Canes Ready for NCAA Indoor Championships
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. – Five members of the University of Miami track and field program are ready to represent the Hurricanes at the 2014 NCAA Division I Men’s and Women’s Track and Field Championships.
Artie Burns, Lea Johnson, Amber Monroe, Alysha Newman and Shakima Wimbley will compete against the nation’s top track and field student-athletes for the right to call themselves an NCAA champion. Competition is slated to begin Friday at the Albuquerque Convention Center.
A year ago, Miami had just one student-athlete qualify for the NCAA Indoor Championships. Miami director of track and field/cross country Amy Deem believes the Hurricanes are headed in the right direction as a program with five national qualifiers.
“I think it’s a big step forward but definitely not a big enough step,” Deem said. “We need to get back to our relays and our sprinters and hurdlers qualifying and I think we’re getting there. It’s great to have two freshmen going because that’s a big step in the right direction. We need to have more, but at the same time I’m very proud of the ones that are going and have stepped up and taken a leadership role. Hopefully that’ll put some pressure on everyone else to step up and do what they need to do.”
The five Canes have proven themselves as elite athletes in their respective events. Deem is excited to see multiple members of the track and field program distinguish themselves as some of the best in the country.
“When you’re in the top 16 in your event, that’s a pretty select few,” Deem said. “Top 16 is the toughest field I think in any of the championships for the first round, so I think they’ve done a great job.”
Miami will have a representative in the men’s 60m hurdles, the women’s 200m, the women’s pole vault, the women’s shot put and the women’s weight throw. The diversity of event representation shows the effort Miami has made into being a complete track and field program.
“Long gone are the days where you can even dominate the conference in one area,” Deem said. “To be competitive and to always be a top 3 team in the ACC and to take the maximum amount of kids we can take to a NCAA championship, we really need to be a well-rounded team and that’s where the emphasis in recruiting has been. Not to be just a sprint team or a jump team, but really be a well-rounded team.”
One advantage the five Hurricanes will have at this weekend’s national championships is familiarity with the venue. Miami competed at the Albuquerque Convention Center earlier this season when they participated in the Don Kirby Elite Invitational.
The return to Albuquerque will bring back positive memories for Burns, who broke the American Junior record in the men’s 60m hurdles at the Don Kirby Elite Invitational. Wimbley also had success in New Mexico, running a personal-best time of 23.56 seconds in the 200m. The Albuquerque Convention Center is also where Johnson threw 20 meters for the first time in her career, while Monroe and Newman notched top 10 finishes in their respective events.
“I think it’s huge for them,” Deem said of competing in Albuquerque. “They know what to expect and there’s a familiarity and whenever there is a familiarity, I think it goes a long way in calming nerves and being able to perform at a high level.”
Burns, Johnson, Monroe and Wimbley head to Albuquerque as conference champions, while Newman placed third in the pole vault in a highly competitive ACC Championship field. Deem feels the five Canes will be most successful in Albuquerque if they treat their trip like any other.
“I think it’s important to take the same approach and not make it bigger than it is,” Deem said. “It is obviously the NCAA championships, but if they go in there and look at it as another track meet and go in there and compete, I think they’ll be fine.”
All events in the 2014 NCAA Division I Men’s and Women’s Track and Field Championships will be streamed live on ESPN3 on beginning Friday at 7:55 p.m. ET. The broadcast on Saturday will start at 7:50 p.m. ET. A tape delay of the championship will air Saturday, March 22 starting at 6:30 p.m. ET on ESPNU.
For all the latest information on the Miami Hurricanes, follow the official Twitter feed, @HurricaneSports, or “Like Us” on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/MiamiHurricanes. Follow @MiamiTrack on Twitter for specific news on UM track and field and cross country. For the most accurate and up to date information delivered to your phone, download the official Miami Hurricanes app for your Droid or iPhone.
