The University of Cincinnati track and field program is set to head to Indiana University

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact: Alex Ryan (513/623-9992 - @al3xryan)

 

 

Full Release, including Season Statistics and Updated Program Records: http://www.gobearcats.com/sports/c-track/spec-rel/012016aaa.html

 

Track & Field Set for Indiana’s Gladstein Invitational

Bearcats posted 2 wins, 1 school record, 7 UC Top-10 marks and 13 personal bests at UK Invite

 

// AT THE STARTING LINE

The University of Cincinnati track and field program is set to head to Indiana University for the front-end of back-to-back weekends in Bloomington, Ind., this time heading to the 2016 Gladstein Invitational on Friday and Saturday (January 22-23) inside Gladstein Fieldhouse. The Bearcats are coming off an opening weekend at the Kentucky Invitational that produced one school record, seven marks on the UC all-time Top 10 and 13 total personal bests.

 

// CONFERENCE HONORS BLAUT

Loretta Blaut has been selected as the American Athletic Conference Female Field Athlete of the Week, the conference announced Tuesday. Blaut was honored following her impressive opening weekend at the Kentucky Invitational in which she won the high jump with a clearance of 1.86m (6-01.25). In just her firsts collegiate indoor competition, Blaut moved into a tie for the second-highest clearance in school history and sits 1cm (1.87m) off the school record. The conference leader in the women’s high jump, Blaut currently ranks third on the NCAA Indoor Descending Order List and is tied for 13th on the world list.

 

// BY THE NUMBERS

1  School record by Annette Echikunwoke in the women’s weight throw (20.05m/65-09.50)

2 Events won at the UK Invitational, including women’s high jump (Blaut) and men’s pole vault (Valles)

3  Loretta Blaut’s NCAA ranking (as of 1/18/16) in the women’s high jump

5  Number of feet (5’ 8” to be exact) Echikunwoke beat her previous PR by in the weight throw

7  All-time Top 10 marks recorded at the UK Invitational

8  Number of Bearcats in the Top 3 of the American Athletic Conference season lists

13  Personal best times/marks achieved at the UK Invitational

18  Echikunwoke’s standing on the world list (1/18/16) in the women’s weight throw

34  Number of marks Bearcats earned at UK Invite to place them among The American’s Top 10 list

 

// THE EVENTS - 2016 GLADSTEIN INVITE

The Gladstein Invitational will contest 18 events over two days, including 16 of the 17 events that will be contested at the 2016 NCAA Indoor Championships. The lone event that will be not be held that is contested at the national meet will be the distance medley relay, which will be replaced by the 4x800m relay. The Gladstein Invitational also will contest a 600m run event, also not an NCAA event.

 

// LAST TIME: 2015 GLADSTEIN INVITATIONAL

At the 2015 installment of the Gladstein meet, the Bearcats recorded 22 personal-best marks, set one school record and won four events overall. On the first day, 18 PR’s were achieved, led by the women’s shot put competitors, all four of whom earned career bests while posting four of the Top 5 marks in program history. In that event, Frida Akerstrom broke the school record with Mekayla Breland (#2), Annette Echikunwoke (#4) and Leah Heckaman (#5) recording strong marks. Rebecka Abrahamsson won the triple jump and Kenya Woodall took the title in the invitational 400m dash to pace the women while Toby Loveridge ran the program’s fourth-fastest 3,000m time. On the second day, UC posted eight, Top 3 finishes overall, led by Macklin Tudor’s shot put victory. Alex Bloom, competing in his first collegiate heptathlon, finished third overall with the program’s fifth-best score.

 

// RECORDS STILL STANDING

Three marks recorded at the 2015 Gladstein Invitational still stand among the program’s all-time Top 10. On the track, Kenya Woodall ran 1:35.08 in the 600m to record the fifth-fastest time in UC history while Jada Grant ran 1:37.04 in the same event to move into the No. 8 slot. In the field, Mekayla Breland recorded a toss of 15.16m (49-09.00) in the shot put to post the No. 2 mark in Bearcats history.

 

// RE-RECORD THE RECORD

In the opening event of the opening meet for UC, sophomore Annette Echikunwoke wasted little time in making history as her toss of 20.05m (65-09.50) in the weight throw set a school record and broker her previous best by over five feet. The only UC woman to break the 20-meter barrier, Echikunwoke actually broke the record twice in the competition as her throw of 20.04m (65-09.00) came in the second round with her best mark posted in the fourth round. Additionally, Echikunwoke posted four measured throws on six attempts with all four marks surpassing her previous PR of 18.31m (60-01.00). Her top mark also placed her among elite company as she ranks (as of 1/18/16) second in The American, 11th in the NCAA and 18th on the world Top 20 list.

 

// ARE YOU ON THE LIST?

