Alex Bloom successfully defended his decathlon crown and Brooke Catherine grabbed gold in the women’s pole vault to lead the University of Cincinnati track and field program on the second day of action at the 2018 American Athletic Conference Outdoor Championships that are being held at Gettler Stadium in Cincinnati. The duo claimed their second career conference crowns with Bloom winning last year’s decathlon in Houston and Catherine taking the indoor title this year for a sweep of the event in 2018.
TEAM STANDINGS
With the second day of action complete, the Bearcats women sit third overall with 32.5 points and the men tied for fourth with 31 points. The women have completed seven of 21 events with ECU leading the way with 45 points and UConn in second with 34. After the hosts, the rest of the women’s Top 5 sees Houston sitting fourth (30 points) and Tulane fifth (26.5). On the men’s side, Wichita State leads the way through six events being scored with 46 points while Memphis (33), Houston (32), UC and UConn (31) round out the Top 5.
CATHERINE SWEEPS
Catherine secured her first outdoor title as she cleared 4.21m (13-09.75), breaking her previous PR of 4.20m and improving her standing as the #3 clearance holder in program history. After passing three heights, Catherine came in and cleared 3.91m, 4.01m, 4.11m and 4.21m all on her first attempts. After clearing 4.21m, she took a crack at 4.36m, which would have given her both the school record (4.35m) and the Gettler Stadium record (4.31m). Regardless, the victory scored 10 points for the team and earned her all-conference accolades.
Historically, Catherine’s sweep marks the fourth time UC has taken the indoor and outdoor conference crowns in the same year, but just the second time the sweep has come from the same individual. Prior to 2018, Mackenzie Fields won the indoor and outdoor titles in 2013. One year prior, Sarah Rasnick (indoor) and Michelle Eby (outdoor) combined to sweep with the duo of Tara Meier (indoor) and Brittany Klima (outdoor) combining to win the titles in 2007.
BLOOM GETS THE DOUBLE
Bloom successfully defended his decathlon crown as he scored 7,318 points to earn the gold medal, all-conference honors and 10 points for the Bearcats. Bloom opened the day with a run of 14.93 in the 110m hurdles to break the program’s decathlon record of 14.97 run by Mike Yoder 18 years prior (2000). Although he didn’t PR in any of this other events, he did manage to post a score that placed him 21st nationally so far.
With his victory, Bloom becomes just the third Bearcats man to win two decathlon conference crowns since 1980. The most recent to accomplish the feat came from Bloom’s current coach, Chris Wineberg, who won the decathlon crowns in the 2002 and 2004 seasons. Prior to that, David Yimsumruay was the first (since 1980) to win two titles as he claimed gold in 1996 and 1997, the only other UC man to win his multiple titles in back-to-back seasons.
BIG DAY FOR BEN
Ben Wollenslegel also fought his way to the finish in the decathlon and scored 6,741 points overall to finish in fifth place and score four team points. His total, which ranks as the #10 mark in UC history, was aided by six PRs on the day, including a time of 15.64 in the 110m hurdles, a time that ranks him #9 in decathlon history at UC. Overall, he scored 3,135 points Saturday to help him record a PR of 360 points for the overall decathlon scoring.
HEPTATHLON SCORING
Four women took part in the heptathlon over the past two days with three of those Bearcats securing points for the team. Angelica Lightfoot finished fourth overall with 4,845 points to score five team points; Naomi Urbano placed fifth with 4,701 points to grab four more team points; and Katie Straus added one point by placing eighth with 4,554 points. Lightfoot, Straus and Maggie Loeffler (4,418 points) all posted personal-best scores in the event with Lightfoot’s tally placing her eighth on the program’s all-time Top 10 ledger.
Saturday, Lightfoot posted four PRs as she jumped to 5.75m (18-10.50) for the #3 heptathlon long jump mark in program history before throwing the javelin to 29.24m (95-11) and finishing with a time of 2:43.43 in the 800m run. All told, her 1,787 points scored today ranks as the #10 score in program history. Loeffler added three PRs in four events on Saturday as her bests came in the long jump (5.13m/15-09.75) and javelin (24.95m/81-10) to give her 1,579 points on Day Two, the most in her career.
