January 29, 2010
Dear Bearcats,
I hope that your new year has gotten off to a great start and that you are keeping up with all of the great happenings surrounding UC Athletics. The winter sports seasons are always exciting, as has been the case against this year with some extraordinary achievements taking place all around. I want to call special attention to two outstanding Bearcats who have already pushed themselves and their University to positions of great honor this year.
UC Women's Track and Field standout Jasmine Cotten has started the 2010 indoor track season right where she left off last year - at a championship level. In just two meets this season, Jasmine has posted the top score in the nation in the pentathlon and is also nationally ranked in the high jump and long jump. Probably most impressive of all is that Jasmine has cleared 20' 1.5" in the long jump this year, which makes her the first athlete in UC women's history to eclipse 20 feet in the event. The BIG EAST Indoor Track and Field Championships will take place February 20-21 in New York City and we wish Jasmine and the Bearcats team all the best as they pursue league titles and personal bests.
Over at the Keating Aquatic Center UC's All-America men's swimmer Josh Schneider is also putting up great numbers, as he ranks second nationally in the 50 freestyle, and is also among the nation's best in the 100 butterfly and 100 freestyle. His marks in all three events lead all BIG EAST Conference swimmers. Josh is also an outstanding student. He was named the CEAS Scholar-Athlete of the Month in December while earning a 3.358 GPA as a marketing major. Josh and his Bearcats Swimming and Diving teammates will be travelling to the BIG EAST Championships in Pittsburgh later this month.
Our Department of Athletics will recognize our top student-athletes with an induction at the Legion of Excellence gala on Feb. 19 in the Great Hall at the Tangeman University Center. The night also includes the induction of the newest members of the James P. Kelly, Sr., Athletics Hall of Fame and the bestowing of the Order of the Black Blazer and Strubbe Distinguished Service Award. Induction into the Order of the Black Blazer, which recognizes individuals for their contributions and support of UC Athletics, will be bestowed upon Jack Drake, Frederick M. Haffner, M.D., and Carl H. Lindner. Presentation of the Strubbe Distinguished Service Award will go to John Courter and Sue Stephens Jones. In addition to the academic honors, former football star Brad Jackson, UC's first men's soccer all-American, Andrew Kean, and Olympic track and field gold medalist Mary (Danner) Wineberg will be formally inducted into the UC Athletics Hall of Fame.
Donors who are leaders and visionaries are priceless to our mission of building a championship culture on and off the field at UC. All of us here at the University of Cincinnati were saddened with the news of the death of Richard E. Lindner in mid January. While the Lindner name is synonymous throughout the region with United Dairy Farmers convenience stores as well as American Financial Group, Richard Lindner was also famous for being the operator of the Thriftway grocery store chains and his charity work. Most recognizable to fans of UC Athletics is our own Richard E. Lindner Varsity Village and the Richard E. Lindner Center which is the home of UC Athletics. He also contributed to the Richard E. Lindner Dining Room at the Shoemaker Center. All of our thoughts are with the Lindner family as they mourn the loss of this great Cincinnatian and proud Bearcat.
I'd like to close with a heartfelt thank you to all of the Bearcats who made their way to New Orleans for the 76th Sugar Bowl on New Year's Night. Thanks to your support, UC Athletics sold out of its bowl ticket allotment, selling all 17,500 tickets in less than 90 hours after the tickets went on sale. In total, an estimated 30,000 Cincinnati fans made the trip to New Orleans for the game, marking it the largest concentration of UC supporters in any location other than Cincinnati in the history of the University.
When Bearcats make impressions like this on the national stage, the goodwill generated for all who have earned a degree or have been associated with UC is overwhelming. One of the great things about college athletics is that we are the front porch of the University. We have the opportunity, through our competitions, to draw attention back to this world-class University. I am proud to be a Bearcat and know that you are as well.
I look forward to seeing you at upcoming athletics events during the coming month, and as always, appreciate everything that you do in supporting UC Athletics and our more than 500 student-athletes.
Sincerely,
Mike Thomas
Director of Athletics
