Their stories, unique.
Their journeys, diverse.
But whether they play basketball, compete in track and field, line up on the football field or whether they’ve worn orange and green in the past or do so today, they share the same pride.
They are all Miami Hurricanes.
To celebrate them, we asked a special group of student-athletes and alums to take us behind the scenes and tell us their Miami memories. They shared their joys, their challenges, their perspectives and some of the moments they’ll never forget.
They shared how The U shaped them and helped make them who they are.
They shared how they became Miami Made.
Norchard Omier
Norchad Omier grew up playing baseball in his native Nicaragua before a sharp-eyed coach saw him and asked him if he’d be willing to trade the diamond for the hardwood. Today, Omier is a history-maker, the first Nicaraguan-born basketball player to earn a Division I scholarship. He’s inspired his countrymen and found a second home at Miami where he was a force during the Hurricanes’ history-making 2022-23 season.
David Dinsmore
Former Hurricanes diving standout David Dinsmore has always loved the water. As a competitor and national title winner at Miami, the pool was his second home. But after injuries ended his career and forced him to find a new path, Dinsmore found solace not in the water, but on it – as a fisherman and charter boat captain. It’s been a second chapter he says likely wouldn’t have been possible were it not for his time as a Hurricane.
Moriah Oliveira
During her time at Miami, Moriah Oliveira has experienced her share of hardships. But with the support of her teammates and coaches on the Hurricanes track and field team – including her twin sister, Sierra – the junior has not just endured, but thrived, even in the wake of unimaginable loss. After losing both her grandfather and her father in the span of mere weeks, Oliveira found solace on the track and emerged as one of the top sprinters in the ACC. And her teammates and coaches would say she’s only going to get better.
The Walters Brothers
Andrew and Brian Walters fell in love with the game of baseball as children growing up in Palm Bay, Florida. That’s about when they fell in love with the University of Miami, too, thanks in large part to their uncle Matt Walters, a member of the Hurricanes’ 2001 national championship football team.
Separated by two years, Andrew and Brian Walters had the chance to play together in high school, but dreamed of the day they could possibly share the field at Mark Light Stadium. They made that dream a reality, but it was dashed after a season-ending injury. While their journey at Miami hasn’t gone as expected, the two are determined to do their parts to get the Hurricanes back to the College World Series, be it on the mound or from the dugout.
Ja’Leah Williams
Ja’Leah Williams fell in love with basketball as a middle-schooler playing against boys in Pompano Beach. Not long after, she made an impression on a number of college coaches, including Miami’s Katie Meier and Fitzroy Anthony. But just when Williams started letting herself dream of the possibility of playing collegiately, doctors informed her she’d have to have surgery to correct the severe curvature of her spine. She worried whether she’d ever play basketball again and while some college programs shied away from recruiting her, Meier and Anthony weren’t about to give up on her. Williams wound up making history at her high school after surgery – and at Miami, where she was part of the Hurricanes’ magical run to the Elite Eight this past spring. She – and her coaches – say she’s still got plenty more to accomplish.
