Women's Track Places Third At NCAA Championships
March 12, 2005
Fayetteville, Ark. (hurricanesports.com) – The University of Miami women’s track and field team recorded one individual national title and a school-record 12 All-American honors en route to a third-place finish at the NCAA Indoor Track and Field Championships in Fayetteville, Ark.
Miami recorded 32 points marking its best finish in school-history. Tennessee posted 46 points to win its first indoor National Championship. Florida was second with 36 points.
Senior Kim Barrett (Miami Gulliver Prep) solidified her status as the nation’s top thrower accounting for 14 of Miami points this weekend. Barrett won the national title in the shot put on Friday and then placed fifth in weight throw on Saturday.
Barrett’s winning shot put throw of 18.10 meters (59-04.75) came on her final attempt of the competition. Her winning throw was almost one foot farther than her nearest competitor.
Barrett is the fourth Hurricane woman in school-history to win an individual track and field national championship joining Gillian Russell who won five national titles in the hurdles from 1992-95, Yolanda McCray who won the NCAA title in the 100-meter hurdles in 1999, and Lauryn Williams who captured the 100-meter title last season.
On Saturday Barrett earned All-American honors in the weight throw placing fifth with a toss of 21.23 meters (69-08.00).
Sophomore All-American Tabia Charles (Pickering, Ontario) earned All-American honors in both the long jump and triple jump for the second consecutive season. Charles placed seventh in the long jump on Friday with a leap of 6.28 meters (20-07.25) and finished sixth in the triple jump on Saturday with a season-best mark of 13.39 meters (43-11.25). Fellow sophomore Brenda Faluade (Katy, Texas) placed ninth in the long jump with mark of 6.18 meters (20-03.50) to earn All-American honors for the third time.
Senior Amber Williams (Succasunna, N.J.) became the first Hurricane to earn All-American honors in the pentathlon finishing fifth with 4,055 points.
Junior Dominique Darden (Harrisburg, Pa.) finished seventh in the 60-meter hurdles with a time of 8.14 seconds earning All-American honors for the sixth-time of her UM career. Her time is a personal-best and marks the third fastest time in school-history.
In the 400-meters, sophomore Ginou Etienne (Miami Central) finished fifth with a time of 53.04 to earn All-American honors for the second-time in her career and for the first time in an individual event.
Miami’s 4×400-meter relay of senior Wiande Moore (Spring, Texas), Darden, freshman Lauren Austin (Oviedo, Fla.) and junior Charlette Greggs (Miami Northwestern) concluded the meet placing sixth with a time of 3:33.39 to earn All-American honors for the second time in the last three seasons.
Miami opens the outdoor track and field season when its hosts the Hurricane Invitational, March 17-19, at Cobb Stadium in Coral Gables, Fla.
