Miami Women’s Track Ready for NCAA Indoor Championships
COLLEGE STATION, Texas – The No. 12 University of Miami women’s track and field program is ready to compete at the 2017 NCAA Division I Men’s and Women’s Indoor Track and Field Championships.
Seven student-athletes will represent the back-to-back ACC champion Hurricanes at the two-day meet, held on March 10-11 at Gilliam Indoor Track in College Station, Texas. The Hurricanes are led by Miami director of track and field/cross country Amy Deem, who leads active ACC women’s coaches with four indoor conference team titles.
Michelle Atherley kicks off the Hurricanes in action in Texas, as the women’s pentathlon begins on Friday at 1:15 p.m., ET. The sophomore won gold at the ACC Indoor Championships with a school and ACC Championships record score of 4,281 points. Atherley’s score ranks fourth in the NCAA heading into the meet.
Miami has two entries in the women’s 400m, as two-time ACC Women’s Indoor Track MVP Shakima Wimbley and 2017 ACC silver medalist Brittny Ellis are among the 16 competitors hitting the track at 7:20 p.m., ET on Friday.
Wimbley, who will run in Heat 2, is the headliner for the Hurricanes heading into the NCAA Indoor Championships. The senior is the NCAA leader in the women’s 400m, posting a time of 51.20 seconds to defend her title at the ACC Indoor Championships. Wimbley set a new ACC record, ACC Championship record and school record, while leading a trio of Canes that finished in the top four in the event.
Ellis, who earned a silver medal in the 400m with a personal-best time of 52.19 seconds, is ranked eighth in the event heading into the NCAA meet. She will race in Heat 3 of the preliminaries.
Ebony Morrison is the final Hurricane slated to compete on the opening day of the NCAA Indoor Championships. The 2017 ACC 60m hurdles champion is in Heat 1 of the 60m hurdles preliminaries, scheduled for 7:50 p.m., ET. The senior’s time of 8.12 seconds ranks 13th in the NCAA.
Hurricanes who advance to the finals in their respective events will join Miami’s 4x400m relay in action on Saturday. The Canes enter the NCAA meet ranked sixth in the country with a time of 3:31.88, set at the Meyo Invitational. The quartet of Aiyanna Stiverne, Ellis, Atherley and Wimbley won the event at Meyo with a time of 3:31.88 that broke meet and facility records and ranked second in school history.
Miami also has sophomore Erin Ford, who ran on the Canes’ ACC champion relay team, and junior Kristina Knott, who scored for the Canes in the 60m and 200m at the ACC Championships, in College Station, giving the Hurricanes a talented and deep relay pool ready to race in Heat 2 at 7:30 p.m. ET on Saturday.
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 first of three home meets scheduled for 2017, the Hurricane Invitational on March 17-18. Miami will also host the Hurricane Collegiate Invitational on March 25 and the Hurricane Alumni Invitational on April 7-8. 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 country. The program is also on Instagram.
