No. 7 Hurricanes Ready for Miami Elite Invitational
April 11, 2008
CORAL GABLES – The annual Miami Elite Invitational will be held this Saturday April 12 at Cobb Stadium in <?xml:namespace prefix=”st1″ ns=”urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags”?>Coral Gables as the University of Miami women’s track and field program welcomes 14 different collegiate teams from around the nation to the “U”. <?xml:namespace prefix=”o” ns=”urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office”?>
The Miami Elite traditionally brings the cream of the crop to the University of Miami and this year’s list of world renowned post-collegiate athletes is just another example of that. Jamaica’s Veronica Campbell and former Hurricane Lauryn Williams have created a rivalry in the last few years with Campbell edging out Williams for gold at the Osaka World Championships in 2007 in the 100-meters. Campbell also won gold at the Athens Olympics in 2004 in the 200-meters. Williams won gold in the 100-meters at the 2005 World Championships in Helsinki, Finland, as well as taking gold in the 4×100-relay in both Helsinki and Osaka.
Other notable post-collegiate athletes include American Lashinda Demus, who won silver at the 2005 World Championships in the 400-meter hurdles; Debbie Ferguson-McKenzie, the 2000 Olympic gold medalist from the Bahamas in the 4×100-relay; and American hurdler Tiffany Ross, who won silver at the 2006 Indoor World Championships.
Additional post-collegiate runners will be former UM stars Ginou Ettienne, Wylleshia Myrick, Charlette Greggs and Natalie Watson.
The Miami Elite will also highlight seven seniors who will participate in their last home meet for the Hurricanes. The list includes Misty Barber, Erin Keene, Kathleen McInvale, Kaitlin Nazario, Delia Phlatts, Khadija Talley and Stephanie Webber.
Talley is the most decorated of the departing class. The former Georgia Thrower of the Year as a senior in high school broke the UM record in the discus as a sophomore and won the ACC Title in the event as a junior. Also as a junior, Talley won an ACC Championship in the indoor weight throw. So far her senior season has been highlighted by a personal-best mark in the hammer throw and an All-ACC finish in the weight throw.
Kaitlin Nazario also has left her mark in the Miami record books as she is the record holder in the javelin throw (43.64m). Nazario has already qualified for the NCAA Regionals this season and will look to better her mark on Saturday.
Other teams that are competing in the Miami Elite are Bethune-Cookman, UCF, Columbia, Connecticut, Embry-Riddle, Florida Atlantic, Florida International, Florida Memorial, Nova Southeastern, Seminole Community College, Villanova, Warner Southern, Wheaton (Mass.) and Xavier.
The Miami Elite will start at noon with the field events, while the running events are set to begin at 5 p.m.
Next week, the Hurricanes will head to Atlanta to take on the rest of the Atlantic Coast Conference in the ACC Outdoor Championships, held on the Georgia Tech campus April 17-19.
