Miami Track Qualifies for NCAA Indoor Championships

Miami Track Qualifies for NCAA Indoor Championships

INDIANAPOLIS – ACC Women’s Indoor Track MVP Shakima Wimbley leads a contingent of Miami Hurricanes to the 2017 NCAA Indoor Championships.

The NCAA Division I Men’s and Women’s Track and Field and Cross Country Committee announced the participants that will compete in the 2017 NCAA Division I Men’s and Women’s Indoor Track and Field Championships and the Hurricanes had five entries accepted into the 2017 national meet, scheduled for March 10-11 in College Station, Texas. Miami student-athletes are slated to compete in the women’s 400m, women’s 60m hurdles, women’s pentathlon and women’s 4x400m relay.

Wimbley earned top billing in the women’s 400m, as the senior enters the NCAA Indoor Championships with the top time in the country. The senior defended her indoor 400m title, winning with an NCAA-leading time of 51.20 seconds that set a new ACC record, ACC Championship record and school record.

Sophomore Brittny Ellis joins Wimbley in the 400m field, entering the meet with the eighth-fastest time in the NCAA. Ellis earned a silver medal in the 400m at the ACC Indoor Championships with a personal-best time of 52.19 seconds that ranks fourth all-time at UM.

Ebony Morrison will represent the Hurricanes in the women’s 60m hurdles, fresh off winning a gold medal in the event at the ACC Indoor Championships. The senior has the 14th-fastest time in the country at 8.12 seconds.

Michelle Atherley returns to the NCAA Indoor Championships in the pentathlon, but this will be her first time representing Miami. The sophomore, who finished 11th as a freshman for Auburn in 2016, won gold in the pentathlon at the ACC Indoor Championships with a school and meet record score of 4,281 points that ranks fourth in the NCAA this year.

The Hurricanes enter the NCAA Indoor Championships with the sixth-fastest 4x400m relay time of 2017. The quartet of Aiyanna Stiverne, Ellis, Atherley and Wimbley won the event at the Meyo Invitational with a time of 3:31.88 that broke meet and facility records and ranks second in school history.

ESPN3 will stream the meet live on March 10 starting at 6:25 p.m. ET and March 11 starting at 4:55 p.m. ET. A re-air of the championship will take place on Sunday, March 12 starting at 7 p.m. ET on ESPN2.

Following the NCAA Indoor Championships, the Hurricanes will open their outdoor season with the Hurricane Invitational on March 17-18. To view the complete Miami track and field schedule for the 2017 season, click here.

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 countryThe program is also on Instagram.