Canes Track Ready for NCAA East Preliminary
CORAL GABLES, Fla. – Thirteen members of the University of Miami track and field program will compete at the 2013 NCAA Division I Men’s and Women’s Outdoor Track and Field Preliminary Championships this weekend.
The Canes qualified in 12 different events and are set to begin competing at the 2013 NCAA East Preliminary in Greensboro, N.C., on Thursday. Miami will have entrants in six events on both the men’s and women’s side.
“I’m excited with where we are,” Miami director of track and field & cross country Amy Deem said. “Obviously you always want to have more, but I feel like we have a good contingent going. I feel like we have a chance to be very successful that we’re competing in. We’ve got a lot of good things happening this weekend. We just need to build on it and get ready for the final round in Oregon.”
The women’s team will be led by returning qualifiers Samantha Williams and Amber Monroe. Williams, a senior All-American, will compete in the women’s triple jump. Monroe, a sophomore, will compete in the women’s discus.
“We wanted them to qualify and finish strong,” Deem said. “I know Amber and Sam want to finish better than they did a year ago. Everyone wants to perform a personal best and advance to the next round. That’s what it’s all about.”
Joining Williams and Monroe are junior Alyssa McClure (100m), junior Alaine Tate (800m), sophomore Taneisha Cordell (800m) and freshman Lea Johnson (hammer). The women’s 4×100 relay team of McClure, Jokira Jiles, Jasmyne King and Kelsey Balkwill also qualified for the NCAA East Preliminary.
“They’ve got a really good chance to advance,” Deem said of Miami’s 4x100m relay. “Alyssa McClure got a little banged up at ACCs, but she is back to run the 100m and the first leg of the relay. They’ve been practicing well. I think if they execute their exchanges, they have a really good chance to advance.”
The men will have four student-athletes competing in six events. Isaiah Simmons and Christian Cook qualified for two events each, while Timothy Richardson and John-Patrick Friday qualified for one a piece. The four male student-athletes, who all qualified for the first time in their careers, are the most the Hurricanes have had qualify for an NCAA Regional in program history.
“I am really excited about our men’s team having the most [student-athletes] that we’ve ever taken,” Deem said. “It’s a great first step for us in building our men’s team and I’m excited for them.”
Simmons, Miami’s record holder in men’s shot put, discus and hammer, will compete in the men’s shot put and discus at the NCAA East Preliminary. Cook will compete in both the men’s 110m hurdles and the 400m hurdles. Jumpers Richardson and Friday will be in the long jump and triple jump, respectively.
“They’re young, so we have a good foundation to build on,” Deem said of the men’s team. “They’re enthusiastic and want to be good. We’ve got an exciting group coming in next year to join them. Our men’s team is exciting. We’ve just got to keep building and recruiting.”
The Preliminary championships competitions will be held May 23-25. The East region will be held at North Carolina A&T in Greensboro, N.C. and the West region at Texas in Austin, Texas. The qualifiers out of these regions will compete in the NCAA Division I Men’s and Women’s Outdoor Track and Field Championships held June 5-8 in Eugene, Ore. Deem believes all of her student-athletes are capable of advancing to the finals in Oregon.
“They’re ready to run, ready to jump and ready to throw,” Deem said. “It’s just a matter of believing in themselves and executing when it counts.”
For all the latest information on the Miami Hurricanes, follow the official Twitter feed, @HurricaneSports, or “Like Us” on Facebook at facebook.com/MiamiHurricanes. Follow @MiamiTrack on Twitter for specific news on UM track and field and cross country.
