Eight Hurricanes Headed to Sydney

Keim Finishes Eighth In Olympic 3-Meter Keim Qualifies For Olympic Final Ahrens Ninth, Lengyel Eleventh In 3-Meter An Inside View from Olympic Headquarters/US Captures Gold in 10-M Diving! UM Divers Advance To Olympic SemifinalsClarke Injured During 400-meter Semifinal Allen Bows Out In Opening Round Of 400-Meter Hurdles Clarke Advances to 400-Meter Semis Clarke Advances In Olympic 400-Meters Keim To Compete In 10-Meter Synchro Leier Bows Out In Olympic Semifinals

CORAL GABLES, Fla. (www.hurricanesports.com) – Four current and four former University of Miami student-athletes will be competing at the Summer Olympic Games, September 15 – October 1, in Sydney, Australia.

Leading the current Hurricane contingent will be senior diver Jenny Keim (Ft. Lauderdale, FL). Keim, a two-time NCAA Champion, won the 3-meter springboard competition at the United States Olympic Diving Trails earlier this summer to qualify for her second Olympic team. Keim finished ninth in the 3-meter springboard at the 1996 Summer Games in Atlanta.

Keim will be joined by junior divers Stefan Ahrens (Germany) and Imre Lengyel (Hungary). Ahrens and Lengyel, both three-time All-Americans, will be competing in their first Olympic Games.

Heading the list of former Hurricanes will be 1996 Olympic Bronze medal winner Davian Clarke. Clarke, a two-time NCAA Champion while at Miami (1994-98), will compete in the 400-meters and 4×400-meter relay for Jamaica. Clarke anchored the Jamaican 4×400-meter relay team to a third-place finish at the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta.

Also returning to the Olympics will be diver Jose “Chemi” Gil. Gil, a four-time All-American and 1994 NCAA Champion (1-meter) while at Miami (1991-95), will compete for Spain in the 3-meter springboard and 10-meter platform. Gil will be making his fourth trip to the Olympic Games having competed for Spain in 1988, 1992 and 1996.

Two former Hurricanes making their first trip to the Olympic Games include Patrina Allen and Rhiannon Leier. Allen, a six-time All-American while competing for Miami from 1994-98, will compete for Jamaica in the 400-meter hurdles while Leier, a 1999 graduate of UM, will compete for Canada in the 100-meter breaststroke.

Current Hurricanes Heading to Sydney:

Stefan Ahrens (Germany) – men’s 3-meter springboard
Jenny Keim (United States) – women’s 3-meter springboard
Imre Lengyel (Hungary) – men’s 3-meter springboard, 10-meter platform
Randy Abelman (United States) – assistant diving coach

Former Hurricanes Heading to Sydney:
Patrina Allen (Jamaica) – women’s 400-meter hurdles
Davian Clarke (Jamaica) – men’s 400-meters, 4×400-meter relay
Jose “Chemi” Gil (Spain) – men’s 3-meter springboard, 10-meter platform
Rhiannon Leier (Canada) – women’s 100-meter breaststroke

Following are updated bios of Hurricanes heading to the Olympics:

STEFAN AHRENS
Junior
Lichtenhagen-Dorf, Germany
ON AHRENS: Three-time All-American diver who will be competing in his first Olympic games in the 3-meter springboard as a member of the German Olympic Team…earned All-America honors in the 3-meter springboard and 1-meter springboard at the 2000 NCAA Swimming and Diving Championships…finished second in the 3-meter and third in the 1-meter…earned All-America honors in 1999 with a third-place finish at the NCAA Swimming and Diving Championships…placed third in the 1-meter and second in the 3-meter at the 1999 BIG EAST Championships.
PREP: Placed first at the 1998 German 3M Nationals…finished third at the 1998 European championships…is a 15-time German Junior National Champion.
PERSONAL: Born 9/17/76…majoring in advertising…enjoys photography…son of Peter and Ulrire Ahrens.

JENNY KEIM
Senior
Ft. Lauderdale, FL
ON KEIM: Qualified for the 2000 United States Olympic Team with a first-place finish in the 3-meter springboard at the United States Olympic Trials in Federal Way, WA…will be making her second trip to the Olympic Games…finished ninth in the 3-meter springboard at the 1996 Olympic Games in Atlanta…2000 NCAA National Champion in the 10-meter platform…finished second in the 1-meter and 4th in the 3-meter to earn All-America honors in both events at the 2000 NCAA Swimming and Diving Championships…was named BIG EAST Diver of the Year after winning both the 1-meter and 3-meter competitions at the 2000 BIG EAST Championships….won the 1999 NCAA National Championship in the 3-meter springboard…also finished second in the 10-meter and third in the 1-meter in being named the 1999 NCAA Diver of the Year…won BIG EAST titles in the 1-meter and 3-meter at the 1999 BIG EAST Championships.
PERSONAL: Born 6/17/78…majoring in political science…hopes to one day become a lawyer…family currently lives in Sydney having moved to Australia in 1997.

