Track Grabs First Win at ACC Championships
RALEIGH, N.C. – Miami’s track & field program had another strong showing at the ACC Outdoor Championships and standout thrower Isaiah Simmons led the way.
A day after the redshirt freshman finished third in men’s discus and set a new Miami record, Simmons won the men’s shot put with a mark of 61’ 11.75”. The win earned Simmons All-ACC honors in shot put one day after he did the same in discus.
“Isaiah has shown tremendous poise and competed his heart out,” said Miami director of track & field and cross country, Amy Deem.
Simmons’ throw gave Miami its first win of the ACC Outdoor Championships, set a new school record and gave the Hurricane men 10 points towards their team score.
The victory also gave Simmons the 2013 ACC title in both indoor and outdoor shot put. The Woodbridge, Va., native is scheduled to compete in the men’s hammer throw on Saturday.
While Simmons took the top spot in his event, he was not the only Hurricane to have a strong performance on Friday.
Sophomore Christian Cook advanced to the finals in the men’s 110m hurdles with a personal-best time of 13.94 seconds.
“Christian struggled at the beginning of the season,” Deem said. “But he has stepped up the past couple weeks and has put himself in a great position for the finals tomorrow.”
Alyssa McClure also qualified for the finals after running the women’s 100m dash in 11.58 seconds, setting a new personal record.
“I’m extremely proud of Alyssa,” Deem said. “She continues to improve each week and has put herself in a position to compete with some of the best in the nation in tomorrow’s final.”
Sophomore Taneisha Cordell won her heat in the women’s 800m and advanced to the finals with a personal-best time of 2L06.89. Alaine Tate joins Cordell, who ran the second-fastest time during preliminaries, in the finals. Tate placed second in her heat while running a personal-best 2:07.05.
Freshman Alexis Wright was the final Hurricane to reach Saturday’s finals, qualifying in the women’s 100m hurdles with a personal-best time of 14.26 seconds.
The men’s team picked up 16 points on Friday, 10 from Simmons and six from a pair of jumpers. Sophomore Timothy Richardson finished fourth in the men’s long jump with a personal-best mark of 24’ 9.25”. Richardson’s jump ranks fourth in Miami history.
Fellow sophomore Innocent Jacob placed seventh with a mark of 23’ 9”. Both jumpers scored for the Canes, with Richardson adding five points and Jacob contributing one to the men’s team tally.
Shannon Wright just missed qualifying for the final in the women’s 400m. The sophomore placed 10th with a season-best time of 56.40 seconds. Junior Jasmyne King also ran the 400m, finishing in 57.63 seconds.
The Hurricanes had three men compete in the 400m dash. Sophomore Anthony Wolliston led the trio with a personal-best time of 48.60, while freshman Joseph Ryan (50.19) and sophomore Davin Johnson (53.78) followed.
Junior Bassim El-Sabawi ran the men’s 100m, finishing in a season-best 10.75 seconds.
Competing in the final ACC Outdoor Championships of her career, Samantha Williams posted a season-best mark of 19’ 2” in the women’s long jump. Fellow senior Elyse Houston also competed in the women’s long jump, posting a mark of 16’ 1.5”.
Amber Monroe competed in the women’s shot put, posting a mark of 43’ 2.25”. Monroe, who also competed in the women’s discus, wraps up her appearance at this year’s ACC Championships. But fellow thrower Lea Johnson begins competition Saturday in the women’s hammer throw.
The Hurricane men wrapped up Day 2 of competition tied for fifth place with 23 points. The women’s team has yet to score, but will have several opportunities to do so on Saturday.
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