@CanesTrack Ready for NCAA East Preliminary
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Twenty members of the University of Miami track and field program will begin their quests for national championships at the 2016 NCAA East Preliminary this weekend.
The Preliminary championships will be held Thursday through Saturday. The East region will be held in Jacksonville, Fla., at the University of North Florida and the West region in Lawrence, Kan., at the University of Kansas. The qualifiers out of these regions will compete in the NCAA Division I Men’s and Women’s Outdoor Track and Field Championships held in Eugene, Ore., from June 10-13.
Miami is set to compete in five events on the opening day of competition, with junior Carlos Mangum opening Thursday’s action in the men’s hammer throw at noon. Senior Precious Ogunleye will follow in the women’s hammer throw at 4 p.m., rounding out the Hurricanes competing in the field events on May 26.
The Canes have five competitors slated to run in the first round of their respective events on Thursday. Senior Jamika Glades will kick off the Hurricanes on the track in the women’s 400m hurdles at 4:30 p.m.
2016 ACC Women’s Track MVP Shakima Wimbley leads a trio of Hurricanes in the women’s 400m at 7:20 p.m. Wimbley, who ranks third in the country in the 400m, will be joined by ACC bronze medalist Aiyanna Stiverne and sophomore Destiny Washington in the women’s 400m field.
Henri Delauze is the lone male competing on the track Thursday, set to run in the first round of the men’s 400m at 7:45 p.m.
Friday is a busy day for the Hurricanes, as Ebony Morrison will lead a trio of Miami athletes in the first round of the women’s 100m hurdles. A bronze medalist at the ACC Championships, Morrison will be joined by Glades and sophomore Stefani Kerrison in the event that is slated to begin at 5 p.m.
Carolyn Brown and Jaalen Jones will make their NCAA East Preliminary debuts. Brown is set to compete in the women’s 200m at 8 p.m., while Jones hits the track at 8:25 p.m. for the men’s 200m. Additionally, Miami could have competitors in the men’s and women’s 400m dash and the women’s 400m hurdles looking to clinch a spot in the NCAA Outdoor Championships.
The Hurricanes also will have three standouts in action in the field events. Junior Gian Piero Ragonesi is set to compete in the men’s discus at 4 p.m., while ACC pole vault champion Alysha Newman is scheduled to compete at 5 p.m. Fellow senior Dakota Dailey-Harris will look to advance to nationals in the women’s high jump beginning at 5 p.m. ET on Friday.
Saturday marks the final day of competition at the NCAA East Preliminary and Miami will have a lot of athletes in action. The field events will kick things off beginning at 3 p.m., with senior John-Patrick Friday competing in the men’s triple jump. He is also slated to compete in the men’s high jump at 5:30 p.m. on Saturday.
Miami will also have three throwers competing in the shot put. Senior Tiffany Okieme will be among the field in the women’s shot put at 3:30 p.m., while fellow senior Isaiah Simmons and Ragonesi will be among the competitors in the men’s shot put at 6 p.m.
The Hurricanes are also expected to make some noise on the track, with potential competitors in the quarterfinals of the women’s 100m hurdles, and men’s and women’s 200m, but Miami’s women’s 4x100m and 4x400m relays will be among the best groups in their events.
Miami’s 4x100m relay team of Wimbley, Brown, Stiverne and Morrison set a school record while winning gold at the ACC Championships with a time of 43.63 seconds. They will look to punch their ticket to Oregon beginning at 6 p.m.
The Hurricanes’ 4x400m relay team of Washington, Stiverne, Brittny Ellis and Wimbley set the ACC Championship meet record with their gold medal-winning time of 3:30.61 and will be the final Hurricanes in action on Saturday, scheduled to compete at 9:25 p.m.
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.
