Women's Track Impressive At Gator Invitational

Feb. 6, 2005

Gainesville, Fla. (hurricanesports.com) – The ninth-ranked University of Miami women’s track and field team won five events, set two school-records and recorded five NCAA provisional qualifying marks and one NCAA automatic qualifying mark at the Gator Invitational in Gainesville, Fla.

Senior Kim Barrett (Miami Gulliver Prep) once again showed why she is one of the top throwers in the nation winning the shot put with a mark of 18.02 meters (59-01.50). Her winning toss is the best mark in the nation this season and set a new UM record, bettering the old mark by nearly five feet. The throw was also a new Stephen C. O’Connell Center record and automatically qualifies her for the NCAA Indoor Track and Field Championships, March 11-12, in Fayetteville, Ark.

Miami sophomore All-American jumpers Brenda Faluade (Katy, Texas) and Tabia Charles (Pickering, Ontario) each won events on Sunday. Faluade won the long jump with a personal-best and NCAA provisional qualifying mark of 6.27 meters (20-07.00) and placed second in the triple jump with an NCAA provisional mark of 12.71 meters (41-08.50).

Charles, who earned All-America honors in both the long jump and triple jump at last season’s NCAA Indoor Championships, captured the triple jump with an NCAA provisional mark of 13.10 meters (42-11.75).

All-American Dominique Darden (Harrisburg, Pa.) won the 55-meter hurdles in a personal-best and NCAA provisional qualifying mark of 7.75 seconds. She also provisionally qualified for the NCAA Championships in the 200-meters placing third in a time of 23.95 seconds.

In the mile run, junior Melanie Schultz (Davison, Mich.) won for the second time this season in a school-record time of 4:50.61.

The Hurricanes return to action next weekend at the Tyson Invitational, February 11-12, in Fayetteville, Ark.