@CanesTrack Set for ACC Indoor Championships
BOSTON – The University of Miami track and field program will compete against fellow conference members at the 2016 ACC Indoor Championships.
The three-day meet will showcase the best track and field student-athletes in the ACC, competing Thursday through Saturday at the Reggie Lewis Center in Boston. Miami brings a stellar women’s team into the conference meet that is ranked No. 18 by the U.S. Track and Field/Cross Country Coaches Association, while the Hurricane men feature a talented group of athletes looking to shine on a big stage.
“We are really excited for ACCs,” Miami director of track and field/cross country Amy Deem said. “I’d say that this is one of the most balanced teams we’ve had in a while. We have some real quality athletes going into the meet. The key for us is going to be to get some bottom end points, get some kids into the finals and have our top kids do what they do. We just have to go out there and do what we do, compete hard and let the chips fall.”
The Hurricane women enter the ACC Indoor Championships ranked No. 18 by the USTFCCCA. Miami is one of four teams from the ACC to appear in the Top 25 in the most recent USTFCCCA National Team Rankings released Monday. The Canes have been ranked as high as No. 15 during the 2016 indoor season. The National Team Computer Rankings are complied by a mathematical formula based on national descending order lists.
In their last competitive action, juniors Shakima Wimbley and Ebony Morrison each ran stellar times in their respective events at the Tyson Invitational. Wimbley ran a 23.20 in the 200m that ranks first in the ACC and eighth in NCAA, while Morrison’s 8.18-second run in the 60m hurdles final ranks third in the ACC and 12th in the NCAA.
Miami’s 4x400m relay team of Aiyanna Stiverne, Brittny Ellis, Wimbley and Anthonia Moore combined to run a time of 3:34.04 at the Tyson Invitational that leads the ACC and ranks 12th in the NCAA.
Wimbley’s 400m time of 52.90 seconds ranks 13th in the NCAA, while Stiverne’s 400m time of 53.71 seconds ranks 29th in the country.
The Canes have also been strong in the field events during the 2016 indoor season. Alysha Newman’s 4.50m in the women’s pole vault ranks second in the ACC and fourth in the NCAA, while Dakota Dailey-Harris’ high jump of 1.80m is third in the conference and 23rd in the country.
Two throwers combined to post three marks that scored for the Hurricanes. Tiffany Okieme ranks fourth in both the shot put and weight throw in the ACC with throws of 16.02m and 20.60m, respectively. Okieme’s 16.02m in the shot put ranks 34th nationally, while her weight throw is 17th in the country. Precious Ogunleye is the final Hurricane contributing to the team’s score with a mark of 21.27m in the weight throw that ranks third in the ACC and eighth nationally.
“I think track can definitely feel like more of an individual sport,” Newman said. “But at a conference meet, it’s very important to not just do things for yourself. You need to come together as a team and focus on one common goal and that’s to be ACC champs.”
On the men’s side, Miami has several student-athletes that rank among the Top 20 in the ACC.
John-Patrick Friday is fourth in the ACC in the triple jump with a mark of 15.49m and 14th in the conference in the long jump (7.05m). Innocent Jacob ranks fifth in the long jump with a mark of 7.36m, while David Njoku is seventh in the ACC in the high jump with a mark of 2.09m. Nick Catchur ranks 12th in the ACC in the pole vault (4.85m).
“I was hurt at the beginning of the season, so I am definitely ready to going out there and proving myself,” Friday said. “I think we are going to do great as a team, too. I think everyone is going to step up.”
Isaiah Simmons leads the Hurricane throwers, ranking third in the shot put with a mark of 18.54m, while Gian Piero Ragonesi is fifth with a mark of 18.18m. Daniel Polinski is 12th in the shot put with a throw of 16.17m.
The Hurricanes also have three of the top 20 in the weight throw, led by Carlos Mangum’s seventh-rated mark of 19.83m. Simmons is 11th at 18.12m, while Ragonesi ranks 12th with a throw of 18.05m.
Henri Delauze ranks 17th in the ACC in the 200m (21.97) and TeQuille Jackson is 18th in the conference in the 60m hurdles (8.38), while the Hurricanes’ 4x400m relay team currently is 11th in the ACC with a time of 3:15.16.
Boston College will serve as host for the 2016 ACC Indoor Track and Field Championships, which will be held this Thursday (Feb. 25) through Saturday (Feb. 27) at the Reggie Lewis Center. There is no charge for admission.
In addition to ACC team and individual titles, conference student-athletes will seek to enhance their rankings heading into the 2016 NCAA Indoor Championships, scheduled for March 11-12 at the Birmingham CrossPlex in Birmingham, Alabama.
The ACC and ESPN will deliver three hours of live action on the event’s final two days, concluding with the finals on Saturday. Jerry Massey will return for his fourth year handling play-by-play. Lauryn Williams, a former Miami sprinter and a medalist at the 2004 Athens Olympics, will make her debut as analyst. Coverage will begin on ESPN3 Friday from 5 until 8 p.m., followed by Saturday’s finals from 1 until 4 p.m.
Miami Entries
Men
200m: Breon Mullings, Joseph Ryan
400m: Henri Delauze, Anthony Wolliston
800m: Tom Gassner, Zack Garland
5000m: Sean Grossman
60m HH: TeQuille Jackson
4x400m: Henri Delauze, Anthony Wolliston, Joseph Ryan, Thomas Gassner, Breon Mullings, Zack Garland
High Jump: David Njoku, John-Patrick Friday
Long Jump: Innocent Jacob, John-Patrick Friday
Triple Jump: John-Patrick Friday
Pole Vault: Nick Catchur
Shot Put: Gian Piero Ragonesi, Daniel Polinski, Isaiah Simmons
Weight Throw: Carlos Mangum, Isaiah Simmons
Heptathlon: Andreas Christodoulou
Women
60m: Carolyn Brown, Ebony Morrison
200m: Shakima Wimbley, Aiyanna Stiverne, Erin Ford, Trishelle Leacock
400m: Shakima Wimbley, Aiyanna Stiverne, Brittny Ellis, Destiny Washington, Anthonia Moore
1 Mile: Anne Den Otter
5000m: Gabrielle Hesslau
60m HH: Ebony Morrison, Stefani Kerrison, Jamika Glades, Samantha Gonzalez, Lateisha Philson
4x400m: Shakima Wimbley, Anthonia Moore, Brittny Ellis, Jamika Glades, Destiny Washington, Erin Ford
High Jump: Dakota Dailey-Harris, Kyra Maryland
Triple Jump: Alexis Wright, Niara Hill
Pole Vault: Alysha Newman
Shot Put: Zakiya Rashid, Tiffany Okieme, Taylor Gunn, Precious Ogunleye
Weight Throw: Tiffany Okieme, Zakiya Rashid, Precious Ogunleye
Pentathlon: Amy Taintor
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 @CanesTrack on Twitter for specific news on UM track and field and cross country. The program is also on Instagram.
