THE STUDENT VOICE OF THE UNIVERSITY OF CINCINNATI FREE

Team learns a

lot from this

soccer

season

Being the UC

mascot may be a

more diicult job

than you think

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THE NEWS RECORD / UNIVERSITY OF CINCINNATI

THURSDAY, NOV. 10, 2016

LAUREN MORETTO | NEWS EDITOR

Shocked is the general consensus for many University of Cincinnati students after last night’s election upset in which Donald Trump skirted Hillary Clinton for the presidency.

An anxious nation watched Tuesday night as election results pooled in.

Trump took swing states Florida, Ohio, Pennsylvania and North Carolina. Ultimately, Clinton’s 228 electoral votes trailed behind Trump’s 279, thereby securing his win.

Of the nearly 700 counties that twice sent Obama to the White House, a whopping one-third flipped in support of Trump, according to The Washington Post.

Though there is a divide in America, we never realized how deep the divide went, said Aditya Roy-Chaudhury, a third-year operations management student and president of the UC

Democrats. “Now with this election we’ve

seen that this gap is way wider. Nobody would’ve ever thought,” said Roy-Chaudhury.

About 55 percent of voters aged 18-29 voted for Clinton, while only 37 percent voted for Trump, according to exit polls by The New York Times.

Some students offered strong reactions on the election results.

As a minority, Roy-Chaudhury called a Trump presidency “something to be fearful about.”

Other students, like Francis Shuckerow, a third-year political science and environmental policy student, said they were “terrified” and “at a loss for words.”

This fear instilled in some students may stem from Trump’s rhetoric toward these groups.

“The things that worries us is that some of the sentiment that he’s said, things against Muslims, against African Americans, against women,” said Roy-Chaudhury, who

said electing him in spite of this rhetoric shows it’s acceptable.

Social media builds up a perception of Trump as a racist or homophobe, according to David Purtell, a second-year education student, member of UC College Republicans and a Trump supporter.

“I just don’t think that represents him at all,” said Purtell, referencing Trump inviting Caitlyn Jenner to use the restroom in Trump Tower.

“He’s a president for all the American people no matter what their sex or orientation,” said Purtell.

Not everyone agrees with Purtell’s assessment.

“[Trump] made Islamaphobia mainstream,” said Amina Darwish, a UC alumna and member of the UC Muslim Students Association, who noted the sharp spike in hate crimes against Muslims during the course of 2015 — which were up 78 percent, according to a report from the Center for the Study of Hate

and Extremism at California State University, San Bernardino.

“We’ve had incidents happen to students on campus,” said Darwish.

Chopping these strong emotions up as merely a reaction to social media build up is inaccurate, according to Darwish.

“This is not made up. The levels of Islamaphobia and the levels of racism [have] increased. This is not hysteria, these are documented incidents, and because these are our lives we feel them,” said Darwish. “These are my friends, these are my family, these are people that I know that are now dealing with this.”

As America looks ahead to Trump’s presidency, there are those who hold on to a hopeful future.

“It’s saddening to see our country vote for hate. But if we stick together we can get through it,” said Sophia Closson, a first-year fine arts major.

Senior reporter Justin Reutter contributed to this report.

KINSLEY SLIFE | NEWS EDITOR

Closing statements in the case against Ray Tensing for the killing of Sam Dubose have presented the jury with a bevy of overwhelming information — so emotionally taxing in a way that I couldn’t have understood before witnessing my first live court case.

I entered the overflow room on Nov. 9 with no predisposition for how it might feel to see the law at work, or the impassioned repercussions that came with the law’s presentation.

Immediately, the jury was faced with the task of discerning narrative from fact as the judge reminded the court that closing statements are not in any way to be considered evidence.

As a University of Cincinnati student, being mentally placed in a juror’s seat was a test of my own internal deliberations. This small facet of the law was one man’s fate.

To start, the prosecution began with an ending thought.

“The bullet from Ray Tensing’s gun did not stop the threat, it killed Sam Dubose,” said Hamilton County assistant prosecutor Mark Piepmeier

The prosecution’s argument stood primarily on broken down stills from evidential body cam footage, the testimonies of three eyewitnesses and the question of whether Tensing’s perception of the situation justified his actions.

