Hurricanes Set to Host the Miami Elite Invitational
April 10, 2009
CORAL GABLES – The University of Miami track and field teams are the hosts for Saturday’s Miami Elite Invitational, which will be held the UM’s own Cobb Stadium. Senior Murielle Ahoure, who won the indoor 200-meter national title in March, will be making her outdoor and home debuts in the meet.
Visiting programs that will be in attendance are; Bethune-Cookman, Embry-Riddle, Florida Atlantic, Florida Memorial, Johnson and Wales, Warner Southern, St. John’ s and UCF. In addition to those programs, many professional and unattached athletes will be competing in the well-known Elite.
The one-day meet will begin with the field events at noon and the running events will get underway at 5 p.m. The festivities will wrap up with the 4×400 relays at 9:20 p.m.
The Miami Elite will mark the final regular-season home meet for many Hurricane seniors. Those seniors will be honored with a special ceremony on the midfield at 5:45 p.m.
Ahoure, who claims the 100-meter dash is her best event, will wait until the ACC Championships to compete in the individual events. She will however, be competing in both the 4×100 and 4×400 relays.
Also running in the 4×100 relay will be the 2008 indoor 400-meter national champion Krista Simkins. The senior will also compete in the 4×400 relay and the 200-meter dash.
Ena Leufroy, who along with Ahoure and Simkins, holds and All-American designation, is scheduled to take part in both the 4×400 relay and the 800-meter run.
Making her season-debut in the 400-meter hurdles will be sophomore Takecia Jameson, an event where the Upper Marlboro, Md. native won a Junior World Title last summer in Poland.
Leading a trio of Hurricane in the long jump will be junior Deandra Doyley, who already has reached a regional qualifying mark this season in the event. Joining her will be junior Christina Madry and freshman Britney Clarke.
For the men, the 60-meter hurdle ACC champion Cory Nelms will be seeking a regional qualifying time in the 110-meter hurdles. The junior will also be running in the in the 4×400 relay.
Joining Nelms in the relay will be freshman Brandon Harris. A cornerback on the Hurricanes football team, Harris will also participate in the 400-meter dash.
Sophomore Patrick Blackie will be making his outdoor debut and will team-up with Harris in both the 400-meter run and the 4×400 relay.
In his final regular-season home meet, senior Patrick O’Donnell will be running in the 800-meter run as well as the 4×400 relay.
Miami is also the host for the ACC Championships, which will be held at Cobb Stadium Thursday-Saturday, April 16-18.
