UNIVERSITY OF CINCINNATI

ABOUT CINCINNATI

Cincinnati's athletic program operates within a 204-year-old institution that enrolls 53,235 students across 17 varsity sports competing in the Big 12 Conference. The Bearcats field teams in traditional revenue sports including football and men's basketball alongside Olympic sports like swimming, tennis, soccer, and lacrosse. This balanced portfolio reflects the university's commitment to providing competitive opportunities across both men's and women's athletics, with the program headquartered in Ohio's third-largest metropolitan area.

The football program has experienced significant recent elevation, earning consecutive American Athletic Conference championships before joining the Big 12 in 2024 as part of the conference's major realignment. Men's basketball maintains its own competitive tradition within a similarly restructured conference landscape. Cincinnati's Olympic sports programs contribute substantially to the athletic department's overall competitiveness, with swimming and diving, soccer programs, and tennis squads regularly competing at high levels within their respective conferences and NCAA tournaments.