@MiamiTrack Ready for ACC Indoor Championship
CLEMSON, S.C. – The University of Miami track and field program will compete against fellow conference members at the 2014 ACC Indoor Championships.
“All the work is done and now it’s time to step up,” Miami director of track and field/cross country Amy Deem said. “Hopefully they understand what they have accomplished and they’re ready to go this weekend.”
The three-day meet will showcase the best track and field student-athletes in the ACC. Action kicks off at noon Thursday with the women’s pentathlon. The women’s and men’s DMR will conclude the opening day’s events, while the men’s heptathlon’s 60m hurdles will open Friday’s events at 11 a.m. Friday’s field events kick off at 12:30 p.m. with the men’s and women’s high jump. The running events are set to begin Friday at 1 p.m. with the women’s mile.
The final day of action begins at 11 a.m. Saturday with the women’s shot put and the men’s and women’s pole vault. The running events are scheduled to begin at noon with the women’s 60m hurdles final. The 2014 ACC Indoor Championships will conclude following the running of the women’s and men’s 4x400m relays, tentatively scheduled for 3:15 p.m. and 3:45 p.m., respectively.
Miami will feature several student-athletes looking to continue their success from the ACC Championships a year ago.
Isaiah Simmons is the reigning ACC Indoor champion in men’s shot put. The sophomore will look to repeat as champion after his throw of 17.72m put him atop the podium a year ago.
“Isaiah always provides leadership,” Deem said. “He’s just such a strong competitor and he gives 110 percent of the competition. Whenever you have someone like that who leads by example and is such a team player it’s always an inspiration for the rest of the team.”
Simmons has developed significantly in a year, improving his best indoor shot put mark by over a meter. His throw of 18.87m two weeks ago at the Don Kirby Elite Invitational set a new school record.
Senior Alaine Tate is back for her final appearance at the ACC Indoor Championships. Tate set a school record a year ago in the women’s 800m, running a 2:06.09 in preliminaries. Tate finished second in the 800m final with a time of 2:07.54. Junior Taneisha Cordell also had an impressive showing in the 800m a year ago, finishing in 2:09.77. Cordell’s time ranks fifth in school history.
Lindsi Arrington, Alyssa McClure and Jamika Glades are all back after reaching the finals at the ACC Indoor Championships a year ago. Arrington placed eighth in the women’s mile, while McClure finished third in the 60 and fifth in the 200m. Glades finished seventh in the 60m hurdles and was also part of Miami’s 4x400m relay that placed third in 2013.
Miami’s women also performed well in the field events a year ago. Lea Johnson will look to improve off her fourth-place finish in the women’s weight throw, while Dakota Dailey-Harris will look to climb the standings after placing eighth in the women’s high jump in 2013.
“It really helps the women that there’s a stronger group of them going in and there’s a camaraderie and a team aspect that I think will help them perform even better,” Deem said.
Hurdlers Christian Cook and TeQuille Jackson each qualified for the finals a year ago in the 60m HH. Cook, who placed sixth, and Jackson, who finished eighth, will be joined by fantastic freshman Artie Burns in this year’s field. Cook, Jackson and Burns form a talented trio that will look to score for Miami at ACCs.
“I’m looking for that breakout ACC Championship performance for Christian,” Deem said. “He’s right there, he’s run fast. For him it’s just about putting together a race in the heat of the battle. I think they’re all going to run really well. There’s going to be some great competition, but I think when you have a group of guys like that to train with everyday it really makes a big difference going into a championship environment.”
Jumpers John-Patrick Friday and Timothy Richardson were among Miami’s top men in the field events. Friday finished fifth in the men’s triple jump with a mark of 14.71m, while Richardson cleared 14.31m to place eighth in the same event.
A year ago, Miami’s women finished eighth among the 12 ACC schools with 42 points, while the men’s team placed ninth among 11 teams with 31 points. Maryland’s men’s team did not compete at the ACC Indoor Championships.
“I don’t think it’s any secret that even though we had some strong individual performances last year as a team, that is definitely not where we wanted to be,” Deem said. “I think there’s additional fire to do well as a team.”
The aforementioned returners will look to improve their performances and provide leadership for the Canes in Clemson. But talented newcomers like Shakima Wimbley, Alysha Newman and Precious Ogunleye on the women’s side and Burns and Gian Ragonesi on the men’s team will be counted on to help propel Miami against their conference foes.
“I really love their fire,” Deem said. “They are very strong competitors and just adds to what we are trying to do as a team.”
Wimbley (400m) and Newman (pole vault) have each been named ACC Performer of the Week this season, while Ogunleye has climbed into third place on Miami’s all-time indoor weight throw list. Burns (hurdles) and Ragonesi (shot put and weight throw) have also entered the top 5 in UM history in their respective events.
The 2014 ACC Indoor Championships will be held at the Clemson Indoor Track & Field Complex on the Clemson University campus. The facility contains a 200m Mondo track with an eight lane (44″) straightaway and a six-lane oval with a 73-foot radius. In the infield, the facility features one high jump apron, two pole vault runways and two long and triple jump runways. A permanent throwing cage is located outside the track for the weight throw and shot put.
The 2014 ACC Indoor Championships will be broadcast live on Feb. 28 and March 1. Friday’s coverage begins at 4 p.m., while Saturday’s is set to begin at noon. Links to the live stream, as well as live results and other championship information are available on the ACC Indoor Track & Field Championships Site.
Men’s Entries
60m: Phillip Dorsett
200m: Bassim El-Sabawi
400m: Josh Johnson, Joseph Ryan, Anthony Wolliston
800m: Connor Adams, Douglas Dourado
5000m: Luke Fontaine, Sean Pezzulo
60m HH: Artie Burns, Christian Cook, TeQuille Jackson
4x400m: Josh Johnson, TeQuille Jackson, Joseph Ryan, Anthony Wolliston, Christian Cook
High Jump: John-Patrick Friday
Long Jump: Phillip Dorsett, Timothy Richardson
Triple Jump: John-Patrick Friday, Timothy Richardson, Richard Tema
Shot Put: Gian Ragonesi, Isaiah Simmons
Weight Throw: Gian Ragonesi, Isaiah Simmons, Carlos Mangum
Women’s Entries
60m: Jasmyne King, Alyssa McClure, Kayann Richards
200m: Jasmyne King, Alyssa McClure, Shakima Wimbley
400m: Kelsey Balkwill, Anthonia Moore, Shakima Wimbley, Shannon Wright
800m: Alaine Tate, Taneisha Cordell, Thandi Stewart
1 Mile: Lindsi Arrington
60m HH: Jamika Glades, Alysha Newman, Kayann Richards, Alexis Wright
4x400m: Kelsey Balkwill, Taneisha Cordell, Jamika Glades, Anthonia Moore, Shakima Wimbley
4000m DMR: Lindsi Arrington, Taneisha Cordell, Anthonia Moore, Thandi Stewart, Alaine Tate, Shannon Wright
Pole Vault: Alysha Newman
High Jump: Dakota Dailey-Harris
Triple Jump: Alexis Wright
Shot Put: Precious Ogunleye, Amber Monroe
Weight Throw: Precious Ogunleye, Lea Johnson
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