IMRE LENGYEL
Junior
Budapest, HungaryON LENGYEL: Will compete in the 3-meter springboard and 10-meter platform for his native Hungary at the 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney, Australia…earned All-America honors in both the 1-meter and 3-meter competitions at the 2000 NCAA Swimming and Diving Championships…finished third in both events…also competed in the 10-meter platform finishing 10th…was named the 2000 BIG EAST Diver of the Year…finished first in the 1-meter and second in the 3-meter at the 2000 BIG EAST Championships…earned All-America honors at the 1999 NCAA Championships with a third-place finish in the 3-meter springboard…placed second in the 1-meter and third in the 3-meter at the 1999 BIG EAST Championships.
PREP: Placed first in the 1-meter and 3-meter diving competitions at the World University Games…placed fourth in the 3-meter at the 1998 World Championships and first in the 1-meter at the 1997 European Cup.
PERSONAL: Born 4/24/77…enjoys shopping and gymnastics…is undecided on his major.

RANDY ABELMANOne of the nation’s top diving authorities, Randy Ableman is in his eleventh season as coach of the Hurricane diving team, which has perennially been one of the nation’s best since his arrival. Ableman has coached 31 All-Americans and ten individual champions in his first ten seasons at UM. Eight times he has been named NCAA Diving Coach of the Year (1989, 1992, 1993, 1995, 1996 and 1997, 1998, 1999) and he was honored as the 1996-97 and 1998-99 BIG EAST Men’s and Women’s Diving Coach of the Year.
In 1996 he spent the summer as co-head coach for the U.S. Olympic Diving Team and in August of 1997 he was the head coach for the U.S. squad at the World University Games.
Though highly successful since he took over the reigns as diving coach at UM, Ableman led his squad to unparalleled heights in each of the last five seasons. Last season, Ableman became the first Hurricane diving coach to have two divers (Rio Ramirez and Jenny Keim) named NCAA divers of the year. Under his guidance, UM became the first school in NCAA history to have five divers earn All-America status in the same year (1995) as seniors Jose “Chemi” Gil and Brian Ramos joined freshmen Tyce Routson, Bryan Gillooly and Chris Mantilla in earning All-America honors. Miami also accomplished another NCAA first when Routson, Gillooly and Mantilla swept the 10-meter event at the NCAA Championships in Indianapolis marking the first time that any freshman group from one school claimed the first three spots.
In 1996, the Hurricanes made history again as they swept the top three places in both the 3- and 10-meter diving events. Gillooly became the second UM diver to be named the NCAA Men’s Diver of the Year after winning the 10-meter championship, placing second in the 3-meter competition and third in the 1-meter event. Mantilla gave the Hurricanes their second NCAA champion in 1996 by winning the three-meter championship. Led by Gillooly with 53 points, the Hurricanes were the only school to have three athletes place in the Top 10 individual scoring at the 1996 NCAA Swimming and Diving Championships.
In 1997, the NCAA Championships became another showcase for the Hurricanes when seven divers received All-America recognition as Rio Ramirez joined Routson, Gillooly and Mantilla for the men and Janel Brenda, Tammy Christensen and Doris Glenn Easterly earned honors on the women’s side. Routson was named the Men’s Diver of the Year after winning the 3-meter and 10-meter NCAA individual championship and Ramirez captured the 1-meter title to make Miami the first school to win the NCAA title in each of the three individual diving events in the same year.
In 1996, Ableman also coached seven athletes at the U.S. Olympic Trials. Among his pupils were Scott Donie, who won the 3-meter event and proceeded to finish fourth at the Centennial Olympic Games in Atlanta.
Ableman was rewarded for his success in 1995 by accomplishing an unprecedented double. In March at the NCAA Championships, he was named the NCAA Diving Coach of the Year for the fourth time. In September, he had the most prestigious award in diving bestowed upon him when he was presented the Mike Peppe Award by the U.S. Diving, Inc. for the top diving coach in the nation.
In addition to leading the ‘Canes to an impressive showing at the 1995 NCAA Championships, Ableman led both of his teams, UM and the Miami Diving Club, to a one-two finish at the Phillips 66 National Diving Championships in Midland, TX in April.
Under Ableman, a Hurricane diver has captured a national title at the NCAA Championships each of the last seven years. He coached Dean Panaro to four NCAA titles and the highest point total in NCAA history. Gil, Routson, Gillooly, Mantilla and Ramirez have also each won NCAA diving championships under Ableman’s tutelage. Easterly, Robbi Dalton, Betsy Girvan and Brian Ramos all finished as NCAA runner-ups.
A member of the 1980 U.S. Olympic team and an NCAA Diving Champion in 1981, Ableman hasalso coached four divers who competed in the 1992 Olympics. Among those divers were Daphne Jongejans, Jose Gil, and Edwin Jongejans, and he also coached the U.S. National team at the 1994 World Championships in Rome. That 1994 team included six UM divers.
Ableman, 40, is a 1983 graduate of the University of Iowa and is married to the former Karen Gorham. They are the proud parents of a four-year old daughter Charlotte Patricia.

