Jumpers Strive for New Heights at NCAAs
CORAL GABLES, Fla. – Dakota Dailey-Harris and Alysha Newman have already accomplished a lot in the 2014 season, but the two Miami jumpers still have goals to fulfill.
Dailey-Harris and Newman performed well at the NCAA East Preliminary in Jacksonville a week ago and the duo earned two of Miami’s eight spots in the 2014 NCAA Outdoor Championships.
Newman became the second Hurricane to advance to the NCAA Outdoor Championships, joining junior thrower Lea Johnson. The sophomore secured one of the 12 spots advancing from the NCAA East Preliminary in women’s pole vault by clearing 4.20m.
“It’s a relief to redeem myself from last season, when I failed to advance,” Newman said. “I feel extremely confident and the things Coach [Jerel] Langley and I have been working on are really starting to click. I hope to improve upon my finish indoors and score more points for the team at nationals.”
While clearing 4.20m is impressive, Newman entered the NCAA East Preliminary with a personal-best of 4.41m that ranked second in the East Region and fourth nationally. The University of Miami record holder will look to raise the bar to a new level when she competes on June 13 at 6:15 p.m. ET.
Dailey-Harris was Miami’s final student-athlete to advance, clearing 1.77m in the women’s high jump. The sophomore was one of three competitors to emerge from a jump off, securing one of the 12 spots from the East Preliminary and advancing to the NCAA Outdoor Championships.
“It was my first jump off so I didn’t know what to expect,” Dailey-Harris said. “Coach told me to calm down and I stayed ready. There were other girls in the competition with me and it’s not over until the officials say so. Coach [Langley] told me there was a chance I could be jumping against two or three others. I was ready and I’m glad it ended up the way it did.”
The sophomore’s personal-best mark of 1.80m in the women’s high jump was tied for 16th in the East Region heading into the postseason and ranks second in school history. Dailey-Harris will look to improve on that when she competes on June 14 at 3:45 p.m. ET.
The Hurricanes will have student-athletes competing in the 100m, 400m, 800m, pole vault, high jump, discus, hammer throw and the 4x400m relay at the NCAA Division I Men’s and Women’s Outdoor Track and Field Championships held June 11-14 in Eugene, Oregon.
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