Events were laid out for members of the court according to the prosecution’s perception: Officer Tensing is next to the car when soon after, he pulls the gun, shoots and falls to the ground.

The events that lead Tensing to the ground were supported by a precise breakdown of the seconds. When the gun appears on camera; when the car is last seen sitting still; the moment the car becomes in motion.

Two screens in the overflow room broadcasted the trial live, but a clear view of jurors’ body language was minimal and foggy at best. Regardless, the enormous pressure I felt in the presence of a national case happening in real time had been anything but lessened by my view.

A short recess eventually led court bystanders to the defense’s presentation of events. This narrative rested on two key points: “The threat” and subsequent body cam footage of traffic stops completed by Tensing earlier on that July 19 day.

Footage of previous stops was slated to prove to jurors that Tensing was a “good cop.”

“The threat,” a term I would eventually hear somewhere upwards of 20 times within my two hours in the overflow room, was used to justify the mere seconds in which Tensing would pull the trigger.

I was faced with a truckload of evidence spun and analyzed several different ways by both the prosecution and the defense, merely as a member of the Cincinnati community. Still, I felt overwhelmingly conditioned and disarranged by variations of a dynamic narrative with reoccurring buzz phrases like: “mashed the accelerator,” “stop the threat” and “perception of being dragged.”

Luckily, these happenings were not mine to disentangle. Following closing statements, the jury deliberated for four hours before deciding to return the next day.

The decision of justice for one man’s future and one man’s past lies heavily in the hands of just 12 people, left to discern the difference between narrative and fact.

UC reacts to Trump’s election winStudents call election results ‘saddening,’ ‘something to be fearful about’

A studentperspectiveas Tensingfaces jury

SHAE COMBS | STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER

President-elect Donald J. Trump smiles at Ohio crowd during rally in West

Chester March 13, 2016.

AARON DORSTEN | STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER

Hillary Clinton supporters sitting and engaging with students day after presidential election on McMicken Commons,

Wednesday Nov. 9, 2016,

AARON DORSTEN | STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER

Trump supporter tells Hillary supporters they are the ones with hate on McMicken Commons, Wednesday Nov. 9, 2016,

day after presidential election.

JASON SZELEST | STAFF REPORTER

The University of Cincinnati men’s soccer team’s 2016 season has officially concluded.

Following a 1-0 loss at the University of Central Florida on Saturday, the Bearcats wrapped up their year with a record of 9-7-1.

Had the Bearcats managed to defeat or tie UCF, their season would have continued with a berth in the American Athletic Conference tournament.

However, the Golden Knights were able to tie the Bearcats in overall points in the conference with the win, and took the fourth and final spot in the tournament due to winning the head-to-head matchup.

“The outcome was disappointing because we lost the game,” said head coach Hylton Dayes. “We all knew what the game meant, the fact that it was almost an elimination game.”

Dayes was ultimately frustrated by the fact that his team was unable to put together a goal in the contest.

“We had a goal called back for offside. We also

had a penalty kick that was appealed and was not given,” Dayes said. “At the end of the day, we have nobody to blame but ourselves because ultimately we did not score in the match.”

The disappointment continued for Dayes, who believed that if his team won and made the conference tournament, they would be fully capable of making a run.

“You always have a chance,” Dayes said. “We were the only team to beat [the University of South Florida.] They would be playing on their home field, but I think our guys had a belief that we could continue our season.”

USF is the No. 1 seed in the tournament

Looking forward, there is potential within the Bearcat roster for next season.

“[My biggest takeaway was] the promise of our team,” Dayes said. “The fact that we lost six seniors and a lot of people were saying this was a rebuilding year. I do not think there was a lot that was expected of our team.”

Due to the loss of six

seniors last year, this was a young team, but it did not seem to negatively impact them.

“We didn’t think too much about how or how old is this guy or whatever. Once it came down to it everyone

was mature in pulling their weight and just trying to get wins for the team,” said senior midfielder Nick Melville.

