@MiamiTrack Welcomes Eight Newcomers
CORAL GABLES, Fla. – The University of Miami Track & Field program welcomes eight newcomers to the Hurricane family.
Miami added four student-athletes to both the men’s and women’s teams. Freshmen Henri Delauze, Robert Grant, Jaalen Jones and Bailey Vitatoe are the newest members of the Miami men, while freshmen Stefani Kerrison, Amy Taintor and Alexandra Wester are joined by junior transfer Tiffany Okieme on the women’s side.
Delauze represented the Bahamas at the 2014 IAAF World Junior Championships. The Freeport, Bahamas, native was a 2013 CARIFTA Under-17 400m finalist and 4x400m gold medalist. In 2013, Delauze became the Island Sports Champion and Record-Holder, and High school National Champion and Record-Holder (under 17 – 48.53sec).
Grant hails from Phoenix, Arizona and is the third Gatorade Arizona Boys Track & Field Athlete of the Year to be chosen from Brophy College Preparatory. Grant won the 200-meter dash with a time of 21.44 seconds and the 300-meter hurdles in 36.33 at the Division I state meet this season, leading the Broncos to third place as a team. Also the Boys’ Track Athlete of the Year as named by AZtrackXC.com and The Arizona Republic.
Jones also was tabbed the Gatorade Boys Track & Field Athlete of the Year. The Alabaster, Alabama, native is the first to be chosen from Thompson High School. Jones won the 100-meter dash with a time of 10.76 seconds and the 200-meter dash in 21.17 at the Class 6A state championship meet this spring. Jones also won the 100 at the Sugar Bowl Classic and the Mobile Challenge of Champions, and his season-best clocking of 10.35 ranked as the nation’s No. 7 performance among prep competitors in 2014 at the time of his selection.
Vitatoe comes to Miami from Snellville, Georgia. As a senior at Brookwood HS, he was the 2014 Georgia State 6A Champion in the high jump, clearing 2.08m. Vitatoe also placed fifth at the state meet in the long jump, setting a school record with a mark of 6.98m.
Kerrison was the 2013 100m hurdles 2A state champion. The Orlando, Fla., native also participated in the IAAF World Youth Trials, the USATF Junior Olympics and the AAU Club Nationals. Kerrison was the runner-up in the heptathlon at the USATF Junior Olympics with personal-best 4,749 points. She was also the runner-up in the 300m hurdles and placed fourth in the high jump at the 2013 2A state championships.
Okieme transferred to Miami from Division II Georgian Court University in Lakewood, New Jersey. The Bronx, N.Y., native won the 2014 NCAA Division II Indoor Shot Put national championship and placed fifth in the weight throw. In 2013, she placed second at the 2013 NCAA Division II Outdoor Championships in the shot put.
Amy Taintor was the 2013 outdoor state champion in both the long jump and 300m hurdles. A native of Storrs, Conn., Taintor was described by her high school coach as an athlete that “possesses immense athletic talent and a formidable work ethic,” she first picked up track and field as a freshman in high school and began solely focusing on her running following her sophomore season.
Alexandra Wester comes to Miami from Mainz, Germany. A talented athlete, Wester placed fifth in the long jump at the 2014 German Halls University Championships. She holds personal-bests of 6.30m in the long jump, 1.72m in the high jump and 5,523 points in the heptathlon.
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