CINCINNATI — Juliette Laracuente-Huebner grew up in Marengo, Ohio, with big dreams, and she's turning them into reality on the track and in the classroom at the University of Cincinnati.
The junior multi-combined events athlete on the UC women's track and field team earned First-Team All-American honors during the 2025-26 season, setting five school records along the way.
"I grew up in a small town called Marengo, Ohio, and I'm a multi-combined events athlete on the women's track and field team," she said.
Laracuente-Huebner holds school records indoors in the hurdles and long jump, and outdoors in the long jump, as well as both her indoor and outdoor multi records.
"Long jump has been really fun this year. I gained a lot of speed and a lot of muscle, so my better events are probably long jump and the hurdles," she said.
During the 2025-26 season, she was named UC's Female Athlete of the Year and selected as the Big 12's fourth annual Bob Bowlsby Award recipient, an honor given to student-athletes who demonstrate leadership and achievement both on and off the field.
"Just to be recognized by the Big 12 out of all student athletes was pretty significant for me," she said.
Academic excellence has been just as important to Laracuente-Huebner as athletic achievement. She graduated valedictorian from her high school class and came to UC determined to pursue nursing, a path some programs told her was incompatible with competing.
"My mom and dad really drove into my head that academics is really important, so in high school I graduated valedictorian at the top of my class, and coming into college, like I told you, I wanted to be a nursing major which is very difficult to do as an athlete. I remember getting on recruiting calls with some schools and they told me I had to pick between track or nursing if I wanted to be on their team," she said.
At UC, she found a different environment. With a supportive team and coaching staff, Laracuente-Huebner competed at the highest level while graduating with a 4.0 GPA in just three years. She has since shifted her academic focus toward audiology.
"I love physics and I love math and also helping people. Audiology is a great field for that. Next summer I start my doctorate of audiology degree and I'll also still be running for UC, so I'll be doing both of those things at the same time," she said.
The path to success has not been without setbacks. In the summer of 2024, Laracuente-Huebner was sidelined by plantar fasciitis, spending six weeks in a boot before returning to competition. Then, during the indoor conference meet, she strained her hamstring for the second time that season on her last long jump attempt — with the Big 12 championship on the line.
"I won. I ended up winning that meet. That was my first Big 12 championship, but come to find out the next morning I missed out on NCAAs by one point in one spot, which was pretty devastating," she said.
That near-miss only sharpened her resolve heading into the following season.
"Coming to this year I knew that I didn't want that to happen again. I wasn't going to be injured this year and I was going to turn things around, put my name out there and make people a little afraid of me, you know, a force to be reckoned with a little bit," she said.
Now, Laracuente-Huebner has her sights set on the 2028 Summer Olympics.
"I always had really high expectations for myself. I was 8 years old dreaming of going to the Olympics when I was 16, so just having that childlike, silly goal, just reaching for the stars, but I think it's closer than ever before," she said.
When asked how she manages it all, she credited patience, joy, and her coaching staff.
"A lot of patience and making sure I'm having fun. I have an amazing coach and he's always making sure that I'm really enjoying what I'm doing and not feeling like it's a chore to be here. I still enjoy the sport and love it. And I'm a competitor and love to compete," she said.
Beyond the track, Laracuente-Huebner volunteers her time at all-girl track camps and community organizations like Girls on the Run, hoping to inspire the next generation of athletes.
"When I go out there and compete and I get text messages from them and from their parents, it's really inspiring and gives me something to compete for," she said.
This segment aired on CINCY LIFESTYLE and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