Despite not making the tournament, Cincinnati finished with their most

successful season since 2010.

“It is disappointing that we finished up the season the way we did, but I feel like the future is very bright for this group,” Dayes said.

Men’s soccer season concludes, future looks bright

N.C. BROWN | CHIEF PHOTOGRAPHER

Senior goalie Pedro Diaz (1) stands in the box at Gettler Stadium in the inal home game of the season for men’s soccer

against Eastern Illinois, Tuesday, November 1, 2016.

THURSDAY, NOV. 10, 2016

ASHLEIGH PIERCE | CHIEF REPORTER

University of Cincinnati Interim President Beverly Davenport is reportedly a candidate to be the next chancellor at the University of Tennessee, according to a release from UT officials.

Davenport is currently one of three candidates to visit UT’s campus in Knoxville, Tennessee.

UC students have mixed responses to Davenport’s possible departure from Cincinnati.

“I don’t feel very good about it,” said Kyle Wertz, a fifth-year information technology student. “It’s hard to keep presidents here it seems like. I wouldn’t be heartbroken, but at the same time, I don’t feel good about it.”

It hasn’t been disclosed whether or not Davenport is in the running for the permanent position as UC’s president. While some students believe she should be a candidate, others believe she may be concerned about her job

security at UC or exploring all of her options.

Spencer Tuckerman, a UC alumnus and blogger at OhVarsity.com, was disappointed by the news and believes Davenport likely applied for the chancellor position at UT due to receiving some kind of indication that she wouldn’t be considered for a permanent position as UC’s president.

Alexander Vinolus, a third-year secondary history education student, was also saddened by the circumstances and said he would love to see Davenport as UC’s permanent president.

“I personally don’t know much about her, but I think she has done a great job so far as our interim president and former provost,” Vinolus said. “But I have had a professor tell me that others do not approve of her, so I do not know for sure.”

Tuckerman noted Davenport’s close ties to

former UC President Santa Ono — who left his position at UC in July to become president at the University of British Columbia in Vancouver — which is why Tuckerman hoped Davenport would secure the permanent position as president.

The UC community expects someone with Ono’s leadership style, or at least knowledge of that style, according to Tuckerman.

“I don’t know if Davenport would have been that type of president, but I think it’s worth a lot that she worked closely with Ono, saw his accessibility and vulnerability with the UC community, and the way the community responded to that,” said Tuckerman.

“I think I speak for a lot of students and alumni when I say that it would be hard to return to a traditional president after having Ono.”

While Tuckerman and

Vinolus agree that it’s impossible to know, they don’t think Davenport would want to leave UC if she was offered the position.

Davenport and administrators in both UC’s Office of the President and the Governmental Relations and University Communications office were not available for comment.

Meanwhile, the search continues for UC’s next president.

The presidential search committee received more than 50 resumes from applicants all over the world, and is now beginning the review and interview process, according to Undergraduate Student Body President Mitchell Phelps.

As of now, the committee is on track to select a president sometime in January, Phelps said.

ASHLEIGH PIERCE | CHIEF REPORTER

The University of Cincinnati Student Government is volunteering in order to support two UC student-led initiatives benefitting the students of Hughes-STEM High School.

SG passed a resolutions bill 25-0-1 Wednesday, resolving to send nearly 40 volunteers to Fifth Third Arena to participate in UC’s Shine the Shoe and donate the earnings to the two initiatives.

Through the Shine the Shoe program, UC provides student organizations the opportunity to clean up a section of Fifth Third Arena after a men’s basketball game in turn for $800 awarded to the organization to use at their discretion.

By SG participating in Shine the Shoe and committing to donate, the Center for Community Engagement pledged to match SG’s donation for a total donation of $1,600 toward the two initiatives.

The first initiative, the Big RED and Black (BRB) Mentoring Program, led by UC fourth-year student Shannon Reid, aims to provide Hughes-STEM High School students with a UC student mentor from seventh grade through graduation.