DAVIAN CLARKE
Jamaica Olympic Team
Class of 1998

ON CLARKE: Considered the greatest men’s track and field athlete ever to run at the University of Miami…will compete in both 400-meters and 4×400-meter relay for Jamaica at the 2000 Summer Olympic…is making his second trip to the Olympics…anchored the Jamaican 4×400-meter relay to a bronze medal at the 1996 Summer Games in Atlanta…also reached the finals of the 400-meters where he finished seventh (44.99)…was a six-time All-America and two-time NCAA National Champion in the 400-meters while competing for the Hurricanes from 1994-98…finished first in the 400-meters at the 1996 NCAA Outdoor Championships as well as the 1998 NCAA Indoor Championships…won seven BIG EAST titles during his career…won BIG EAST Indoor 400-meter titles in 1996 and 1998…won five BIG EAST outdoor championships including two 400-meter titles (1997 and 1998), two 200-meter titles (1996 and 1998) and one 4×400-meter relay championship (1995)…left UM as the school-record holder in six different events including the indoor 400-meters (45.86), indoor 4×400-meter relay (3:09.75), outdoor 200-meters (20.66), outdoor 400-meters (44.96), outdoor 4×400-meter relay (3:07.15) and the Sprint Medley relay (3:18.20).

PATRINA ALLEN
Jamaica Olympic Team
Class of 1998

ON ALLEN: Six-time All-America who will compete in both 400-meter hurdles and 4×400-meter relay for Jamaica at the 2000 Summer Olympic…is making her first trip to the Olympics… finished third in the 400-meter hurdles (55.49) at the Jamaican Olympic Trials to qualify for the Jamaican Olympic team…her six All-American honors rank second on UM’s all-time chart behind Gillian Russell (9)…earned All-America honors in the 55-meter hurdles, 100-meter hurdles and 4×100-meter relay as a freshman in 1995…is the only freshman in UM history to earn All-America honors in three events…won six BIG EAST outdoor titles during her career, more than anyone else in school history, including three consecutive BIG EAST titles in the 400-hurdles from 1996-98…currently holds school outdoor records in four events including the 400-meter hurdles (57.43), 4×100-meter relay (44.29), sprint medley relay (3:51.83), shuttle hurdle relay (53.88).

RHIANNON LEIER
Canadian Olympic Team
Class of 1999

ON LEIER: Is making her first trip to the Olympic Games…will compete in the 100-meter breaststroke for her native Canada…finished first in 100-meter breaststroke at the Canadian Olympic Trials…earned honorable-mention All-America honors in the 100-yard breastroke four consecutive seasons (1996, 97, 98, 99)…earned honorable-mention All-America honors in 1996 in the 200-yard breastroke…won three BIG EAST titles in the 100-yard breaststroke (1996, 1997, 1999) and two in the 200-yard Individual Medley (1998, 1999)…earned BIG EAST All-Academic honors all four years.

JOSE “CHEMI” GIL
Spanish Olympic Team
Class of 1995

ON GIL: Is making fourth trip to the Olympic Games representing Spain…will compete in the 3-meter springboard and 10-meter platform…finished first in the 1-meter at the 1999 European championships…competed for Miami from 1992 to 1995 earning nine All-America honors…won the NCAA National Championship in the 1-meter springboard in 1994.