Hurricanes Start Strong at VT Invitational
BLACKSBURG, Va. – The University of Miami track and field team got off to a strong start at the Virginia Tech Invitational on Friday night.
The Hurricanes had a successful day on the track and in the field events, winning seven events, setting a school record and posting several marks that rank among the best in school history.
Ebony Morrison won the women’s 60m hurdles final with a time of 8.29 seconds, leading a trio of Canes in a sweep of the top three spots. Michelle Atherley placed second with a time of 8.37 seconds, while Stefani Kerrison was third with a time of 8.44 seconds.
Morrison advanced to the final by winning Heat 3 of the preliminaries with a time of 8.33 seconds. Atherley (8.48) won Heat 5, while Kerrison (8.55) won Heat 2 to reach the finals. On the men’s side, freshman McKinly Brown just missed reaching the finals of the 60m hurdles, placing ninth with a time of 8.32 seconds.
Myles Valentine finished second in the men’s 60m final with a personal-best time of 6.71 seconds that ranks second in UM history. Isaiah Taylor finished fourth with a personal-best time of 6.78 seconds to tie with Lamar Miller for fourth in school history, while Brandon Taylor placed sixth with a time of 6.80 seconds.
Valentine won Heat 2 of the men’s 60m preliminaries with a time of 6.79 seconds, while Brandon Taylor (6.87) and Isaiah Taylor (6.88) each finished second in their respective heats and earned at-large spots in the final.
Miami women also excelled in the 60m final, as Kristina Knott won the race with a time of 7.39 seconds, while Carolyn Brown placed fifth with a time of 7.61 seconds. Knott won Heat 1 of the women’s 60m with the fastest preliminary time, 7.39 seconds, while Brown advanced after winning Heat 3 of preliminaries with a time of 7.59 seconds.
The Canes had three student-athletes finish 1-2-3 in the women’s 300m. Shakima Wimbley won the event with a school record time of 36.72 seconds that is also the fastest in the country. Brittny Ellis was second with a time of 38.03 seconds and Aiyanna Stiverne placed third with a time of 38.15 seconds. Erin Ford finished sixth with a time of 39.28 seconds. The quartet moved into the top four spots in the event in Miami history. Breon Mullings finished second in the men’s 300m with a time of 34.34 seconds.
Henri Delauze won the men’s 500m with a time of 1:03.74 that ranks third in UM history, while McKinly Brown was seventh with a time of 1:05.11. Amy Taintor was fourth in the women’s 500m with a time of 1:16.92
Tom Gassner won the men’s 1000m with a time of 2:29.10 that ranks third in school history, while Luke Dublirer finished 10th with a time of 2:36.20. Sean Grossman placed second in the men’s 3000m with a time of 8:49.70.
Gabrielle Hesslau finished seventh in the women’s mile with a personal-best time of 5:00.17 that ranks fourth in UM history. Hesslau also moved into fifth place in school history in the women’s 1000m, posting a time of 3:01.34.
Miami also had a big day in the field events, excelling in the throws and jumps.
Carlos Mangum won the men’s weight throw with a mark of 20.91m, while Karyna Armstrong was third in the women’s weight throw with a mark of 17.40m and Zakiya Rashid was fifth with a throw of 17.21m.
The Canes finished in the top two spots in the women’s long jump. Knott earned the victory with a mark of 5.94m, while Darlene Charles was second with a mark of 5.93m.
Andreas Christodoulou finished sixth in the men’s long jump with an indoor-best mark of 6.89m.
The Hurricanes are part of a 13-school field competing at Rector Fieldhouse on the Virginia Tech campus this weekend that includes ACC rivals Virginia, Wake Forest and the host Hokies.
Saturday’s action is set to start at 11 a.m., with the women’s high jump and the seeded women’s pole vault. The women’s 400m is the first running event, scheduled for 1 p.m., and the meet will close with the men’s 4x400m relay at 3:35 p.m.
Following this weekend’s 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.
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