@CanesTrack Sets Records at Twilight Meet
CORAL GABLES, Fla. – The University of Miami track and field program had a strong showing under the lights Friday at Cobb Stadium, competing in the Hurricane Twilight Invitational.
The Hurricanes set multiple school records and posted several marks and times that rank among the best in UM history while competing on their home track. Miami director of track and field/cross country Amy Deem saw some impressive performances, but thinks the Hurricanes have more to offer going forward this season.
“It was a solid day,” Deem said. “I think as a team it wasn’t one of our stronger performances, especially on the women’s side. I saw some really exciting things on the men’s side. We had some big individual marks and times, so we are getting improvement, but there were some areas where I was hoping to see more.”
Aiyanna Stiverne won the women’s 400m with a time of 52.43 seconds that ranks fifth in school history. Destiny Washington placed third with a time of 54.09 seconds. On the men’s side, Henri Delauze finished third in the 400m with a time of 47.52 seconds.
Isaiah Taylor made his outdoor debut, finishing second in the men’s 100m dash with a time of 10.72 seconds.
Anne Den Otter finished second in the women’s 1500m with a time of 4:41.98 and Luke Dublirer also placed second in the men’s 1500m with a time of 4:04.25.
TeQuille Jackson finished third in the men’s 400m hurdles with a time of 55.36 seconds, while Ibrahim Dodo finished fourth with a time of 55.84 seconds. Samantha Gonzalez finished seventh in the women’s 400m hurdles with a time of 1:02.75.
Sean Grossman set a school record in the men’s 3000m with a time of 8:31.41 that broke Nick Gramsky’s record of 9:32.19 that was set on March 12, 1999. Gabrielle Hesslau finished second in the women’s 3000m with a personal-best time of 9:57.54 that ranks second in school history. Freshman Carla Rodriguez placed sixth in the 3000m with a time of 10:39.55.
The women’s 4x400m relay team of Samantha Gonzalez, Anna Runia, Washington and Amy Taintor combined to place third with a time of 3:47.85. The Hurricane men’s 4x400m relay of Breon Mullings, Delauze, Joseph Ryan and Dodo running a season-best time of 3:11.64 to place second.
“I saw some things on our men’s 4×4 that were exciting,” Deem said. “I feel we can score some points on the track. Our men’s field events are so strong, but I saw some things on the track that makes me feel we are coming around there and that is exciting.”
Miami also had an excellent showing in the field events with several standout performances in the jumps and throws.
Alysha Newman won the women’s pole vault with a school record mark of 4.50m that meets the Olympic standard. Twins Emily and Amanda Gale also moved into the top three in the UM record books. Emily Gale placed fourth in the pole vault with a mark of 3.85m that ranks second in school history, while Amanda finished fifth with a mark of 3.70m that ranks third in UM history.
Dakota Dailey-Harris set a school record in the women’s high jump with a mark of 1.84m that earned her a victory, while Kyra Maryland placed ninth with a mark of 1.60m.
Gian Piero Ragonesi won the men’s discus with a personal-best throw of 56.10m that ranks second in UM history. Fellow Hurricane Daniel Polinski finished third with a personal-best mark of 49.40m that ranks fourth in school history.
Ragonesi also won the men’s shot put with a personal-best mark of 18.78m that ranks second in school history. School record holder Isaiah Simmons finished second with a season-best throw of 18.76m, while Polinski was fifth with a throw of 15.89m.
Precious Ogunleye earned the victory in the women’s discus with a throw of 45.83m. She also placed third in the shot put with a throw of 14.11m and was one of two Miami women to finish in the top five in the hammer throw. Ogunleye placed second with a mark of 58.36m, while Tiffany Okieme finished fourth with a throw of 55.34m on the women’s side.
The Hurricanes also had two men earn top-five finishes in the hammer throw as Carlos Mangum’s throw of 63.25m earned him second place, while Isaiah Simmons finished fifth with a throw of 57.43m.
Innocent Jacob finished second in the men’s long jump with a mark of 7.45m, while John-Patrick Friday finished second in the men’s triple jump with a mark of 15.48m. Alexis Wright won the women’s triple jump with a personal-best mark of 12.30m, while Niara Hill finished second in the triple jump with a season-best mark of 12.05m.
Along with the current Hurricanes in action, Miami alumni Kelsey Balkwill, Alyssa McClure and Devon Hill competed at the Hurricane Twilight Invitational.
In addition to the action on the track and in the field events, the Hurricane Twilight Invitational was the first Miami home meet broadcasted on ESPN3. The final three hours of the meet were broadcasted live with Juan Arango on the play-by-play and Olympic gold medalist, 2004 NCAA 100m champion and UM Sports Hall of Fame inductee Lauryn Williams providing analysis.
“It speaks volumes that our University and our administration took the step to invest in these broadcasts,” Deem said. “There are a lot programs in the ACC that are committed to broadcasting some sports, but not track and field. For us to be able to put all our sports as a priority is exciting. I heard from people who said it looked great and hopefully we can put together an even better product going forward. It’s great to be ahead of the curve on something like this. It’s definitely exciting for us and our program.”
The Hurricanes are back in action next week at two of the premier track meets in the country, Texas Relays and Florida Relays. The Canes will travel to Austin, Texas to compete from Wednesday, March 30, through Saturday, April 2, at Mike A. Myers Stadium. Hurricanes athletes will also compete in Gainesville, Fla., from Thursday, March 31, through Saturday, April 2, at Percy Beard Track.
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.
