 2017, but also was selected for the UC President’s Leadership Medal of Excellence, a first for a UC female student-athlete.

SPRING 2020 GPAs Cross Country (M) 3.691 Cross Country (M) 3.645 Track & Field (W) 3.555 * Track & Field (M) 3.309 Adrian Valles * program record 2018 Spring/Summer Graduates 2x NCAA Elite 90 Award winner & 3x Academic All-American Chronicle of Higher Education calls Cincinnati “A RESEARCH HEAVYWEIGHT”

RESEARCH FACTS • In 2015, UC and it’s affiliates were awarded $396,812,015 in funding toward research • UC graduate George Rieveschl invented the first antihistamine Benadryl • UC graduate Albert Sabin created the first oral polio vaccine

UNIVERSITY FACTS • UC boasts a 15:1 student/faculty ratio • UC offers 309 programs of study with several ranked among the Top 20 nationally, according to the September 2015 U.S. News & World Report “Best National Universities” edition: – #3 Pediatrics – #6 Industrial Design – #10 Accounting – #20 Environmental Engineering • Co-ops, which were invented at UC in 1906, have been continually ranked among the nation’s best according to The Princeton Review • UC students also have many opportunities THE UNIVERSITY to participate in internships to gain more Cincinnati offers students a balance of educational excellence and real-world experience. UC is a experience public research university with an enrollment of more than 44,000 students and has been named "Among the top tier of the Best National Universities," according to U.S. News & World Report. Home of the UC Athletics VARSITY VILLAGE

TOP-RATE ATHLETIC FACILITIES Located on south side of campus, Varsity Village is the home of UC Athletics and, with the exception of cross country and golf, contains all home competition venues for Bearcats teams, as well as the Athletics Department staff. Home of the Bearcats GETTLER STADIUM

Armory Fieldhouse, located in the Varsity Village, is the indoor training home of the Bearcats. The Armory allows for the Bearcats to train not only for indoor competitions, but also provides a practice venue in case of inclement weather throughout the year.

Gettler Stadium is the home of Bearcats Track & Field and recently served as the host site of the 2018 American Athletic Conference Outdoor Championships. Each year, Gettler plays host to the Oliver Nikoloff Open at the start of the outdoor season while also serving as the home for UC men’s and women’s soccer. Strength and Conditioning WEIGHT ROOM

Located in the lower levers of the Lindner Athletic Center in the heart of Varsity Village, the weight room measures out at 18,000 square feet, which ranks as the fifth-largest in the U.S. With over $1 million in equipment and specialized coaches, Bearcats student-athletes will receive event group- specific workouts, personalized training and nutrition plans. Sports Medicine & Athletic Training TRAINING ROOM

The UC Sports Medicine Department is devoted to providing medical care to every athlete independent of gender, scholarship status or sport. A diversified program of prevention, evaluation, treatment and rehabilitation will ensure a positive, healthy recovery experience, an improved quality of life, a safe return to full athletic participation and continued athletic success. CAMPUS LIFE

With its rolling hills and diverse architecture, the University of Cincinnati is one of the “world’s 14 most beautiful campuses*”! Located in the Uptown Area, campus is part of a booming area of redesign and renewal aimed at making the area one of the best locations not only in the city, but anywhere! * According to Forbes Magazine University Park Apartments CAMPUS LIVING

Located on the East and South ends of Gettler Stadium, the UPA (University Park Apartments) is home to all first-year student-athletes. The fully furnished apartment complex offers many great amenities, including a full kitchen in every apartment, as well as on-site laundry and nearby restaurants. Photos courtesy of UPA Facebook page/PepplePhotography.com THE QUEEN CITY CINCINNATI

Pictured (clockwise) are Fountain Square; Eden Park; Kings Island Amusement Park, Union Terminal and the Cincinnati Zoo.

The Queen City has much to offer and that’s not just in the vibrant downtown area. The world renown Cincinnati Zoo is located minutes from campus, as are many other gorgeous sites, like Fountain Square, Union Terminal and Eden Park. Along with sporting events, numerous miles of trails and fun times at Kings Island Amusement Park, Cincinnati has something for everyone! THE QUEEN CITY CINCINNATI

Pictured (L-R) are (Bengals); (UC Football and FC Cincinnati); Great America Ballpark (Reds) and U.S. Bank Arena (Cyclones).

