Hurricanes Add Three Entries to NCAA Outdoor Championships
LEXINGTON, Ky. – Inclement weather made them wait, but Ebony Morrison and a pair of University of Miami relay teams punched their tickets to Oregon on Saturday at the NCAA East Preliminary.
Rain and lightning delayed the start of the track events by an hour, but the Hurricanes took care of business once the starter’s pistol fired at 7 p.m. ET.
“They were very focused,” Miami director of track and field/cross country Amy Deem said. “I could tell this morning they were ready to go. I have a lot of confidence in the relays and I am very proud of Ebony. I thought she put a very good race together. It wasn’t the greatest day to compete out there, but we went out there and competed hard.”
Miami’s 4x100m relay team got the final day of competition off to a strong start. The quartet of Carolyn Brown, Shakima Wimbley, Aiyanna Stiverne and Kristina Knott combined to finish third in Heat 1 with a time of 43.68 seconds, earning the Hurricanes an automatic qualifying spot in the NCAA Championships next month.
Ebony Morrison won Heat 1 of the 100m hurdles with a time of 13.17 seconds to advance to the NCAA Championships. Stefani Kerrison finished sixth in Heat 2 and 17th overall in the women’s 100m hurdles quarterfinal with a time of 13.45 seconds, but did not move on to Oregon.
The women’s 4x400m relay earned a trip to the NCAA Outdoor Championships after finishing second in Heat 1 of the quarterfinal. Stiverne, Brittny Ellis, Erin Ford and Wimbley teamed to finish with a time of 3:30.47 and secure Miami’s final entry in the 2017 national meet.
“I was really proud of Erin,” Deem said. “She hasn’t been on the ‘A’ team all year and we still had the second fastest t ime. She stepped in for Anna [Runia] and the girls still got it done. That’s what a good team is about.”
Saturday’s qualifiers join Wimbley and Stiverne, who advanced to the NCAA Championships in the women’s 400m on Friday, to give Miami five entries in the national championship meet.
On the men’s side, Henri Delauze, Breon Mullings, Brandon Taylor and Ibrahim Dodo combined to finish eighth in Heat 3 of the men’s 4x400m with a time of 3:11.18.
Miami also had two competitors in the field events, as Darlene Charles posted a personal-best mark of 12.77m in the women’s triple jump, finishing 23rd overall. Niara Hill finished with a mark of 11.09m in the women’s triple jump.
“I am very proud of our freshman, Dee, in the triple jump,” Deem said. “Even though she didn’t make it, I think that really ended her season well. That will really get her motivated and I think she is going to have a great year next year.”
The qualifiers out of the East and West Preliminaries will compete in the NCAA Division I Men’s and Women’s Outdoor Track and Field Championships held June 7-10 at Hayward Field in Eugene, Oregon.
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