Echikunwoke is not alone on those three rankings lists as 26 of her teammates have posted 34 marks ranking in the Top 10 on The American’s descending order list; four join her on the Top 20 NCAA descending order list and one other is currently ranked among the Top 20 in the world.

 

// VERY WORLDLY

Along with Echikunwoke (No. 18, women’s weight throw), Loretta Blaut also has posted a mark placing her on the world lists as she currently stands tied with two other women for 13th-best in the high jump. The conference leader and the NCAA’s third-ranked jumper, Blaut cleared 1.86m (6-01.25) to win the event at the Kentucky Invitational, missing the school record by 1cm. Her mark currently stands 3.25” higher than the American’s second-ranked jumper and 6.25” above the third-ranked.

 

// DAZZLING DEBUT DOUBLE

Jimmy Brooks, whom competed for Western Texas Community College for two years before arriving at UC, made his team and Division I debut at the Kentucky Invitational and made quite the impression. In his first race, Brooks clocked a time of 47.80 in the 400m dash to place second overall before coming back later to place fifth in the 200m dash in 21.63. Both of his times not only rank as the fifth-fastest in program history, but they also stand among the best on other lists. Among conference sprints, Brooks is one of only two men to hold marks in the 200m/400m double that rank in The American’s Top 10. The only man in the conference to run a sub-48 in the quarter, Brooks stands first in the 400m and sixth in the 200m so far this year. Brooks also ranks 20th in the NCAA and 25th in the world at 400m.

 

// DOUBLE TROUBLE

Another newcomer in her first UC event in the sprints was Haisha Bisiolu, a true freshman out of New Jersey that also posted strong times in her first collegiate races. Bisiolu opened in the 60m dash with a time of 7.70 before clocking 24.98 in the 200m. Overall, her times rank seventh and eighth-fastest, respectively, in program history.

 

// TABLE TOPPERS

Four Bearcats currently lead The American Athletic Conference in their respective events, including three men. On the track, Seamus Collins has the top time in the 3,000m run (8:30.10) while Jimmy Brooks leads the 400m. In the field, Adrian Valles tops the men’s pole vault (5.25m/17-02.75) while Loretta Blaut leads the women’s high jump (1.86m).

 

// GOOD WEEK

According to the USTFCCCA’s Top 10 of the Week - a listing of the Top 10 marks each event from the previous week - Loretta Blaut finds her name on the high jump list three times. In progression order, Blaut cleared 1.81m (5-11.25), equalling the seventh-highest bar on the weekend, before she cleared 1.84m (6-00.50), the fourth-highest. She closed out her competition with a clearance at 1.86m (6-01.25), which was the second-highest of the weekend.

 

// THE LONG AND THE (NOT) SHORT OF IT

Rebecka Abrahamsson, a returning All-American in the triple jump, opened her year over the weekend by taking third in the long jump at the Kentucky Invitational with a mark of 5.74m (18-10.00). That mark ranks her sixth on the program’s all-time list, making her one of only four women to hold marks ranked in UC’s all-time Top 10 in both the long jump and triple jump. The school record holder in the triple jump (12.65m/41-06.00), Abrahamsson joins Laura Valldeperas (#2 LJ, #3 TJ), Shanay Portis (#3/#7) and Ije Obiorah (#10/#9) as the four to have their names on both lists.

 

// WELCOME BACK: ALL-AMERICAN EDITION

Four Bearcats garnered USTFCCCA All-America honors based on their performances at the 2015 NCAA championship events, including Adrian Valles, would earned first-team honors in the indoor and outdoor pole vault competitions. On the women’s side, Erika Hurd was named to the second-team indoors and first team outdoors for her efforts in the high jump, Rebecka Abrahamsson earned second-team honors in the outdoor triple jump and Kenya Woodall earned honorable mention for the outdoor 400m dash.

 

// CROSSING BORDERS

While both rosters carry an abundant number of products from the state of Ohio with 26 (of 43) men and 31 (of 48) women hailing from the Buckeye State, the Bearcats also boast a roster of eight international student-athletes set to compete in 2016. Both rosters house four internationals, including a pair of returning All-Americans in Rebecka Abrahamsson (Sweden) in the triple jump and Adrian Valles (Spain) in the pole vault. Joining Abrahamsson on the women’s roster are a pair of Canadians in Alanna Hendricks and Juliana Puopolo while Naomi Urbano (multi-events) hails from Mexico. Valles and fellow compatriot Sergio Acera (jumps) join distance runner Toby Loveridge (England) and sprinter Tevin-Lloyd Thompson (Jamaica) on the men’s roster.

 

// UP NEXT

The Bearcats will return to Bloomington next weekend (January 29-30) to compete in the Indiana Relays.

 

 

Alex Ryan

University of Cincinnati Athletics Communications

Contact for Cross Country // Track & Field // Women’s Soccer

alex.ryan@uc.edu // (513) 623-9992 // @al3xryan