No. 19 @MiamiTrack Set for NCAA Championships

EUGENE, Ore. – The No. 19 University of Miami women’s track and field team is ready for the final meet of the 2014 collegiate season, the NCAA Outdoor Championships.

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.

After a strong showing at the NCAA East Preliminary, the Canes had 10 student-athletes qualify for the NCAA Championships and the team vaulted into the Top 25. But Miami director of track and field/cross country Amy Deem wants to see her team continue to rise to the occasion this week.

“We felt we had a really good team all year,” Deem said. “It’s great that they stepped up and competed well at the optimal time. We are thrilled, but our intention is to go into the NCAA Championships and finish even higher.”

Lea Johnson will be the first Hurricane to compete at the 2014 NCAA Outdoor Championships. The ACC champion in hammer throw, Johnson entered the NCAA postseason with a personal-best mark of 61.37m that ranked 10^th in the East region and 21^st in the country. Johnson will look to extend her personal-best mark on Wednesday at 4:30 p.m. ET.

Thandi Stewart, who set a school record in the women’s 800m with a personal-best time of 2:04.06 at the NCAA East Preliminary, will compete in the women’s 800m semifinal on Wednesday at 7:45 p.m. ET.

Shakima Wimbley and Alyssa McClure are Miami’s final competitors on Wednesday. Wimbley, who’s personal-best time of 51.68 seconds ranks second in the East Region and eighth nationally, is scheduled to compete in the women’s 400m semifinals at 8:15 p.m. ET. McClure hits the track at 8:45 p.m. ET in the women’s 100m semifinals. The senior heads into this week’s meet fresh off running a personal-best 11.44 seconds that ranks fifth in UM history.

Thursday will feature Miami student-athletes competing in two events. Amber Monroe will look to build off her personal-best mark of 54.79m in the women’s discus at 5 p.m. ET. The Hurricanes’ 4x400m relay of Stewart, Taneisha Cordell, Wimbley and Anthonia Moore enters the NCAA Championships fresh off posting a season-best time of 3:34.24 that ranked sixth at the NCAA East Preliminary. The quartet will be joined by Jamika Glades to form a talented relay pool for the Hurricanes. Miami’s 4x400m relay is set to compete in the semifinals at 9:40 p.m. ET.

Pole vaulter Alysha 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 Friday at 6:15 p.m. ET, while McClure, Stewart and Wimbley could be running in the final for their respective events Friday night.

Dakota Dailey-Harris is scheduled to compete in the women’s high jump on Saturday at 3:45 p.m. ET. 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. The women’s 4x400m relay could also potentially compete on Saturday as the women’s 4x400m final is scheduled for 6:55 p.m. ET.

The 2014 NCAA Track & Field Championships will be broadcast on ESPNU/ESPN3.com, as well as on Watch ESPN. The network broadcast schedule is below. (all times Eastern):

For all the latest information on the Miami Hurricanes, follow the official Twitter feed, @MiamiHurricanes, 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. The program is also on Instagram.