Reid said that after more than two years of tutoring students at Hughes High School, she discovered there is a bigger need for the students than just tutoring — a need for mentorship.

The BRB Mentoring Program focuses on promoting career success among students at Hughes through access to mentorship within UC’s undergraduate student body, focusing on achieving academic success, enhancing leadership and professional skills, defining career goals and interests

in relation to post-secondary education and more.

The second initiative, the Hughes High School Science Fair program, led by UC student Rickey Terrell, aims to promote innovation and subject matter expertise in the sciences for Hughes-STEM students.

The science fair program was created to allow Hughes students to learn science outside of the classroom.

Students will have the opportunity to discover their scientific interests, improve scientific communication abilities through presentation skills and technical writing and network with science and engineering

professionals.Undergraduate Student Body

President Mitchell Phelps offered his full support for SG’s bill.

“We talk about ‘one community’ a lot, both [Vice President] Brooke Duncan and I on our platform, and I think this is a great initiative to that partnership that we’ve created university-wide, and then within Student Government with our work with the After Hours in the Towers program,” Phelps said. “I think this is really great showing more student government members how we can truly assist with our neighbors across the street.”

While UC has a formal partnership with Hughes-STEM

High School for the enrichment of their students through the UC-Hughes Bridge Program, UC has limited resources to support the growth of the program, which is why SG Sen. Doug Donnan was eager to direct the funds toward these specific initiatives.

“I’m very thankful to see this and see what Student Government can get involved in,” said SG Sen. Joseph Malek.

SG and the Center of Community Engagement will donate $1,600 toward the Hughes High School Science Fair and BRB Mentoring Program upon SG’s completion of Shine the Shoe, which is expected to be in January, although an official date is not yet specified.

ZACHARY PERRIN | STAFF REPORTER

As high school students are preparing to apply for college, social media experts are encouraging them to create LinkedIn profiles.

LinkedIn is a social media website where individuals create accounts that showcase their professional identity. It acts as a resume by displaying the individual’s past work experience as well as their notable accomplishments in areas such as community service, academics and membership in organizations.

High schools across the country now have classes that teach students how to create and manage their profile. Many colleges now even have their own LinkedIn profiles so that applicants can interact with them online — providing a more direct way for students to interact with colleges they intend to apply to.

In a survey of 400 college admissions officers, 40 percent reported visiting the social media pages of applicants, according to a study by Kaplan Test Prep.

On websites like Twitter

and Instagram, students may not be creating posts with college in mind and therefore may not think to censor themselves in order to look presentable.

“I do think that colleges should check the social media of applicants because some kids post really, really stupid stuff on their social media and that could be an indicator of them doing stupid stuff at the university and getting themselves and other kids into situations that they shouldn’t be in,” said Connor Schuck, a University of Cincinnati second-year communication student. Universities should not make that the top factor, according to Schuck.

UC does not look at an applicant’s social media pages unless the page is mentioned on the application, and in that case it’s usually because the applicant has done something extraordinary using social media that they would like the university to see, according to Jazmyn Battie, a UC admissions counselor.

But some have suggested that that is all the more reason to create a LinkedIn profile, because even if

the university doesn’t seek it out, it could set an applicant apart.

“I see where the idea is coming from, but I don’t think there’s a lot of stuff that high school aged kids have accomplished that is worthy of putting on a LinkedIn profile, unless they like did something crazy like start a business and make money,” said Schuck.

“High school achievements are achieved by so many kids that I think just putting it on a LinkedIn is unnecessary. I think LinkedIn should stay more of a professional type of social media that job applicants look for and not so much school related.”

While the admissions office does not seek out LinkedIn profiles, it can still be an important tool for students once they’re in college.

“It’s a great social media website for students to create just because when you are a student in college and once you start doing your co-ops and internships or any type of work related experience it will be great to have that website to refer to employers” said Battie.

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The News Record is the editorially independent student-run news organization of the University of Cincinnati. It serves UC students, staff, faculty, alumni and the Cincinnati community with award-winning news and information on a variety of media platforms. The free newspaper is published on Mondays and Thursdays and is distributed to more than 80 locations on and near UC campuses. TNR’s website, www.newsrecord.org, is updated as news breaks and offers video, audio and interactive features. TNR’s app and podcasts are available for download on mobile devices.

