July 21, 2022
CINCINNATI — University of Cincinnati transfer wide receiver Nick Mardner has been named to the Biletnikoff Award Watch List, presented annually to the nation’s top receiver.
Mardner spent his previous four years at Hawai’i, where he broke out for 46 receptions and team-highs of 913 yards and five touchdowns at Hawaii in 2021. The Mississauga, Ontario, native started the season with a four-week stretch from Sept. 4 to Sept. 25 where he had 97 receiving yards in every game, including a six-catch, 110-yard performance against Oregon State and a four-catch, 120-yard game against New Mexico State. He also had four catches for a season-high 139 yards and a touchdown at UNLV on Nov. 13. Mardner, who at 6-foot-6 is the team’s tallest receiver or tight end, arrived to Clifton in time for spring practice. He has averaged 20.7 yards per catch over his career and was a midseason addition to the Biletnikoff Watch List in 2021.The name Biletnikoff is synonymous with the term receiver. Fred Biletnikoff, a member of the pro and college football halls of fame, was a consensus All-America receiver at Florida State University and an All-Pro receiver for the Oakland Raiders. He caught 589 passes for 8,974 yards and 76 touchdowns in his 14-year Raiders career from 1965 through 1978. Fred was the Most Valuable Player of Super Bowl XI.THE BEARCATS ARE READY TO RELOADLed by the reigning consensus National Coach of the Year Luke Fickell and 12 returning starters, the Bearcats are the two-time defending AAC Champions and are coming off of a 13-1 season that culminated in a trip to the 2021 College Football Playoff. With a 44-7 mark since the start of 2018, Cincinnati’s 86% winning percentage ranks among the nation’s Top 5 winning percentages over the last four years. Cincinnati opens the 2022 season at 3:30 p.m. ET on Sept. 3 against Arkansas in Fayetteville, Ark., before coming home to Nippert Stadium to welcome Kennesaw State at 3:30 p.m. on Sept. 10.
While season tickets are sold out for the first time in school history, fans can still purchase single-game tickets for as low as $25 HERE. Fans can also join the waiting list for 2023 season tickets.
COURTESY UC SPORTS COMMUNICATIONS
