@CanesTrack Opens Indoors at Virginia Tech
CORAL GABLES, Fla. â The University of Miami track and field team will kick off its 2017 indoor season this weekend at the Virginia Tech Invitational.
The Hurricanes are part of a 13-school field set to compete at Rector Fieldhouse on the Virginia Tech campus on Friday and Saturday that includes ACC rivals Virginia, Wake Forest and the host Hokies.
Competition begins at 5 p.m., on Friday with the womenâs 60m hurdles preliminaries on the track and four field events: the menâs and womenâs long jump, unseeded womenâs pole vault and menâs weight throw. Saturdayâs action is set to start at 11 a.m., with the womenâs high jump and the seeded womenâs pole vault. The womenâs 400m is the first running event, scheduled for 1 p.m., and the meet will close with the menâs 4x400m relay at 3:35 p.m.
Miami features several standouts on both the menâs and womenâs teams heading into the 2017 season. The Hurricane womenâs track and field is ranked 14th in the 2017 Preseason NCAA Division I Womenâs National Team Computer Rankings for Indoor Track and Field.
The womenâs team is led by a trio of returning seniors: Shakima Wimbley, Ebony Morrison and Aiyanna Stiverne. Wimbley is the reigning ACC Womenâs Indoor Track Most Outstanding Performer and her 400m time of 51.82 seconds ranks first among returning student-athletes, while her best 200m time of 23.08 seconds sits seventh on the list.
Morrison, who was the 2016 ACC silver medalist in the 60m hurdles, ranks eighth in the country on the 2017 preseason list with a time of 8.12 seconds. Stiverneâs 400m time of 53.71 seconds is 27th in the country, while Miamiâs 4x400m relay time of 3:34.04 is 15th.
While Wimbley, Morrison and Stiverne are well known names to Miami track fans, the Canes have a talented group of newcomers expected to make an impact in 2017 and beyond.
Kristina Knott is a junior sprinter who transferred to Miami from Arkansas State, where she was a national qualifier in the 60m. Knott is sixth among returners in Division I in the 60m with a time of 7.28 seconds.
Michelle Atherley is a talented multi-events athlete that joined the Canes after spending 2016 at Auburn, where she was the only freshman in the country to qualify for the NCAA Indoor Championships. Atherleyâs pentathlon score of 4,153 points rates ninth among returners.
The Canes also have standout freshmen Darlene Charles, Sherry Lubin, Peyton Russell and Erika Voyzey set to make their Miami debuts this weekend.
On the menâs side, Miami brings back several talented athletes on the track and in the field events.
Carlos Mangum headlines the menâs throwers, as the senior is the reigning ACC silver medalist in the weight throw. Miami also has Andreas Christodoulou, the defending ACC champion in the menâs decathlon, competing in four events this weekend.
On the track, Miami is led by junior sprinters Henri Delauze and Jaalen Jones. Both veterans scored at the 2016 ACC outdoor championships and will look to start their season strong this weekend. The Canes also have gifted sophomores Myles Valentine and Isaiah Taylor, as well as freshmen Brandon Taylor and McKinly Brown looking to make some noise at the season-opening meet.
Following this weekendâs trip to Virginia Tech, the Hurricanes will head to Kentucky to compete at the Rod McCravy Memorial Meet. To view the complete Miami Track and Field schedule for the 2017 season, click here.
Miami Entries
Men
60m: Myles Valentine, Brandon Taylor, Isaiah Taylor
200m: Jaalen Jones
300m: Breon Mullings
400m: Ibrahim Dodo
500m: Henri Delauze, McKinly Brown
800m: Luke Dublirer, Tom Gassner
1 Mile: Sean Grossman
3000m: Sean Grossman
60m HH: McKinly Brown, Andreas Christodoulou
4x400m: McKinly Brown, Henri Delauze, Breon Mullings, Ibrahim Dodo, Jaalen Jones
High Jump: Andreas Christodoulou
Long Jump: Andreas Christodoulou
Shot Put: Daniel Polinski, Andreas Christodoulou
Weight Throw: Carlos Mangum
Women
60m: Kristina Knott, Carolyn Brown, Trishelle Leacock
200m: Anna Runia, Stefani Kerrison
300m: Shakima Wimbley, Aiyanna Stiverne, Brittny Ellis, Erin Ford
400m: Anthonia Moore
500m: Amy Taintor, Nia Hinds
800m: Anne Den Otter
1000m: Anne Den Otter, Gabrielle Hesslau
1 Mile: Gabrielle Hesslau
60m HH: Ebony Morrison, Michelle Atherley, Stefani Kerrison, Anna Runia, Amy Taintor, Nia Hinds
4x400m: Anthonia Moore, Carolyn Brown, Shakima Wimbley, Aiyanna Stiverne, Erin Ford, Brittny Ellis, Kristina Knott, Nia Hinds, Michelle Atherley
High Jump: Erika Voyzey, Michelle Atherley, Celine Thompson, Nia Hinds, Amy Taintor, Stefani Kerrison
Pole Vault: Amanda Gale, Emily Gale
Long Jump: Kristina Knott, Darlene Charles
Triple Jump: Darlene Charles, Peyton Russell, Niara Hill
Shot Put: Sherry Lubin, Zakiya Rashid, Michelle Atherley, Amy Taintor, Stefani Kerrison, Nia Hinds
Weight Throw: Karyna Armstrong, Zakiya Rashid, Sherry Lubin
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 @MiamiTrack on Twitter for specific news on UM track and field and cross country. The program is also on Instagram. Â