Miami Women Ranked No. 15 Entering ACCs
NEW ORLEANS – The University of Miami women’s track and field team is ranked 15th in the NCAA Division I Women’s National Team Computer Rankings for Indoor Track and Field, as announced by the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) on Monday.
The defending ACC indoor champion Hurricanes remained in the top 15 for the sixth straight time this season and is the only team from the ACC to appear in the top 25. The Canes, who opened the 2017 season ranked No. 14, peaked at No. 15 during the 2016 indoor season and were ranked in every week of last year’s indoor campaign.
The Hurricanes, who are coming off a bye week, have nine marks contributing to their total team score of 52.17, with eight marks coming from the 2017 indoor campaign.
Reigning ACC Women’s Indoor Track Most Outstanding Performer Shakima Wimbley’s 400m time of 51.28 seconds ranks first in the NCAA. The senior posted the then-world-leading time at the Rod McCravy Memorial Invitational. Wimbley’s 200m time of 23.19 seconds from the Meyo Invitational also factors into Miami’s team score, as it is 12th on the list of eligible times.
In addition to Wimbley’s NCAA-leading and school and meet record-setting 400m time, the Canes have two other 400m times from the McCravy Memorial Invitational that rank among the nation’s best.
Brittny Ellis, who finished fourth in the 400m with a personal-best time of 53.05 seconds, is ranked 16th, while Aiyanna Stiverne’s time of 53.39 seconds is 22nd.
The Hurricanes’ newest mark comes in the women’s 60m hurdles, as Ebony Morrison posted a season-best time of 8.13 seconds at the Tiger Paw Invitational that ranks 12th.
Miami’s 4x400m relay from the Meyo Invitational also is among the nation’s best, as the quartet of Stiverne, Ellis, Michelle Atherley and Wimbley won the event with a time of 3:31.88 that broke meet and facility records and ranked second in school history. Miami’s 4x400m relay time currently sits fifth on the list of eligible marks.
Kristina Knott rounds out the contributing marks on the track, as the junior sprinter’s 60m time of 7.31 seconds sits 22nd.
Erika Voyzey’s mark of 1.78m ranks 30th in the high jump to complete the marks from the 2017 season that contribute to the team’s tally, while Atherley is 11th in the pentathlon with a score of 4,153 points from the 2016 season.
The Hurricanes will return to South Bend, Ind., for the 2017 ACC Indoor Championships on Feb. 23-25. Miami’s women will look to defend their 2016 ACC team championship, while the men hope to build off their best team score since joining the ACC in 2004-05. To view the complete Miami Track and Field schedule for the 2017 season, click here.
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