Atherley’s School Record Sparks Canes at NCAA Indoor Championships
COLLEGE STATION, Texas – Michelle Atherley opened up competition at the 2017 NCAA Division I Men’s and Women’s Indoor Championships with a record-setting performance.
Atherley finished fourth in the women’s pentathlon with a school record and personal best score of 4,310 points. She opened the competition with a time of 8.21 seconds in the 60m hurdles, tying her personal best from the ACC Indoor Championships 60m hurdles final.
“I’ve been here once before, so I just came in this time with a better mindset,” Atherley said. “I finished a lot better than I did last year. I really wanted to hit the marks that I have been progressing in all season and I am really happy with my marks. I tried to remember what my coaches have told me and kind of stay calm. It’s a big meet, so I didn’t want to overwork myself or overthink it. I am happy with how I did. Coming in fourth overall was great. I just wanted to do as well as I could against the best in the country.”
The sophomore followed with a mark of 1.75m in the high jump and posted a personal-best 12.69m in the shot put. Atherley had a long jump of 5.67m and closed out the pentathlon with a time of 2:17.05 in the 800m to score five points for Miami’s women’s team.
“Michelle had some really good events and had to fight through some events, but I couldn’t be more proud of how she competed and stuck with it the whole day,” Miami director of track and field/cross country Amy Deem said. “You train all year to have your season best at a national championship and to come here and be an All-American and contribute points to the team, I couldn’t be more proud of her.”
In addition to Atherley’s stellar showing, the Canes had a pair of women advance to the championship final in the women’s 400m.
Two-time ACC champion Shakima Wimbley won Heat 2 of the women’s 400m preliminaries with a time of 51.78 seconds. The NCAA leader in the 400m this season with a time of 51.20 seconds, Wimbley ran the second-fastest time in the preliminaries on Friday.
“Shakima handled herself very well and I’m proud of her,” Deem said. “She’s overcome a lot and not always had great indoor championships. For her to come here and win her heat and just run with such composure and control I think sets herself up well for tomorrow.”
Brittny Ellis finished second in Heat 3 with a time of 52.66 seconds. The sophomore, who earned a silver medal in the 400m at the ACC Indoor Championships, ran the seventh-best time during preliminaries. Both Hurricanes earned spots in Saturday’s women’s 400m final, scheduled for 5:40 p.m., ET.
“That was the goal,” Deem said of getting both Canes into the final. “I really feel like Brittny sticks her nose in and runs with whoever. The beauty about Brittny is she doesn’t care who she is running with, she is just going to go after people. It was good to see her in her first time here to make the final.”
Ebony Morrison finished 15th overall in the women’s 60m hurdles with a time of 8.47 seconds. The senior, who won the women’s 60m hurdles title at the 2017 ACC Indoor Championships, did not advance to the finals at the NCAA meet.
“I think Ebony and I would both say it didn’t quite end the way we had hoped, but she was an ACC champion and that was something that was very important to her,” Deem said. “We’ll regroup and she loves outdoor track and the addition of five more hurdles and running the 100 meters. I think it will be rough this weekend, but we will get back outdoors. She’s excited to run the hurdles and the relay outdoors. It’s not the way we wanted to end it, but luckily we have another season right around the corner.”
Wimbley and Ellis 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.
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.
ESPN3 will stream the meet live on 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.
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