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2 / NEWS

Davenport candidate for UT Chancellor

SG votes on initiatives to partner with Hughes High School

Experts encourage high schoolers to make professional Linkedin profiles

PROVIDED BY UC

ALEXANDRA TAYLOR | PHOTO EDITOR

Student government voted on two UC student-led initiatives beneitting students of Hughes High School Wednesday evening, Nov. 9, 2016 in TUC.

DAI SUGANO | BAY AREA NEWS GROUP | MCT

Deep Nishar, senior vice president, Products and User Experience at LinkedIn,

on July 11, 2013, at LinkedIn headquarters in Mountain View, California.

THURSDAY, NOV. 10, 2016

LIFE & ARTS / 3

Brewcats: Wooden Cask Brewery

RUSSELL HAUSFELD | ARTS AND

CULTURE EDITOR

Craft brewers are straying further and further from the traditional brews that make up beer’s history with their own twists and variations on the wheel. But some brewers, like Cincinnati’s Christian Moerlein Brewery, have actually founded their business on tradition, harking back to historic traditions like Reinheitsgebot Bavarian Purity law of 1516.

Now, Newport is welcoming a new brewery — Wooden Cask Brewery — that is also founded around traditional beers of the English, Scottish and Irish variety. The passion project of Randy Schiltz and his wife, Karen, Wooden Cask will open on Nov. 12.

At the grand opening, five original beers will be bottled and sold year-round at their storefront. These include an American wheat beer, a Scottish-style stout, an IPA, a double IPA and a light hybrid brew.

Schiltz is very familiar with the world of craft brewing, having co-founded Rivertown Brewery with Jason Roeper in 2009. He plans for Wooden Cask’s brews to be on the lighter, easier-to-drink side of the craft beer spectrum to cater to a crowd that may be skeptical of ordering something like a Pickle Gosé — as seen at Urban Artifact.

“Almost every tap room

I’ve been into, you hear someone ask, ‘What’s your lightest beer?’” Schiltz told the Cincinnati Enquirer in February. “It’s a way to get people started so they can see that craft beer doesn’t have to be 100 IBUs and 14 percent ABV.”

The brewery also plans to have seasonally-inspired beers on tap throughout the year and potentially act as a beer education facility in the future with educational series that might break down small batches of beer brewed with different yeast or other variations.

This brewery will accompany Ei8ght Ball as the second brewery in Newport, but accompanies a slew of other breweries opening up around the Cincinnati and Newport area, including Swine City Brewing Co., Brink Brewing Co., Alexandria Brewing Co. and Narrow Path Brewing.

GO: Wooden Cask Grand Opening, 629 York St., 11 a.m.-11 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 12.

KATARINA KNEHANS | STAFF REPORTER

A local alternative band with a kick can be found in local pubs and venues all over Cincinnati —and when they tour, the country.

One Day Steady, was formed nine years ago by Ryan Peters, 28, rhythm guitarist and lead vocals, and Tucker Stremming, 28, lead guitarist and keys.

Members Garrett Zimmerman, 26, bassist and backup vocals, and Garrett Skirvin, 24, drummer and backup

vocalist were later brought in with the duo five years ago.

While Stremming and Peters met when they were 20 years old, they kept the band going through thick and thin to introduce their new members to the group.

Their energy while performing is electric, with all the members in sync with each other, providing a memorable concert experience for anyone who enjoys the local band scene. They started the group for fun and their

love of music, which really comes through when they play.

The band has a punk rock alternative feel, fluctuating between angst, anger and a pure understanding of the hardships and beauty of the world.

Having released three albums, “My Real Problem” (2016), “Cinematic” (2014), and “We Might Be Crazy” (2012), they tour all around the country playing local gigs, selling merchandise and “making fans and friends along the way”

Peters stated. While their main goal

for the future is to tour as much as possible, they also want to produce more music videos for their most recently released album, said Peters.

