@MiamiTrack Women Ranked No. 21

NEW ORLEANS – The University of Miami women’s track and field team cracked the Top 25 in the final USTFCCCA National Team Computer Rankings.

The Hurricanes had a strong showing at the NCAA East Preliminary, qualifying for the NCAA Championships in the women’s 400m, 400m hurdles, pole vault, hammer throw and 4x400m relay. Their excellence at regionals helped the Canes climb 12 spots to No. 21 in the pre-NCAA Championships national rankings.

“Overall, I thought we had a great meet,” Miami director of track and field/cross country Amy Deem said. “We got a lot of people through to nationals. Alysha started us off by getting in on Thursday, then Kelsey ran a big PR and Shakima ran her race on Friday. Precious stepped up in the hammer and the 4x400m relay had a three-second personal-best to close the meet. A lot of good things happened.”

Alysha Newman was the first Hurricane to advance to the NCAA Championships. The junior cleared 4.18m to advance to the NCAA finals in Eugene, Oregon.

“I am really excited to go back to nationals,” Newman said following competition Thursday. “I felt like last year in Eugene didn’t go the way I wanted, so I am excited to earn another chance to compete there. And to be the first one from our team to qualify is fun. Hopefully it starts great momentum for my teammates this weekend.”

The success Newman started continued a day later as Shakima Wimbley and Kelsey Balkwill earned qualifications in their respective individual events.

Wimbley will return to the NCAA Championships after winning Heat 2 of the women’s 400m quarterfinals with a time of 51.23 seconds. The sophomore, who entered the NCAA East Preliminary with the fastest time in the NCAA (50.84), earned one of 12 spot headed to Oregon from this weekend’s meet.

“It’s a great feeling,” Wimbley said after earning her second consecutive trip to nationals. “I didn’t do as well as I wanted to last year so making it back was one of my biggest goals. I’ve been working hard and focused on this all year. Now I want to do as well as I can and become an All-American.”

“Shakima ran really well today,” Deem said Friday. “For the first time in this setting, she was able to run her race regardless of what is going on in her heat. That shows maturity and an ability to react at different parts of the race and that is exciting.”

Balkwill is also headed to Eugene after winning Heat 2 of the women’s 400m hurdles with a personal-best time of 56.80 seconds. The senior is Miami’s third student-athlete to qualify for the NCAA Championships at the 2015 NCAA East Preliminary.

“Kelsey was pure guts,” Deem said Friday. “To be in it coming down the home stretch and take herself from fourth to winning the heat was exciting to watch. You wish you had more people who would go to the wall and give it everything they had to win their heat. That was one of the more special things I’ve seen this year.”

Qualifying for the NCAA Championships is a special accomplishment for Balkwill, who has overcome injury and returned to peak form in 2015.

“Getting to go to the NCAA Championships means a tremendous amount to me because it has been a tough couple of years battling with injuries,” Balkwill said. “I have worked very hard to be in the position I am in and today it unfolded perfectly. I am very excited to be heading to Oregon for NCAAs. It proved to me that my hard work has paid off. The whole team, especially Coach Deem, has never given up on me and I am very grateful for that. Being able to contribute to our team and represent the University of Miami is an honor.” 

The Hurricanes were not done yet, as Precious Ogunleye and Miami’s 4x400m relay earned trips to nationals to close out the weekend at the NCAA East Preliminary.

Ogunleye ensured that a Hurricane would compete in the women’s hammer at the NCAA Championships for the second straight year. The 2015 ACC champion in the hammer throw, Ogunleye finished fourth at the NCAA East Preliminary with a throw of 60.77m to earn one of the 12 spots advancing to Eugene, Oregon.

“I am happy to finally make it to nationals,” Ogunleye said. “I’m excited to represent Miami and compete against the best in the country.”

Balkwill, Taneisha Cordell, Anthonia Moore and Wimbley combined to place second in Heat 1 of the women’s 4x400m relay with a season-best time of 3:30.22 and earned a trip to nationals. The quartet, along with alternates Jamika Glades and Amy Taintor, rounded out Miami’s qualifiers for the 2015 NCAA Championships.

“The biggest thing was they all ran well on the same day,” Deem said. “Not one person had to carry the load. The big thing was Anthonia having a huge PR on her leg and that helped a lot. Kelsey put them in a great spot and Taneisha kept them right there and they put Anthonia in a position where she was confident and she wasn’t going to let her teammate down. That’s what we have been looking for all year, for each person to put the next one in a place they can be successful in and that’s what we did today.”

The NCAA Division I Men’s and Women’s Outdoor Track and Field Championships will be held June 10-13 at Hayward Field in Eugene, Oregon.

For all the latest information on the Miami Hurricanes, follow the official Twitter feed, @MiamiHurricanes, or “Like Us” on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/MiamiHurricanes. Follow @MiamiTrack on Twitter for specific news on UM track and field and cross country. The program is also on Instagram.