@MiamiTrack Ready for 2015 NCAA Championships
EUGENE, Oregon – The University of Miami track and field program has 11 student-athletes ready to compete in the final meet of the 2015 collegiate season, the NCAA Outdoor Championships.
The No. 21 Hurricane women will have student-athletes competing in the women’s 400m, 400m hurdles, pole vault, hammer throw and the 4x400m relay at the NCAA Division I Men’s and Women’s Outdoor Track and Field Championships held June 10-13 in Eugene, Oregon. Miami’s men have three representatives in Oregon, two that will compete in the men’s 110m hurdles and one in the men’s triple jump.
Miami director of track and field/cross country Amy Deem is proud of all her national qualifiers and believes they all have the ability to earn All-America honors.
“Every one that is going has the ability to be an All-American, to make the final and score points for us,” Deem said. “That’s the goal of the group, to go out there and score points. There are a lot of talented athletes, but if you get to the final anything can happen. For me, it’s about getting to the final and going for it.”
Artie Burns and Christian Cook are the first two Canes in action in Eugene. The duo will compete in the men’s 110m hurdles semifinals, scheduled for 8:02 p.m. ET Wednesday. Burns, who was a silver medalist in the event at the ACC Championships, has run 13.70 in his last three races. Cook, the ACC Indoor Champion in the men’s 60m hurdles, will look to have a strong showing in his final collegiate meet.
Thursday features Hurricanes competing in five different events. ACC hammer champion Precious Ogunleye is the first Cane in action, competing in the women’s hammer throw at 4:30 p.m. ET, while 2014 First Team All-American Alysha Newman will look to continue her success in the women’s pole vault, beginning at 7:45 p.m. ET.
Shakima Wimbley will be the first Hurricane on the track Thursday. The sophomore enters the women’s 400m semifinals with the top collegiate time in the country. Wimbley, who was named USTFCCCA South Region Women’s Track Athlete of the Year yesterday, will look to continue her success in the event after claiming a gold medal in the 400m at the 2015 ACC Outdoor Championships.
Kelsey Balkwill is next on the track, running in the women’s 400m hurdles semifinals at 9 p.m. ET. Balkwill heads into the NCAA Championships fresh off running a personal-best time of 56.80 seconds at the NCAA East Preliminary that ranks 12th in the country.
Miami’s final event of the day is the women’s 4x400m relay, scheduled to begin at 10:18 p.m. ET. The Canes have a talented relay pool featuring Wimbley, Balkwill, Taneisha Cordell, Anthonia Moore, Jamika Glades and Amy Taintor. In their last race, The Hurricanes posted a personal-best time of 3:30.22 – seventh-fastest in the NCAA this season.
Friday is the final day of men’s action and it could be a sign of good things to come for one Hurricane. John-Patrick Friday will make his NCAA Outdoor Championships debut at 7:30 p.m. ET when the men’s triple jump begins. Miami could also have competitors in the men’s 110m hurdles final, set to begin at 8:15 p.m. ET.
June 13 marks the final day of the 2015 NCAA Outdoor Championships and the Canes hope to have representatives in three events. Wimbley would be the first in action, running the 400m final at 6:05 p.m. ET, followed by Balkwill in the women’s 400m hurdles final at 6:30 p.m. ET. Miami looks to compete in the women’s 4x400m relay final, scheduled for 7:20 p.m. ET to close out the meet.
The 2015 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. All four days of action will be broadcast across the ESPN family of networks.
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.
