Women Finish Third, Wimbley Named Track MVP
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – The University of Miami track and field program had a Top 3 finish for the second consecutive year at the ACC Outdoor Championships.
Miami’s women placed third with 93 points at the 2015 ACC Outdoor Championships, following up last year’s third place finish with another strong showing at the conference meet.
The Hurricane women were led by sophomore Shakima Wimbley. The talented sprinter accounted for 22.5 of Miami’s 93 points and was named the women’s track MVP.
“It’s one of the best feelings in the world,” Wimbley said. “Coach Deem put me in four events and she had confidence in me to handle it so I did and the rest followed.”
Wimbley won the women’s 400m with a personal-best time of 50.84 seconds that ranks fourth in the world. Wimbley’s time also tied the facility record, set a new ACC record and improved on her UM record by nearly a full second. Wimbley earned a gold medal, scored 10 points for Miami’s women and posted the fastest 400m time in the country.
The sophomore also ran the seventh-fastest 200m time in the world, 22.43 seconds, to set an ACC record and a facility record while earning a gold medal. Wimbley also broke the UM record of 22.46 set by Lauryn Williams in 2004.
“I did not got out with my mind set on any times,” Wimbley said. “I just wanted to execute all my races and I endEd up running those times. I’m extremely grateful and excited about the direction I’m going for the future. It’s great to be a Miami Hurricane!”
Wimbley also played a key role in the women’s 4x400m relay, running a 50.84 second anchor leg to help the Canes place third. The sophomore combined with Kelsey Balkwill, Taneisha Cordell and Anthonia Moore to post a time of 3:33.00.
Alysha Newman scored eight points for the Hurricane women with a second place finish in the women’s pole vault. The junior cleared a season-best 4.31m to earn a silver medal.
“I think it was great, especially in my fourth meet of the year,” Newman said. “It was great to contribute eight points to our team score and help us finish third and I feel like I am pretty consistent at 4.30m so I am looking forward to nationals.”
Dakota Dailey-Harris tied her personal-best mark of 1.78m to place second in the women’s high jump and score eight more points for Miami’s women.
“It was a great experience,” Dailey-Harris said. “I feel like it was long overdue for me to compete this well. I was just trying to get points for the team and after I knew I was going to score all the pressure was lifted off my shoulders and I was able to get second.”
Precious Ogunleye placed fourth in the women’s discus with a mark of 48.24m, adding five more points to the Hurricane women’s team score. The junior finished the weekend scoring 17 points: 10 for her first place finish in the hammer, two for her seventh place finish in the shot put and five in the discus.
The Hurricane women added seven points in the 100m hurdles as Jamika Glades placed fifth with a time of 13.59 seconds and Kayann Richards finished sixth with a time of 13.77 seconds.
Glades and Balkwill combined to scored seven points in the women’s 400m hurdles, placing fifth and sixth, respectively. Glades posted a time of 58.39 seconds, while Balkwill crossed the finish line in 58.41 seconds.
Taneisha Cordell placed fifth in the 800m to score four points for the Hurricane women. Her time of 2:04.65 ranks third in UM history.
The women’s 4x100m relay of Kayann Richards, Shakima Wimbley, Trishelle Leacock and Kelsey Balkwill placed fifth with a time of 45.16 seconds, scoring four more points for the women’s team.
Miami’s men’s team finished 11th with 36 points and had several noteworthy performances on Saturday.
Artie Burns finished second in the men’s 110m hurdles with a time of 13.70 seconds, while Christian Cook placed fourth with a time of 14.05 seconds. The duo picked up 13 points for the Hurricane men.
“When I first go there I was pretty nervous,” Burns said. “I hadn’t run in an outdoor meet since my senior year of high school in 2012, but I think I did well. It means a lot to score for my team. I feel like I could have won, but I am moving on to regionals so I have another chance to go out there and win.”
Miami’s men’s 4x100m relay team of Artie Burns, Josh Johnson, Robert Grant and Christian Cook combined to finish third with a time of 40.31 seconds and score six points for the Hurricane men.
The men’s 4x400m relay of Josh Johnson, Henri Delauze, Joseph Ryan and Anthony Wolliston combined to finish sixth with a time of 3:09.24, fifth-best in UM history.
John-Patrick Friday added three more points to the men’s team score, placing sixth in the men’s triple jump with an outdoor-best mark of 15.56m that ranks second in UM history.
All individuals finishing in the top 3 in their events plus the first place relays were named First Team All-ACC, while those individuals who finished fourth through sixth and the second place relays earned Second Team All-ACC honors.
Following this weekend’s trip to Tallahassee, the Hurricanes will focus on preparing for the NCAA East Preliminary and the NCAA Championships to close out a stellar 2015 outdoor season.
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