By Bill Koch
The Cincinnati Enquirer

UC hurdler David Payne, a Wyoming High School graduate, now has his college practices at Reading High. The Cincinnati Enquirer/STEVEN M. HERPPICH

Before the season started, the coaches and members of the University of Cincinnati track team made two promises to themselves.

Their on-campus track had been lost for a year due to Varsity Village construction, leaving them scrambling for a place to practice, but they refused to let that become a factor in what kind of season they would have.

"We vowed to not let the loss of a track defeat us," said UC men's track coach Bill Schnier, "and we vowed not to complain about our lot in life."

Not only have the Bearcats managed to survive the juggling act that this season has become, they have thrived, putting together the best men's track season in school history.

As they prepare for the Conference USA meet, which begins today in Louisville and continues through Saturday, they have won all three meets in which team scores were kept - the Miami Invitational, the All-Ohio Championships and the Southern Ohio Cup.

They also have qualified for the NCAA Mid-East Regional in 10 events and for the first time in the school's history had two individual winners in the Drake Relays.

The Bearcats practice in three different places - jumpers at the Armory Fieldhouse on campus, runners at Reading High School after the high school team finishes, and throwers at Coy Field near campus.

Schnier adopted the attitude early on that good always comes from bad and has found that having to travel to Reading for practice has brought his team closer together.

"The kids have actually enjoyed making the trip together to Reading," Schnier said. "We get to know each other better and spend more time with each other. That's really in harmony with what our team stands for."

UC, which last won the C-USA championship in 2001, is one of three teams expected to compete for the conference championship this week.

The Bearcats' chief competition will come from Texas Christian and Houston.

In the most recent rankings, based on results in previous meets, Houston was ranked first in the league, followed by UC and TCU.

"Those rankings give you a pretty good idea," Schnier said. "But we live our lives in shades of gray. That's the beauty of it. It really comes down to the meet itself."

UC's best hopes for individual titles are hurdler David Payne, decathlete Chris Wineberg and long jumper James White.

Payne, a Wyoming High School graduate, has the league's best time in the 110 hurdles at 13.65 seconds. He was third nationally in that event last year and has qualified for the Olympic Trials June 9-19 in Sacramento, Calif.

Wineberg, from Springfield, Ohio, has posted the best score (a school-record 7,387 points) in the decathlon and is tied for the best mark in the pole vault (17-0 3/4).

And White, a member of the UC basketball team, has the best long jump mark at 25-7 1/2.

Not having a track this season isn't the only disadvantage the Bearcats face. They don't have an indoor track team, they're a cold-weather school competing in a warm-weather conference and they have only 10.2 in-state scholarships as opposed to the NCAA limit of 12.6 out-of-state scholarships.

To compensate, Schnier relies on walk-ons and a team approach.

"I come from a Division III school," Schnier said. "The thing that they do best is create an atmosphere of care and concern."

E-mail bkoch@enquirer.com