Men's Track Travels To Rutgers For BIG EAST Championships
May 3, 2001
Coral Gables, FL (www.hurricanesports.com) – The University of Miami men’s track and field team travels to Rutgers University for the BIG EAST Outdoor Track and Field Championships, May 4-6, in Piscataway, NJ.
Miami enters this weekend’s conference championships with a strong contingent and looks to improve on last season’s fifth-place finish.
UM will look to do most of its scoring in the sprints and hurdles. Leading the Hurricanes will be seniors Daryl Jones (Dallas, TX) and Joseph Mbayen (France), and junior Gus Martin (Miami Northwestern).
Jones, the two-time defending BIG EAST champion in the 100-meters, will attempt to become just the second runner in BIG EAST history to win three consecutive 100-meter titles joining Syracuse’s Michael Morris who won three straight from 1984-86.
Mbayen currently ranks No. 1 in the BIG EAST in the 100-meters and has also recorded the Hurricanes’ second fastest time in the 200-meters.
Martin has had a stellar outdoor season posting five top-five finishes in the 110-meter hurdles including a victory at the Hurricane Invitational on March 30. He has the best time in the BIG EAST in the 110-meter hurdles this season and has posted the Hurricanes top time in the 200-meters.
Jones, Martin, Mbayen also join senior Shane Brown (Jamaica) to form the No. 1 ranked 4×100-meter relay in the BIG EAST.
In the distance events UM will look to sophomore Dan Boniface (Seattle, WA) and junior Jeff Gaulrapp (Baldwinsville, NY). Boniface set the school-record in the 3000-meter steeplechase and has recorded two victories in three meets this season. He has also posted Miami’s best time in the 1,500-meters. Gaulrapp currently ranks second to Boniface on the team in both the 3000-meter steeplechase and 1,500-meters.
The Hurricanes look to continue its dominance in the decathlon. Senior Guy Emry enters the competition with the BIG EAST’s top mark in the event and will attempt give UM its fourth consecutive title.
Miami enters the outdoor championships with a talented contingent in the field events. Junior Jabari Ennis will attempt to continue his impressive season in the pole vault. Ennis has recorded three meet victories this season and has recorded a mark of 16 feet or better four times.
Senior Ed Reed will compete in the javelin. Reed won the BIG EAST title in 1999 and is the UM record holder in the event.
The Hurricanes are also counting on freshman Vince Wilfork to place well in the shot put. Wilfork has been slowed due to an ankle injury this outdoor season but recorded one of the best indoor seasons in UM history. Wilfork bettered the UM record in the shot put in all three meets this indoor season and finished second at the BIG EAST Indoor Championships. He ranks third in the BIG EAST this outdoor season.