The Queen City is home to two major league teams, including the Cincinnati Reds (MLB) and Cincinnati Bengals (NFL). In 2019, that list grew to three with FC Cincinnati joining the ranks of Major League Soccer with their home matches being played on campus at historic Nippert Stadium (home of UC football). The city also boasts a professional hockey team in the Cincinnati Cyclones of the ECHL. Global Bearcats 2020-21 International Bearcats INTERNATIONALS • Toni Banos • Spain • Damien Berthenet • France • Aaron Bienenfeld • Germany • Julius Hild • Germany • Carlos Kouassi • Switzerland • Ellie Leather • England • Leonie Troeger • Germany

Banos • Spain Berthenet • France Hild • Germany

Aaron Bienenfeld (pictured above) is one of seven international student-athletes set to compete for the Bearcats during the 2020- 21 academic year. The senior is a four-time AAC Champion and twice qualified to the NCAA XC Championships. Most recently, he represented Germany in the European U23 XC Championships in Portugal in December, placing 14th overall as the team won bronze.

Kouassi • Switzerland Leather • England Troeger • Germany One Team ONE COMMUNITY

Along with academics and athletics, members of all Bearcats teams come together to take part in various community projects. Each year, thousands of community service hours are logged by all 17 teams on campus. Cincinnati Track & Field/Cross Country Susan Seaton ∙ Director of Track & Field/Cross Country ∙ Works with: Throws ∙ [email protected] COACHING STAFF ∙ (513) 518-8125

Chris Wineberg ∙ Associate Head T&F Coach ∙ Works with: High Jump / Multi-Events ∙ [email protected] ∙ (513) 349-6355

Sam Burroughs ∙ Associate Head XC Coach/Assistant T&F Coach ∙ Works with: Men’s Cross Country & Men’s Distances ∙ [email protected] ∙ (513) 802-7076

Lara Rogers ∙ Assistant Coach ∙ Works with: Women’s Cross Country & Women’s Distances ∙ [email protected] ∙ (717) 713-0113

Nadine Faustin-Parker ∙ Assistant Coach ∙ Works with: Sprints / Hurdles / Relays ∙ [email protected] ∙ (919) 673-0826

The University of Cincinnati coaching staff was voted by its fellow conference coaches as the 2018 American Athletic Conference Sam Kranz ∙ Assistant Coach Women’s Indoor Coaching Staff of the Year following the women’s team capturing its first indoor conference crown in program history. ∙ Works with: Pole Vault / Horizontal Jumps Pictured (L-R): Logan Steiner (ATC), Jordan Bellomy (ATC), Lara Rogers (AC), Chris Wineberg (AC), Susan Seaton (HC), Nadine Faustin-Parker (AC), Sam ∙ [email protected] Kranz (AC), Sam Burroughs (AC), Sarah Wiseman (VC) and Laruen Kelly (SP). ∙ (630) 696-1965

Burroughs Faustin-Parker Kranz Rogers Seaton Wineberg Cincinnati Track & Field/Cross Country Throughout Bearcats Athletics, there are numerous departments and individuals that work closely with coaches and student-athletes throughout the year. From academics to strength and conditioning and all points between, every member on staff is part of One Team that SUPPORT STAFF helps every single student-athlete work toward being the best he/she can be in all aspects of collegiate life. Student-Athlete Support Services / Academics Nicole Sandmann Associate Director [email protected] (513) 556-3388

Strength & Conditioning Kelly Powers Associate AD [email protected] (513) 556-0551 Orlando Smith Director [email protected] (513) 556-3070 Lauren Kelly Assistant Director [email protected] (513) 556-0551

Equipment Room Andy Frigge Assistant Director [email protected] (513) 556-2151

Sports Medicine / Athletic Training Kyle Klug Athletic Trainer [email protected] (513) 556-4352 Lydia Wright Physical Therapist [email protected] (513) 556-4352

Sport Oversight Trever Wright Asc. AD/Compliance [email protected] (513) 556-0557

Compliance Grace Kroner Director [email protected] (513) 556-0574

Athletics Communications (Sports Information) Alex Ryan Director [email protected] (513) 623-9992

Bearcats Athletics on Social ∙ FB/GoBearcats ∙ Twitter/@GoBearcats A. Frigge L. Kelly K. Klug G. Kroner Bearcats TF/XC on Social ∙ FB/GoBearcatsTFXC ∙ Twitter/@GoBearcatsTFXC

K. Powers A. Ryan N. Sandmann O. Smith L. Wright T. Wright The Places You Will See… CHAMPIONSHIP SITES

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Birmingham, Ala. 2021 AAC Indoor Championships

Jacksonville, Fla. 2021 NCAA East Preliminary Round Eugene, Ore. 2021 NCAA Outdoor Championships

Tampa, Fla. 2020 AAC Outdoor Championships

Fayetteville, Ark. 2021 NCAA Indoor Championships Cincinnati Track & Field and Cross Country is more than a team… IT IS A FAMILY

Annette Echikunwoke Award winners following the annual team banquet 2018-19 Gettler Spirit of Track & Field Award Recipient