Carlos Mangum Named ACC Performer of the Week
GREENSBORO, N.C. – The University of Miami’s Carlos Mangum was named the ACC Men’s Outdoor Field Performer of the Week.
For the second straight week, Carlos Mangum set a school record in the men’s hammer throw. The sophomore won the men’s hammer at the 2015 FSU Relays, posting a personal-best mark of 63.50m that ranks 16th nationally and 12th in the East Region.
“I’m really happy for Carlos,” Miami director of track and field/cross country Amy Deem said. “He’s been working hard and striving to get a big throw in the hammer. To see it all come together for him last weekend was great and I think it will really boost his confidence and I’m excited to see how he moves forward from here.”
Mangum opened his 2015 outdoor season two weeks ago with a victory at the Hurricane Invitational. The sophomore set a new school record with a throw of 61.74m, surpassing his previous personal-best and school record mark of 61.11m from his freshman year at Miami.
“I feel like I was thinking too much about if I could hit the mark I wanted,” Mangum said. “But I have learned that if you put the time and work in, you can achieve anything. When I stepped in the circle the other day, I stopped thinking and let it go and threw a personal-best. If you put in the time, you make progress and can go far.”
Mangum becomes the third Hurricane to earn an ACC Performer of the Week award in 2015 and the first in the outdoor season. Fellow sophomore Shakima Wimbley was twice named the ACC Women’s Indoor Track Performer of the Week.
The talented thrower’s success is not unusual as Mangum had an excellent indoor campaign in 2015. Mangum set a new school record in the weight throw while placing fifth at the ACC Indoor Championships with a mark of 19.95m. The sophomore earned second team All-ACC honors for the indoor season and has carried that success into the outdoor season.
“Carlos has done a good job coming off his indoor season,” Miami throws coach Cory Young said. “The weight is a tougher event, weighing 35 lbs., but we made some good strides there. He’s been doing a really good job fighting through an injury, but what I see in training tells me there is a lot more there. It’s been exciting to see him throw a personal-best two meets in a row. If we can get him a little healthier, I think we will be in really good shape. It’s definitely exciting to have him be named ACC Performer of the Week. Hopefully that is a confidence builder as we keep moving forward this season.”
Next week, the Canes travel to Gainesville, Fla., to compete at the Florida Relays on April 3-4. Miami will then host its final home meet of the 2015 outdoor season, the Hurricane Alumni Invitational on April 10-11.
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