Field Events Shine For @CanesTrack at Hurricane Invitational
CORAL GABLES, Fla. – The University of Miami men’s and women’s track and field teams opened competition Friday afternoon at the 2016 Hurricane Invitational.
The Hurricane Invitational serves as Miami’s first outdoor meet of the season.
“We’re just glad to be back at home and be outdoors in Miami,” said head coach Amy Deem. “We’re excited to be competing in three of the next four weeks. Our kids are excited, and you can just tell that they are excited to be outdoors.”
Junior Carlos Mangum and redshirt senior Isaiah Simmons highlighted competition for the Hurricanes on the men’s side as they finished first and second, respectively in the hammer throw.
Mangum’s toss of 63.58m surpassed his previous all-time program-leading mark of 63.50m. Simmons also posted a personal-best mark as notched a performance of 58.23m, which smashed his previous best of 52.33. Simmons’ performance ranks third in program history.
Freshman Andreas Christodoulou began his outdoor career with a bang as he won the javelin throw with a performance of 58.14m. Christodoulou’s winning effort was the second-longest throw in school history behind Hurricane great Ed Reed.
Sophomore Sean Grossman also turned in a strong performance as he took second in the 5,000-meter run, finishing in a time of 14:56.01.
On the women’s side, freshman Kyra Maryland opened her outdoor career on a high note as she won the high jump with a leap of 1.70m. Maryland’s performance of 1.70m ties for fifth all-time.
“We’re excited about Kyra performance tonight,” Deem said. “She’s someone, who scored points for us at ACC’s and we’re really looking forward to her future with the team.”
The Hurricanes also received a strong performance from senior Precious Ogunleye as took runner-up honors in the women’s hammer throw after posting a mark of 57.01m
“This is a great starting point for us, and I think it is going to be a great weekend for us,” Deem said.
Day two competition begins on Saturday at 1 p.m. inside Cobb Stadium. The men’s and women’s long jump will open second-day competition.
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.
