Newman Wins Gold on Day 1 at ACC Outdoors
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – Alysha Newman entered Friday night with one goal in mind and she left feeling accomplished with a gold medal.
The senior went head-to-head with Duke’s Megan Clark for the right to call herself the ACC champion and Newman came out victorious, clearing 4.46m.
“This is something I’ve always wanted since I got to Miami,” Newman said. “It’s been one of my biggest goals. I wanted to not just do it for myself but for my team and Coach [Jerel] Langley. I wanted to be his first ACC champion. Dakota beat me to that, but to be his first outdoor champion is just as great. Pole vault in the ACC is very competitive and for me to come out the winner is a big accomplishment.”
Newman is no stranger to competing with Clark as the duo came into the 2016 ACC Men’s and Women’s Outdoor Track and Field Championships ranked second and third in the NCAA in the women’s pole vault. Newman was considered a slight underdog to Clark, who was the 2016 ACC indoor champion and ranked second in the country with an ACC record mark of 4.63m that broke Newman’s previous ACC record of 4.60m.
“It was a great night for Alysha,” Miami director of track and field/cross country Amy Deem said. “She has been working hard and had a great outdoor season. Megan is a fierce competitor and she is probably one of the toughest athletes to beat in this competition. It was a huge win for Alysha and I think it’s going to set her up really well for the rest of her NCAA season and her summer season.”
But the Hurricanes standout cleared each of her three bars on her first attempt, vaulting over 4.26m, 4.36m and 4.46m flawlessly. Clark missed on her first two attempts at 4.46m and the tension at Mike Long Track was palpable as the defending ACC outdoor champion took the runway for her final attempt.
Clark sprinted towards the bar and rose up, but failed to successfully clear the 4.46m bar, watching it fall to the ground as she looked up from the mat below. Newman’s arms went up with jubilation, knowing that she had finally won the ACC title she coveted since joining the Hurricanes as a sophomore in 2014.
“When she missed the first time, I stayed ready because I had to think she would make the height and we would go for the next bar,” Newman said. “I thought she had it on her last try, but once it fell off I was able to celebrate. I’ve been consistent this year and I think that really helped me today.”
While Newman’s victory was an amazing punctuation to Friday’s action, several Canes turned in outstanding performances, including the breaking of two school records.
Carlos Mangum finished fifth in the men’s hammer throw with a school record mark of 64.52m. Precious Ogunleye placed fifth in the women’s hammer with a season-best mark of 59.61m, while Tiffany Okieme was eighth with a season-best throw of 56.59m.
“Carlos struggled some with a couple fouls, but finished strong in the finals and that was great to see, and Tiffany fought back on her last throw to score a point for us,” Deem said. “It was a great night in the field events for us.”
Gabrielle Hesslau set a school record in the women’s 10,000m, running a personal-best time of 36:13.61. Hesslau breaks Alina Pinto’s 20-year old record time of 36:46.13 set in 1996.
“I am very happy for Gabby, she had a great night,” Deem said. “To see her be so competitive and almost score, as well as break the school record was great.”
Shakima Wimbley won Heat 3 of the women’s 200m with a season-best time of 23.01 seconds to advance to Sunday’s final as the top seed. Aiyanna Stiverne also advanced to the finals, winning Heat 5 of the women’s 200m with a time of 23.74 seconds.
On the men’s side, Jaalen Jones ran his first 200m race of the season and it was a good one. The sophomore ran a personal-best time of 21.23 seconds that ranks fourth in school history. He tied with Florida State’s Jamal Pitts with times of 21.225 for the final qualifying spot. The two will compete in a run off on Saturday at 8:25 p.m., for the right to race in Sunday’s final.
Jamika Glades advanced to the women’s 400m hurdles final after winning Heat 4 of the preliminaries with a time of 59.63 seconds. The senior heads into Sunday’s final as the fifth seed.
Andreas Christodoulou closed out Day 1 of the men’s decathlon in second place with 3,773 points. Christodoulou opened up the decathlon with a personal-best 100m time of 10.94 seconds. The freshman followed that with a personal-best mark of 7.19m to place second in the long jump. Christodoulou also had a personal-best throw of 12.20m in the shot put and closed out the day with a personal-best time of 50.45 seconds in the 400m.
Stefani Kerrison got off to a solid start in the women’s heptathlon, finishing Day 1 in sixth place with 3,065 points. Kerrison opened the day with a third place finish in the 100m hurdles, crossing the finish line in 13.84 seconds. She tied her personal-best in the shot put with a throw of 10.32m and closed out the day with a personal-best time of 25.56 seconds in the 200m that ranked seventh in the field of 13.
The Hurricane women are tied for second with 15 points through three events, trailing Virginia by just one point. Miami’s men are in eighth place thru three events with four points, tied with Louisville.
“Overall, the day was a definite positive, “ Deem said. “As a coach, you always want more and you hope that your young kids start to see the light and turn the corner. We’ve got a good young group and they’re going to have their time.”
Competition begins Saturday at 10 a.m. with the women’s hammer throw. An ESPN3 broadcast of Saturday’s action will run from 6 until 9:30 p.m. and can be viewed HERE. Tom Block returns to handle play-by-play for the second straight year. Lauryn Williams, a former Miami sprinter and a medalist at the 2004 Athens Olympics, will reprise her role as analyst following a successful debut at February’s Indoor Championships in Boston. Sunday’s finals will also be broadcasted live on ESPN3 from 6 until 9 p.m.
Live results will be available throughout the event on the Championship website: http://theacc.co/otfliveresults.
Following this weekend’s conference meet, qualifying Canes will advance to the NCAA East Preliminary on May 26-28 to try and earn a spot in the NCAA Outdoor Championships (June 8-11).
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