SCORING POINTS – WOMEN
Seven other women scored points for the team Saturday, including Irati Mitxelena, who finished third in the long jump to collect six points. Mitxelena had a best leap of 5.89m (19-04.00) to earn the bronze medal. Three other field event athletes scored as well, including both Rachel Coghill and Allie Plybon in the pole vault and Alexis Gray in the discus. Coghill placed fifth overall with a best of 3.81m (12-06.00) to pick-up four points while Plybon cleared 3.66m (12-00.00) to score 1.5 points with her tie for seventh place. Gray’s single point came after she finished eighth in the discus with a toss of 47.94m (157-03).
SCORING POINTS – MEN
Two other men added points to the team total Saturday with both finishing eighth in their respective events to chip in one point each. Sam Meece placed eighth in the discus with a best of 49.72m (163-01) while Dan Huben was eighth in the 3,000m steeplechase in 9:22.97. Huben was in 10th place with 100m remaining in the race with the two competitors ahead of him stumbling over the final barrier, allowing the Bearcats senior to charge hard to the line and move past both men to take the final scoring position.
ADVANCING
With many of the races Saturday being preliminary rounds, several Bearcats did what they needed to do on the women’s side to advance to the finals Sunday, including three in the 400m dash and two in the 1,500m run while the men sent two through as well. In the sprint, Haisha Bisiolu was the top qualifier as she ran a PR 54.21 for the #6 time in UC history while Tiona Lattimore (54.92) and Deanna Gesicki (55.84) advanced as the #5 and #8 qualifiers. In the 1,500m run, Alexis Anton and Meg Westerheide finished in the Top 4 of their heat to earn automatic berths into the final as Anton was #2 on the day at 4:35.33 while Westerheide was #8 at 4:37.06. For the men, freshmen Connor Duricky and Isaiah McCall both punched their tickets to the final of the 110m hurdles with Duricky running 14.04, the #3 time on the day and the #7 time in UC history. McCall qualified sixth with a PR tie of 14.64.
ON DECK
The third and final day of competition at the 2018 AAC Championships will open Sunday at 10 a.m. with the men’s javelin at Coy Field while the first events at Gettler Stadium will include the women’s high jump and men’s pole vault at noon and running getting underway at 4:30 p.m. with the 4x100m relays.
2018 AAC Outdoor Championships
May 11 • Day 2 • Gettler Stadium/Coy Field • Cincinnati
Women’s Results
100m Hurdles – Prelims
11. Juliana Puopolo • 14.08 (+0.2) • PR & UC #10
12. Angelica Lightfoot • 14.17 (+0.7)
16. Grace Winckowski • 14.84 (+0.7) • PR
400m Dash – Prelims
1. Haisha Bisiolu • 54.21 • PR & UC #6 • qualifies to final
5. Tiona Lattimore • 54.92 • qualifies to final
8. Deanna Gesicki • 55.84 • qualifies to final
12. Sylvana Ross • 56.98
1,500m Run – Prelims
2. Alexis Anton • 4:35.33 • qualifies to final
8. Meg Westerheide • 4:37.06 • qualifies to final
13. Madison Dunlap • 4:43.99
Long Jump – FINAL
