@MiamiTrack Indoor Preview: Sprints/Hurdles
CORAL GABLES, Fla. – The University of Miami track and field team opens its 2015 campaign this weekend and the Hurricanes are ready to embark on another successful season.
The Canes feature a talented roster on both the men’s and women’s sides, sporting one of the deepest and most well-rounded teams in recent history. Today, HurricaneSports.com breaks down Miami’s sprinters and hurdlers.
The Hurricane sprinters and hurdlers are some of the best in the ACC, featuring five returners who earned ACC Indoor Championships a year ago.
Shakima Wimbley was a freshman sensation a year ago, winning gold medals in the 200m and the 4x400m relay at the ACC Indoor Championships en route to being named the ACC Freshman of the Year for the 2014 indoor season. Wimbley. who was a second team Indoor All-American, posted the fifth-fastest indoor 200m time in UM history (23.56). The standout sprinter continued her phenomenal freshman campaign by earning ACC Freshman of the Year honors for the outdoor season and claiming ACC Outdoor titles in the 200m and 4x100m. Wimbley, who ranks second in UM history in the 400m (51.68) and fifth all-time in the 200m (23.12), earned second team Outdoor All-America honors in the 200m and was honorable mention in the 4x400m.
Jamika Glades was another standout for the Canes, earning indoor All-ACC honors and a gold medal as part of the 4x400m relay. A gifted hurdler, Glades earned All-ACC Outdoor honors and was the ACC Outdoor Champion in the 400m hurdles a year ago. She was also a member of the 4x400m relay that competed at the NCAA Outdoor Championships, earning All-America honorable mention.
Kelsey Balkwill was also a member of the 2014 ACC Indoor Champion 4x400m relay, earning All-ACC honors for her efforts. Balkwill also competed in the 200m and 400m in 2014, earning four Top 10 finishes a year ago.
Glades may be the headliner, but Miami’s women’s hurdlers are a talented and deep group featuring Kayann Richards, Lateisha Philson and Stefani Kerrison. Richards competed for the first time as a Hurricane a year ago and earned All-ACC Outdoor honors as a member of Miami’s 4x100m relay, while Philson competed briefly during the 2014 indoor season. Kerrison is set to make her Hurricane debut just months after winning the Florida 2A state championship in the 100m hurdles.
On the men’s side, a trio of freshmen are expected to make an immediate impact for Miami.
Robert Grant was named the 2014 Gatorade Arizona Boys Track & Field Athlete of the Year after a stellar season that include Arizona state championships in both the 200m dash and the 300-meter hurdles. His 300-meter hurdles time of 36.24 at the Northeast Valley Championships broke the state record and ranked as the nation’s No. 1 performance among prep competitors in 2014.
Jaalen Jones was named the 2014 Gatorade Alabama Boys Track & Field Athlete of the Year. He won the 100-meter dash with a time of 10.76 seconds and the 200-meter dash in 21.17 at the Alabama Class 6A state championship meet this spring. Jones also won the 100m 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.
Henri Delauze represented the Bahamas at the 2014 IAAF World Junior Championships. The talented Bahamian sprinter 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). Delauze was also a member of two junior national teams, representing the Bahamas at CARIFTA and the World Youth Championships.
Senior Anthony Wolliston is a veteran leader on the men’s side, winning the 400m dash at the 2014 Don Kirby Elite Invitational with a time of 48.29 seconds that ranks fourth on Miami’s indoor 400m list. Wolliston is also fourth on Miami’s outdoor 400m list (47.89) and competed on Miami’s 4x100m relay at the 2014 NCAA East Preliminary.
The 2015 Miami track and field indoor season is scheduled to begin Jan. 17 at the Nittany Lion Challenge in State College, Pa.
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