While touring is challenging, the band all love being on tour despite how expensive it is, according to Peters.

They also endured the constant cost of fixing things that mess with their van, not showering everyday and sleeping in

the van. Their next local gig is

at MOTR Pub with Near Earth Objects, another Cincinnati band, and The Tilt Room, which originated from Pittsburgh. The show will take place Saturday.

The writing process itself is collaborative, one they try to build together, Peters said.

While some songs start with Peters humming a melody or having a hook to sit around and develop a song around, sometimes Stremming will come

up with a riff or a chord progression to play around with.

One Day Steady: local alternative band profile

PROVIDED BY ODS

Local Cincinnati band, One Day

Steady, performs Saturday, Nov. 12,

2016 at MOTR with other Cincinnati

band, Near Earth Objects, and The Tilt

Room from Pittsburgh.

PROVIDED BY WOODEN CASK

BREWERY FACEBOOK

Wooden Cask Brewery is the

second craft brewery to open in

Newport

SHAE COMBS | STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER

A diplay at “The Book of Other Enoch” exhibit currently showing at the Cincinnati Art Museum.

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ERIN COUCH | STAFF REPORTER

An epic story scrapped from the Hebrew Testament is now being told through the artwork of a Kentuckian in the exhibit “The Book of Only Enoch” at the Cincinnati Art Museum.

That’s the premise behind the woodcut and relief etchings in the exhibit, featuring images from a book and film that artist Jay Bolotin put together: about a boy from Kentucky reaching spiritual clarity in a journey where he is met with a slew of eccentric characters.

The narrative’s setting is transplanted from biblical times to Kentucky, where Bolotin hails from.

“The original Book of Enoch is the story of a human who was able to spy upon angels and live to tell the

tale,” Bolotin said. “My book, and my protagonist, is a re-imagined version of this, set in the Kentucky of my childhood.”

The woodblock and relief etching pieces featured in the exhibit require patience. The etchings go through a time-consuming process before they are ready to be displayed.

Essentially, the artist writes in reverse directly onto a copper plate, which is printed first, and then the woodblock is printed. Next, the woodblock is carved so that pieces that are cut out do not receive ink, and the parts that do receive ink are raised and transferred onto paper.

What is most intriguing about the imagery depicted in the exhibit is that the etchings not only feature images

of the characters, but also the text of the story, which creates a narrative beyond just looking at the pictures.

However, the text is not just rattling off what is going on in the story. The characters almost intermingle with the text itself. In “The Diamonds of Her Tights,” a paragraph of text ripples like water as an outreached hand makes its way through a block of words. This breaks the fourth wall between the characters and the reader, leaving art lovers with a profound sense of inclusion.

GO: “The Book of Only Enoch,” Cincinnati Art Museum, through March 12, 2017, 11 a.m.-5 p.m. Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday, Saturday, Sunday, 11 a.m.-8 p.m. Thursday, Closed Monday. FREE.

‘The Book of Other Enoch’ depicts epic story through etchings, prints

THURSDAY, NOV. 10, 2016

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DAVID WYSONG | SPORTS EDITOR

When one thinks of a college athlete, football players, basketball players, soccer players or track athletes come to mind.

However, some of the most athletic individuals on a college campus, and at the University of Cincinnati specifically, are never mentioned: the school mascot.

UC’s official mascot is the Bearcat, and in order to be selected to sport the giant uniform, candidates must fulfill a number of requirements.

First, the identity of the individuals inside the suit must remain anonymous until their graduation day.

Two of the other many requirements are judged during tryouts, where participants must be able to run a mile within six and a half minutes, as well as run the UC flag at the correct speed.

Candidates must run a mile within the given time frame due to the mascot constantly being active.

“The reason for this is when you’re in the suit, and the things you do on top of it are extremely athletic. You’re adding about 30 to 40 degrees roughly, depending on what you’re doing. So we need people who are in shape, or at

least above the average athlete, that way we can get them in the suit and know they’re not going to pass out on us,” the Bearcat said.

