@CanesTrack Wraps Regular Season at Tom Jones Invitational
GAINESVILLE, Fla. – The University of Miami track and field team closed out the 2017 outdoor track and field regular season Friday at the Tom Jones Memorial Invitational.
“What a difference six days makes,” Miami director of track and field/cross country Amy Deem said. “I think we kind of licked our wounds and got after it this weekend, which I was really glad to see. Even people that didn’t jump the mark the wanted, they saw significant improvement. I think we are in an awesome place going into ACCs.”
Carolyn Brown, Shakima Wimbley, Aiyanna Stiverne and Kristina Knott set a school record in the women’s 4x100m relay at 43.58 seconds, finishing second overall with a time that is eighth in the NCAA this season. The Hurricane quartet bested the previous record of 43.63 seconds, set by Wimbley, Brown, Stiverne and Ebony Morrison at the 2016 ACC Outdoor Championships last season.
Morrison was second in the international section of the 100m hurdles preliminaries with a time of 12.96 seconds, while Stefani Kerrison won Heat 1 and finished fifth overall in the women’s 100m hurdles preliminaries with a time of 13.44 seconds.
Kerrison then turned in a season-best time of 13.35 seconds to finish fifth in the 100m hurdles final. In addition to excelling in the hurdles, Kerrison finished fifth in the women’s long jump with a personal-best mark of 6.15m.
Wimbley won section 3 and finished second overall in the women’s 200m with a time of 22.47 seconds — second-fastest in the NCAA this year. Knott was 16th with a time of 23.39 seconds.
Stiverne won section 2 of the women’s 400m and was the top collegiate runner, finishing fifth overall with a season-best time of 52.35 seconds. Erin Ford posted a season-best time of 55.57 seconds.
“I am very excited with where we are,” Deem said. “The relay is getting better every week. Shakima, Brittny and Aiyanna did well. I am really pleased with Aiyanna. I thought that was a great run for her in what was her second 400. We are really coming together well at the right time. We’ve just got to take care of ourselves, get through final exams, stay healthy and get ready for ACCs.”
Breon Mullings ran a personal-best time of 47.24 seconds in the men’s 400m that is fifth in UM history.
Isaiah Taylor finished fifth in Heat 3 and 18th overall in the men’s 100m with a time of 10.41 seconds, while Brandon Taylor was fifth in Heat 5 and 29th overall with a time of 10.64 seconds.
Ibrahim Dodo was 13th in the men’s 400m hurdles with a personal-best time of 54.11 seconds.
Jonathan Keller was fourth in section 2 and 12th overall in the men’s 1500m with a personal-best time of 3:54.86.
The women’s 4x400m relay team of Anna Runia, Ellis, Samantha Gonzalez and Stiverne combined to finished third with a time of 3:33.69.
The Hurricanes also had a solid day in the jumps and throws, with several Canes finishing in the top five in their respective events.
Erika Voyzey won the women’s high jump with a personal-best mark of 1.75m that ranks fifth all-time in UM history. Kyra Maryland was third with a mark of 1.65m.
Emily Gale finished second in the women’s pole vault, clearing 3.75m.
Darlene Charles was third in the women’s triple jump with a mark of 12.42m, while Niara Hill finished sixth with a triple jump of 11.97m.
Zakiya Rashid was third in the women’s discus with a throw of 51.08m. Daniel Polinski was third in the men’s discus with a mark of 48.76m, while Andreas Christodoulou finished sixth with a season-best throw of 38.53m. Polinski also finished fourth in the men’s shot put with a throw of 16.15m.
Karyna Armstrong led a trio of Hurricanes finishing in the top 10 of the women’s hammer throw, placing fifth with a mark of 52.73m. Rashid was eighth with a mark of 50.32m, while Sherry Lubin finished ninth with a personal-best throw of 46.99m. Lubin also was second in the women’s shot put with a mark of 14.22m.
The Tom Jones Memorial Invitational featured a talented field of Division I teams that includes Auburn, Bethune-Cookman, Coastal Carolina, Florida Atlantic, Florida State, Georgia Tech, Jacksonville, Miami, North Carolina A&T, North Florida, South Florida and UCF.
Following this weekend’s action, the Canes will prepare for the 2017 ACC Outdoor Championships. Hosted by Georgia Tech, the 2017 ACC meet is scheduled for May 12-14. To view the complete Miami track and field schedule for the 2017 season, click here.
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