WoMen's DMR Sets UM Record at ACC Indoors
CLEMSON, S.C. – The University of Miami track and field program competed in just one event in the opening day of the ACC Indoor Championships, but the Hurricanes opened the meet with a school-record time.
Alaine Tate, Shannon Wright, Thandi Stewart and Lindsi Arrington represented Miami in the women’s DMR. The quartet combined to run a UM-best 11:35.75.
“I’m excited,” Miami director of track and field/cross country Amy Deem said. “It was a season-best and a school record. I think it started us off in a great way with how the team fought back. I felt like it reallys et the tone for a great weekend to come.”
Miami fought back thanks in part to Arrington, who ran the anchor leg of the DMR. Heading into the final 1600m, the Canes were last among the nine teams in Heat 2. But Arrington charged back, running her leg in 4:51.48 to give the Hurricanes a seventh place finish in the heat.
“The past four years, I have had a lot of up-and-down races,” Arrington said. “Coach [Damon Griffiths] always believes in me more than I believe in myself and it finally all came together today for me and for the team.”
The Canes’ time ranked eighth out of 15, scoring Miami’s first point of the 2014 ACC Indoor Championships. It is the first time in school history that Miami’s women score in the DMR at the ACC Indoor Championships.
“It think it’s about having a team that can work together,” Arrington said of Miami’s historic run. “It’s cool that we could all come together for Miami.”
The record time comes fresh off this quartet’s previous best performance. Miami’s DMR team of Tate, Wright, Taneisha Cordell and Arrington set records in its last time out, running a 11:40.29 at the Don Kirby Elite Invitational. The time was the fastest in meet history and school history and earned the Canes a first-place finish.
“I hope that today is an encouragement for all of us,” Arrington said. “We started strong and hopefully will continue strong for the next two days.”
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.
The 2014 ACC Indoor Championships are 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.
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