They also must run the flag at the correct speed because they lead the Cincinnati football team onto the field with flag in hand during every home game; meaning they must look athletic while doing so.

“It’s a very high moment, there’s a ton of people cheering, we want to make sure it looks good. So we need people that are physically able to do that correctly,” the Bearcat said.

If someone gets selected to become the Bearcat, the athletic challenges do not stop there.

Once selected, the five members who work as the Bearcat — which increased from two in recent years due to a higher demand — are obligated to wake up at 5 a.m. and go to a lifting session two to three times a week.

They use the football team’s weight coaches as well as work out their entire body inside the varsity weight room.

The experience of being the Bearcat is more than working out and being athletic, however.

“Crowd surfing at the top of [Nippert Stadium] and

just raising your hands and hearing thousands of people just losing their minds, it’s the most fulfilling experience probably that I’ve ever had in my life,” the Bearcat said.

In addition, the Bearcat gets the opportunities to travel across the country, as well as meet celebrities.

The Bearcat was recently invited to the Universal Cheerleaders Association Division IA mascot national championship. Only 10 mascots in the country are invited to compete, and they were ranked at No. 8.

The rankings are based on a video that was sent in, and the final standings are based on a combined score from the video and a timed skit the mascots perform at the championships.

The national championship, which also includes cheerleading and dance teams, takes place Jan. 13-15, 2017 in Orlando, Florida.

“Being at eight, it does hurt us because our video is part of our score, but our goal is the top-three,” the Bearcat said.

The Bearcat was the winner of the Capital One Mascot Challenge in 2009, but this will be their first year competing in the UCA national championship.

DAVID WYSONG | SPORTS EDITOR

A season after the University of Cincinnati women’s soccer team won the American Athletic Conference championship and made an appearance in the NCAA tournament, the team fell short of both feats this season.

The Bearcats went 11-5-4, good enough to make the AAC tournament, but lost to the University of South Florida 4-3 in penalty kicks during the quarter finals.

Cincinnati had a young team this year, with 12 freshmen on the roster. The team’s inexperience could have played a role in not reaching last year’s heights.

“With the youth of the team, we were always focused on this being like a learning experience,” said Bearcat head coach Neil Stafford. “I knew that if this was a season where our youngsters really

gained experience and really sort of matured within their freshman season, then I knew that would set us up for the long haul.”

Despite the team’s youth, Cincinnati had four seniors who all logged over 900 minutes on the season.

“Our seniors, their leadership off the field is what really stands out for me,” Stafford said. “I think the culture and the environment that we’ve created has really been huge, in part to the seniors and from the day we both stepped on campus together.”

“Everything we’ve done will rise and fall on our leadership … and I felt like the senior leadership on and off the field, in and out of the classroom really set the tone for the freshman so that we feel the freshmen have hit the ground running.”

A positive sign for this team will be that all of Cincinnati’s top-four

scorers are returning next year.Vanessa Gilles is a junior

defender and she was second in points with 12, scoring six goals. She only trailed junior forward Julie Gavorski who had 17 points and eight goals.

“For me I don’t think it really matters that much to me how many goals I have, it’s more of like the team’s success,” Gilles said. “Last year I had four goals, but I think they were more significant … So I think not so much personal success gets me hyped, more team success, and this year we weren’t able to move forward in the tournament, which really got me.”

Despite Cincinnati losing one of their key defenders in senior Kayla Utley, Gilles believes the team has the chance to be stronger defensively next year.

The Bearcats were third in the AAC in the least amount of goals allowed per game.

“Going forward, I think we are getting really talented recruits and some of the freshman we have this year are going to get the experience of this spring to grow and learn more about our formations. So I think next year we should be stronger as a defensive unit,” Gilles said.

Sophomore forward Jordan Cotleur played 1,118 minutes this season and hopes to take what she learned from playing so much and translating to the future.

“A lot of what I learned is that you can make contributions to the field in other ways than just statistics … So I think it’s good that players, like me especially, learned how to play and contribute in other ways, we just need to find the next level next year,” Cotleur said.

