Track and Field Plays Host to Hurricane Invitational

March 18, 2008

CORAL GABLES – The University of Miami track and field teams will compete at home for the first time this season as they welcome 21 collegiate squads to Coral Gables to participate in this year’s edition if the Hurricane Invitational Thursday through Saturday at Cobb Stadium.<?xml:namespace prefix=”o” ns=”urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office”?>

The meet is scheduled to get underway at 10 a.m. with the women’s heptathlon, followed with the men starting the decathlon at 11 a.m.  Field events will begin Friday afternoon at 3 p.m., led off with the women’s hammer throw and concluding with the men’s shot put at 6 p.m.  Both the men’s and women’s 5K events will be run Friday evening at 7 and 7:20 p.m. respectively.

Field events continue Saturday morning at 11 a.m. with the men’s hammer throw, while the running events get off the blocks at 1 p.m.

The Hurricanes are less than a week removed from the NCAA Indoor National Championships.  For the women, junior Krista Simkins became the sixth student-athlete in UM storied history to win an NCAA National Championship.  The now two-time All-American broke the school record in the 400-meters with a preliminary time of 51.95.  A day later she won the title, with a wire-to-wire finish of 52.16.

Tim Harris became a four-time All-American after finishing fourth in the 800-meters.  The senior was one of five runners that finished within four-tenths of a second of each other. 

Junior Viktoria Andonova, senior Khadija Talley and the 4×400 relay team, consisting of freshman Takecia Jameson and Ti’erra Brown with sophomore Kristy Whyte, also competed in last weeks championships in <?xml:namespace prefix=”st1″ ns=”urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags”?>Fayetteville, Ark.  The rest of the members of the teams haven’t competed in nearly a month.

Next week both the men’s and women’s teams will be right back at Cobb Stadium, as they host the Hurricane Challenge on March 29.

Tickets for the this weekend’s meet will be available at the Cobb Stadium gate at $5 for adults and $3 for students.

Schedule of Events

Thursday, March 20

Heptathlon            10 a.m.                  Decathlon             11 a.m.

100 hurdles                                          100 meters

High jump                                             Long jump

Shot put                                                 Shot put

200 meters                                           High jump

                                                                400 meters

Friday, March 21

Heptathlon            10 a.m.                  Decathlon             11 a.m.

Long Jump                                           110 hurdles

Javelin                                                   Discus

800 meters                                           Pole vault

                                                                Javelin

                                                                1500 meters

3 p.m. – Field Events          

Hammer (w)

Javelin (m) women to follow

High jump (m) women to follow

6 p.m. – Shot put (m)

7 p.m. – Running Events   

5000 (m)

7:20 p.m. – 5000 (w)

Saturday, March 22

11 a.m. – Field Events        

Hammer (m)

12 p.m.

Pole vault (m)

Long jump (m)

Long jump (w)

2 p.m.

Shot put (w)

Discus (m)

3 p.m.

Triple jump (m)

Triple jump (w)

3:30 p.m. – Pole Vault (w)

4:30 p.m. – Discus (w)

Running Events

1 p.m. – 4×100 relay (m)

1:10 p.m. – 4×100 relay (w)

1:20 p.m. – 1,500 meter run (m)

1:30 p.m. – 1,500 meter run (w)

1:45 p.m. – 110 hurdles (m)

2 p.m. – 100 hurdles (w)

2:15 p.m. – 400 meters (m)

2:30 p.m. – 400 meters (w)

2:45 p.m. – 100 meters (m)

2:55 p.m. – 100 meters (w)

3:10 p.m. – 800 meters (m)

3:20 p.m. – 800 meters (w)

3:30 p.m. – 400 hurdles (m)

3:45 p.m. – 400 hurdles (w)

4 p.m. – 200 meters (m)

4:15 p.m. – 200 meters (w)

4:30 p.m. – 3000 steeplechase (m)

4:45 p.m. – 3000 steeplechase (w)

5 p.m. – 4×400 relay (m)

5:15 p.m. – 4×400 relay (w)