Christodoulou Leads Canes on Day 2 at ACCs
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – A Miami Hurricane earned an ACC title for the second straight day as the University of Miami track and field program continued its success at the ACC Outdoor Championships.
Andreas Christodoulou, who entered the final day of the decathlon in second place with 3,773 points, came away a champion. The freshman from Cyrpus had personal-bests in all five events on Saturday to finish with a personal-best score of 7,334 points that ranks second in school history. Christodoulou won by a margin of 270 points over runner-up Christian Lavorgna of Virginia. His score of 7,334 set the Under-23 record in Cyprus and qualified for the Under-23 European Championships.
“I did not expect to win ACCs,” Christodoulou said. “When we came here I was thinking I could get on the podium, but I didn’t think I would finish in first place. There are a lot of really good guys competing in this conference. It was great. I never expected to be an ACC champion in my freshman year. I could not have done it without my coach, Jerel Langley, who was there for every event guiding me through everything. And I’m thankful for all the support I got from my teammates and coaches.”
Christodoulou opened the final day of competition with the fastest time in the decathlon 110m hurdles, posting a personal-best time of 14.68 seconds. Christodoulou also had a personal best in the discus, finishing third with a mark of 38.03m, and tied his personal best in the pole vault at 4.30m. His personal-best throw of 59.25m won the men’s javelin and he clinched the victory with a personal-best time of 2:50.04 in the 1500m.
“He is a tremendous competitor,” Miami director of track and field/cross country Amy Deem said. “He is one of those young people that steps up when the lights come on. He has such a passion for the sport. Coach Langley and I both think he is a tremendous young man to coach and be around. He has such a bright future and I think this is just the start for him.
Miami also got a boost on the men’s side from the shot put, as Isaiah Simmons and Gian Piero Ragonesi combined to score 11 points in the event. Simmons earned a bronze medal with a throw of 19.09m, while Ragonesi finished fourth with a personal-best throw of 18.89m that ranks second in UM history.
“Our field events on the men’s side have been strong all year,” Deem said. “I am happy that Isaiah is finishing his senior year well. The shot was a very competitive event and I am glad they both threw extremely well.”
John-Patrick Friday tied his personal-best in the men’s high jump with a mark of 4.11m that ranks second in school history and earned him fourth place at the ACC Championships. The senior also scored for Miami’s men in the long jump, finishing seventh with a mark of 7.43m.
“JP has been such a steady presence for us,” Deem said. “He is a great leader and he comes to work every day and tries to get better. We are going to miss him so much. Not just his points, but he has been instrumental in pulling the men’s team together. The underclassmen have big shoes to fill with him leaving. His favorite event is the triple jump tomorrow and I am looking forward to seeing him compete again.”
In addition to the Canes scoring points on Saturday, Miami had several athletes advance to finals on Sunday to put the Hurricanes in position to make a big move up the standings on the final day of the meet.
The Hurricanes had a big day in the women’s 100m hurdles, with three Miami athletes advancing to Sunday’s final. Ebony Morrison led the way with a Heat 4 win, running a time of 13.19 seconds. Stefani Kerrison ran a personal-best time of 13.52 seconds to finish third in Heat 3., while Jamika Glades finished season in Heat 2 with a time of 13.59 seconds to round out the trio of qualifiers.
Miami also had three women advance to the 400m finals: juniors Aiyanna Stiverne and Shakima Wimbley and sophomore Destiny Washington. Stiverne and Washington finished first and second, respectively, in Heat 1 with Stiverne posting a winning time of 52.69 seconds and Washington finishing in 53.96 seconds. Wimbley earned her spot in the final with a Heat 4 victory, crossing the finish line in 52.70 seconds.
“I thought we ran well in both races,” Deem said. “The hurdles was challenging with the wind switching back and forth from positive to negative. I was really proud of Aiyanna and Shakima and Destiny. Brittny [Ellis] ran a great race. She just needed a few more races after missing the early part of outdoor season.”
The Canes also had one athlete advance to the finals in the men’s 400m as Henri Delauze finished second in Heat 4 of the men’s 400m with a time of 46.96 seconds to earn one of the eight spots in Sunday’s race.
“With Henri, I think we need to work on his race management a little better and I think he will run well tomorrow,” Deem said. “We were a little bit too aggressive in certain places. If we set his race up a little better, I think he is going to have a lot of success tomorrow.”
Jaalen Jones was the final Hurricane to advance to a final on Saturday night and it was in an exciting fashion. The sophomore went head-to-head in a run off against Florida State’s Jamal Pitts for the right to compete in Sunday’s men’s 200m final.
“I felt like I had nothing to lose,” Jones said. “It was only my second race of the season. I think God gave me that other chance for a reason and I came out and did what I had to do to get to the next round.”
The duo tied for eighth on Friday with identical preliminary times of 21.225 seconds, but Jones blazed down the track on Saturday to win the run off with a personal best time of 21.02 seconds that ranks third in UM history.
“That’s a tough position to be in,” Deem said. “It’s such a unique situation and he handled it extremely well. He attacked it and that was a very positive experience. He’s going to do a lot of great things for us. People forget he is a redshirt freshman outdoors. We are excited about his future and he is a big part of both of our relays and will be in the 200 final tomorrow.”
In addition to reaching the 100m hurdles final, Kerrison had a solid showing on the final day of the heptathlon, finishing ninth with a personal-best 4,995 points that rank fourth in school history. The sophomore, who began Saturday’s competition in sixth place with 3,065 points, posted a personal-best mark of 5.63m in the long jump to open the day. Kerrison followed with a personal-best javelin throw of 31.53m and closed the day with a personal-best 800m time of 2:30.53.
The Hurricane men are tied with Pitt for fifth place with 15 points through eight events, while Miami’s women are in ninth place thru eight events with 15 points.
“I think we are set up as well as we can be,” Deem said. “We did what we needed to do today. We’ve just got to come to work tomorrow and score as many points as we can. It’s going to be a very competitive championship tomorrow.”
The final day of competition begins Sunday at 11 a.m. with the men’s javelin. An ESPN3 broadcast of Sunday’s action will run from 6 to 9 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.
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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