Dailey-Harris, Newman Earn Top-Four NCAA Finishes
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – Two members of the University of Miami track and field team competed on day two of the 2016 NCAA Indoor Championships Saturday. Both Hurricanes, Dakota Dailey-Harris and Alysha Newman, finished in the top four of their events.
Dailey-Harris set a new school record in the women’s high jump, finishing tied for third place at 1.84m. The senior was the first of two Hurricanes in action on Saturday and she cleared her opening height of 1.76m on her first attempt. Dailey-Harris cleared 1.81m on her second attempt and set a new school record when she cleared a personal-best 1.84m on her first attempt at the height.
“I am very excited for Dakota and how well she has competed this indoor season,” Miami director of track and field/cross country Amy Deem said. “To win ACCs with a personal best and come back at NCAAs and jump another personal best, as well as break the school record, is a tremendous accomplishment.”
Newman was one of just five competitors to make it to the 4.45m height in the women’s pole vault. After passing on the first two heights, the Delaware, Ont., Canada, native cleared both 4.30m and 4.40m on her first attempts. Newman’s fourth place finish matched her national seed for Saturday’s competition.
“I know Alysha wanted to jump higher, but she had a great season with personal bests and jumping consistently at her best,” Deem said. “I look for her to build on this going into outdoor.”
With Dailey-Harris tying for third, she earned five points for the Hurricanes, as did Newman with her solo fourth place finish. Their impressive performances gave Miami a team score of 10.
“As a team we need to get better going into outdoor,” Deem said. “We showed a lot of improvement this year, but we must get better.”
Five members of the University of Miami track and field program competed on the opening night of the 2016 NCAA Indoor Championships.
Carlos Mangum was the first Hurricane in action on Friday, competing in the men’s weight throw. The junior, who placed second at the ACC Indoor Championships with a school record throw of 21.32m, finished 14th at the NCAA meet with a mark of 20.31m.
Ebony Morrison was impressive in the women’s 60m hurdles preliminaries. The junior, who was a silver medalist at the ACC Indoor Championships, ran a personal-best time of 8.12 seconds. Morrison placed ninth and did not advance to the finals by two-hundredths of a second, but her time moved her into a tie for fourth place in UM history with Sharianne Lawson (2003).
“Ebony had a great run last night and improved her personal best,” Deem said.
Seniors Tiffany Okieme and Precious Ogunleye represented the Hurricanes in the women’s weight throw. Okieme placed 10th with a mark of 19.97m, while Ogunleye finished 12th with a throw of 19.95m.
Shakima Wimbley wrapped up the Hurricanes in action on the opening night of the 2016 NCAA Indoor Championships. The junior finished 13th in the women’s 200m preliminaries with a time of 23.46 seconds and did not advance to the finals.
A re-air of the championship will take place Sunday, March 13 starting at 7 p.m. ET on ESPN2 and also Wednesday, March 23 starting at 10 p.m. ET on ESPNU.
The Hurricanes will open the 2016 outdoor season next weekend with the Hurricane Invitational on March 18-19. The Hurricane Invitational is the first of three home meets the Canes will host at Cobb Stadium on the University of Miami campus. Miami also hosts the Hurricane Twilight Meet on March 25 and the Hurricane Alumni Invitational on April 8-9.
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.
