@MiamiTrack Opens at 2015 NCAA Championships
EUGENE, Oregon – The University of Miami track and field program had two student-athletes compete on the opening day of the NCAA Division I Men’s and Women’s Outdoor Track and Field Championships.
Artie Burns and Christian Cook were the first Hurricanes to compete at the 2015 NCAA Championships. They are two of 11 Miami student-athletes in Eugene, Oregon this week.
“They competed hard,” Miami director of track and field/cross country Amy Deem said. “To see someone run 13.57 and not make the final tells you that it was a pretty stacked field. You had to be on top of your game today to advance.”
Cook was the first to hit the track, running a personal-best time of 13.78 seconds in Heat 1 of 3 in the men’s 110m hurdles semifinals. The senior finished seventh in the heat and did not advance to the final.
“The atmosphere is amazing here,” Cook said. “Everyone comes out here at their best. For me to come out and give my all and run a 13.7 was amazing. You always talk about running your best time and it finally came together. It wasn’t my best race, but I just reacted. This season was full of accomplishments and I thank my coaches, especially Coach Deem and Coach [Adrain] Mann for staying with me, and my teammates for having my back.”
Burns was next up for the Canes, placing sixth in Heat 2 with a time of 13.83 seconds. The sophomore, who was the runner up at the ACC Championships, did not advance to Friday’s final.
“I know they are disappointed they didn’t make the final, but Artie has a lot of track ahead of him if he wants and it’s great to see Christian finish with a personal-best,” Deem said.
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.
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.
