@MiamiTrack Starts Strong at NCAA Indoors
FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – A pair of Miami throwers earned All-America honors on the opening day of the 2015 NCAA Division I Men’s and Women’s Track and Field Championships.
Lea Johnson closed out her final indoor season earning First Team All-America honors. The senior placed eighth in the women’s weight throw with a mark of 20.78m, scoring a point for the Miami women. Johnson entered the national championships fresh off earning first team All-ACC honors and repeating as the ACC Indoor Champion in the women’s weight throw with a personal-best mark of 21.45m that ranks second all-time in UM history.
“This means a lot,” Johnson said. “I came into this meet with the expectation of becoming a First Team All-American after not making it to the finals last year. I wasn’t having the best day, but I fought through it in order to get into the Top 8 and this just makes me more pumped up for the upcoming outdoor season.”
Tiffany Okieme joined Johnson in the finals of the women’s weight throw, placing ninth with a mark of 20.34m. The junior earned Second Team All-America honors in her first ever Division I national meet, adding to an impressive 2015 indoor season that includes First Team All-ACC accolades and a bronze medal in the weight throw at the 2015 ACC Indoor Championships.
Shakima Wimbley placed third in Heat 2 of the women’s 400m semifinals, but did not advance to Saturday’s final. The sophomore’s time of 52.87 seconds ranked 11th among semifinalists, just missing the Top 8 qualifying spots.
While Wimbley did not advance in the 400m, she joins Kelsey Balkwill, Taneisha Cordell, Jamika Glades and Anthonia Moore in a 4x400m relay pool that will look to improve off Miami’s top relay time of the season. The Hurricanes ran a time of 3:34.88 at the Rod McCravy Memorial Meet in January that sends them into the NCAA Indoor Championships with the 10th-fastest time in the NCAA.
“Their goal is to come back finishing in the Top 8,” Miami director of track and field/cross country Amy Deem said. “If they go in and run with confidence, they can achieve that. We showed signs of improvement at the ACC meet before we bobbled the baton. I look for them to run a big personal-best this weekend.”
ESPN3 will stream the meet live on Saturday starting at 7 p.m. ET. A tape delay of the championship will air March 23 starting at 7 p.m. ET on ESPNU.
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