Multis Lead Miami at McCravy Memorial Meet
LEXINGTON, Ky. – The University of Miami track and field kicked off the Rod McCravy Memorial Invitational with a strong showing in the multi-events.
Michelle Atherley won the women’s pentathlon with a score of 3,984 points that ranks second in school history. The sophomore won the 60m hurdles (8.43 seconds), high jump (1.73m) and 800m (2:18.94) to propel her to the top score in the field.
Amy Taintor placed third in the pentathlon with a score of 3,804 points, while Stefani Kerrison finished sixth with a personal-best score of 3,599 points that ranks fifth in UM history. Nia Hinds finished eighth with 3,397 points.
On the men’s side, Andreas Christodoulou closed the first day of the heptathlon in fourth place with 2,753 points. The sophomore set a personal-best in the shot put with a mark of 12.30m and also competed in the 60m, long jump and high jump on the opening day of competition.
“We had some solid performances today,” Miami director of track and field/cross country Amy Deem said. “We’ve been training hard, both on the track and in the weight room, and to see the team push through and still be successful is encouraging.”
The Canes also excelled in the field events, led by Carlos Mangum in the men’s weight throw. The senior was the top collegian in the event, finishing second with a mark of 20.87m.
The Hurricanes also had two top 10 finishers in the women’s weight throw, led by Zakiya Rashid’s sixth place performance with a personal-best mark of 18.59m. Karyna Armstrong finished 10th with a throw of 17.27m.
Erika Voyzey placed third in the women’s high jump with a mark of 1.78m that matched her personal best, while Celine Thompson finished eighth with a mark of 1.63m.
Amanda Gale finished tied for seventh in the women’s pole vault with a personal-best mark of 3.95m that ranks second in school history. Emily Gale was ninth with a personal-best mark of 3.95m that ties with her twin sister, Amanda, for second in UM history.
On the track, Breon Mullings won Heat 9 and was 14th overall in the men’s 200m with a time of 21.92 seconds. Tom Gassner won Heat 2 and finished eighth overall with a time of 1:13.18. Sean Grossman finished sixth in the men’s 5000m with a time of 15:15.89.
Miami is one of 14 schools competing at Nutter Field House on the University of Kentucky campus. Miami’s women’s team enters the McCravy Memorial Meet ranked 14th in the USTFCCCA National Team Computer Rankings. There are 10 ranked teams from eight schools set to compete at the McCravy Memorial Meet. The men’s side features No. 6 USC, No. 7 Texas and No. 20 Penn State, while the women’s field is led by No. 4 USC and No. 5 Texas and also includes No. 8 Kentucky, No. 10 Purdue, No. 13 Baylor, No. 14 Miami, and No. 21 Ole Miss.
Saturday’s action is set to start at 10 a.m., with the men’s heptathlon 60m hurdles. The women’s triple jump and women’s shot put will open the final day’s field events at 11 a.m., while the women’s 60m hurdles will start an exciting day on the track beginning at noon. The meet will be broadcast on SEC Network+ on Saturday beginning at noon. The live broadcast will feature highlights of some of the top events from Friday, as well.
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