3. Irati Mitxelena • 5.89m (19-04.00)(+0.1) • All-Conference • 6 points
12. Kennedy Marable • 5.67m (18-07.25)(+0.5) • PR
17. Kellsa Mbah • 5.45m (17-10.75)(+0.4)
Pole Vault – FINAL
1. Brooke Catherine • 4.21m (13-09.75) • PR & UC #3 • AAC CHAMPION & All-Conference • 10 points
5. Rachel Coghill • 3.81m (12-06.00) • 4 points
t7. Allie Plybon • 3.66m (12-00.00) • 1.5 points
t10. Sadie Brass • 3.66m (12-00.00)
Discus – FINAL
8. Alexis Gray • 47.94m (157-03) • 1 point
16. Ashley Williams • 40.33m (132-03)
Heptathlon – FINAL
4. Angelica Lightfoot • 4,845 points • PR & UC #8 • 5 points
5. Naomi Urbano • 4,701 points • 4 points
8. Katie Straus • 4,554 points • PR • 1 point
11. Maggie Loeffler • 4,418 points • PR
HEP #5 • Long Jump
2. Angelica Lightfoot • 5.75m (18-10.50)(+1.5) [774p] • PR & UC HEP #3
7. Naomi Urbano • 5.30m (17-04.75)(+0.0) [643p]
9. Maggie Loeffler • 5.13m (16-10.00)(+1.0) [595p] • PR
12. Katie Straus • 4.82m (15-09.75)(+0.9) [511p]
HEP #6 • Javelin
2. Naomi Urbano • 36.52m (119-10) [601p]
11. Angelica Lightfoot • 29.24m (95-11) [462p] • PR
12. Katie Straus • 26.25m (86-01) [406p]
13. Maggie Loeffler • 24.95m (81-10) [381p] • HEP PR
HEP #7 • 800m Run
4. Katie Straus • 2:28.61 [710p] • PR
7. Maggie Loeffler • 2:37.44 [603p]
9. Naomi Urbano • 2:41.74 [553p]
10. Angelica Lightfoot • 2:43.43 [534p] • PR
HEP DAY TWO SCORING
Angelica Lightfoot • 1,787 points • PR & UC #10
Naomi Urbano • 1,770 points
Katie Straus • 1,627 points
Maggie Loeffler • 1,579 points • PR
Men’s Results
100m Dash – Prelims
12. Mykel Chambers • 10.60 (+0.2) • PR
18. Anthony Woods • 10.90 (-0.4)
— Khalid Fuller • false start
110m Hurdles – Prelims
3. Connor Duricky • 14.04 (+1.2) • PR & UC #7 • qualifies to final
6. Isaiah McCall • 14.64 (-0.3) • PR • qualifies to final
9. Kelvin Williams • 14.86 (-0.3)
11. Justin Tulloch • 15.20 (+1.2) • PR
400m Dash – Prelims
10. Halen Witcher • 48.65
14. Ryan Greene • 49.53
1,500m Run – Prelims
10. Matt Stump • 3:56.94 • PR
3,000m Steeplechase – FINAL
8. Dan Huben • 9:22.97 • 1 point
Long Jump – FINAL
10. Brandon White • 6.94m (22-09.25)(+0.0)
Discus – FINAL
8. Sam Meece • 49.72m (163-01) • 1 point
12. Marcus Abraham • 46.78m (153-05)
14. Danny Jones • 44.80m (146-11)
15. Aaron Deaton • 43.57m (142-11)
Decathlon – FINAL
1. Alex Bloom • 7,318 points • AAC CHAMPION & All-Confernce • 10 points
5. Ben Wollenslegel • 6,741 points • PR & UC #10 • 4 points
DEC #6 • 110m Hurdles
3. Alex Bloom • 14.93 (+1.1) [858p] • PR & UC DEC RECORD
9. Ben Wollenslegel • 15.64 (+1.1) [774p] • PR & UC DEC #9(t)
DEC #7 • Discus
3. Alex Bloom • 36.87m (120-11) [601p]
4. Ben Wollenslegel • 36.12m (118-06) [586p] • PR
DEC #8 • Pole Vault
4. Alex Bloom • 4.40m (14-05.25) [731p]
5. Ben Wollenslegel • 4.30m (14-01.25) [702p] • PR
DEC #9 • Javelin
6. Ben Wollenslegel • 43.73m (143-05) [496p] • DEC PR
10. Alex Bloom • 40.16m (131-09) [444p]
DEC #10 • 1,500m Run
6. Ben Wollenslegel • 4:57.00 [577p] • PR
8. Alex Bloom • 4:59.12 [565p]
Decathlon Day Two Scoring
Alex Bloom • 3,199 points
Ben Wollenslegel • 3,135 points