Cincinnati will have a long offseason to work to improve and will start their 2017-18 campaign in August 2017.

DAVID WYSONG | SPORTS EDITOR

Uncertainty is a word to describe the state of the Cincinnati Bearcat football program.

Fans of the team are uncertain about a plethora of issues: if the team will have a losing season; if they will make a bowl game; who will be the team’s starting quarterback and how long head coach Tommy Tuberville will be in charge.

The University of Cincinnati has not had a losing record since 2010, but the team currently sits at 4-5, as well as 1-4 in the American Athletic Conference.

In addition, Cincinnati has not missed a bowl game since that same season. They need to win two of their last three games in order to receive an invite.

Their road to a bowl game and a winning percentage at or below .500 will not be easy by any means. The team’s last three games are against opponents

with winning records, and they have failed to defeat a winning team within the Division I Football Bowl Subdivision this season.

“We have three conference games left, we got to do better,” Tuberville said. “All of these teams are very quality teams, we got to make sure our guys stay on top of it … We just got to take them one at a time and try to get better and try to improve and keep their enthusiasm.”

Cincinnati’s first test will be against the University of Central Florida Knights, who are 5-4 on the season.

Tuberville said his team will have to prepare for their offense, which is a fast, spread-style group who likes to run the ball.

However, the Bearcats may need to prepare more for their defense due to the fact that UC’s offense has not scored a touchdown in six-straight quarters.

“They run a three and a four man front, have guys flying all over the place. They try to give you

bad plays. They’ve got good speed, quickness,” Tuberville said.

A quarterback controversy has been a dark cloud over Cincinnati’s offense all season long, with three guys lining up behind center.

Fifth-year senior Gunner Kiel has been starting the past three games. After finding success in his first appearance against East Carolina University, he fell flat in two-straight games, failing to pass for over 200 yards in both of them.

Kiel’s struggles have appeared to reopen the controversy.

“We will have a rotation this week, we will see what happens as we go through this week’s practice,” Tuberville said during his Tuesday press conference. “As of today, is [Gunner] the starter? I would say we probably don’t know who the starter is today.”

Looking ahead to after this season, it is unclear if Tuberville will retain his

head coaching position. Many fans have called for

his job due to the team’s win-loss record declining each year under his leadership.

In addition, Tuberville has recently dug himself a larger hole.

After the team’s 20-3 loss to Brigham Young University Saturday Tuberville was caught yelling at a heckling fan and saying, “Go to hell … get a job.”

He has since apologized for his actions in a statement as well as during his press conference, but has went on to make other questionable statements.

“Our program is much better right now than it was when I got here. Now it ain’t showing on the scoreboard and we got some guys in here that write stuff that I don’t know what you write it for, but we’re going to be here and we’re going to win games,” Tuberville said.

Prior to Tuberville’s first season in 2013-14,

Cincinnati had 10 or more wins during five of their last six seasons — they have yet to have one 10-win season under Tuberville.

Despite fans turning against him, Tuberville is still receiving support from his players.

“Coach [Tuberville] is our head coach and we stick

with him through anything really. Whatever he does we’re all behind him,” said junior wide receiver Devin Gray.

The Bearcats face the Knights in Orlando, Florida at noon Saturday. The game will be aired on ESPNU and ESPN News.

Being the Bearcat is athletic, once in a lifetime experience

Women’s soccer uses season as learning experience

Football team prospects now full of uncertainties

N.C. BROWN | CHIEF PHOTOGRAPHER

The UC swimming and diving team huddles up around the Cincy Bearcat prior to their meet against Michigan State at the

Keating Aquatic Center, Friday, November 4, 2016.

N.C. BROWN | CHIEF PHOTOGRAPHER

Vanessa Gilles (11) collides with a

defender while heading the ball

against Temple at Gettler Stadium,

Sunday, October 30, 2016.

N.C. BROWN | CHIEF PHOTOGRAPHER

Gunner Kiel’s (11) pass to wide receiver Devin Gray (21) falls incomplete in the

back of the endzone against BYU at Nippert Stadium, Saturday, November 5,

2016.