Deem Announces Six Track Fall Signees
CORAL GABLES, Fla. – Miami Director of Track and Field/Cross Country Amy Deem is excited to announce the six newest members of the Hurricanes track and field family.
The Canes welcome fall signees Thomas Burns, Selina Dantzler, Davonte Fuller, Hannah-Sophia Hall, Tyrees Moulton and Chauncy Smart. Burns, Fuller, Moulton and Smart will bolster the rising men’s team, while Dantzler and Hall will join the two-time defending ACC indoor champion women’s roster. Smart will join the Hurricanes in the spring, while the remaining five signees will be freshmen in the fall of 2018.
“Our staff did a tremendous job of identifying our needs and going out and recruiting a talented group of student-athletes to round out our team,” Deem said. “This group of young people will make an immediate impact and are a great addition to the Hurricane Family. Our men’s class is a versatile and competitive group that will give us depth in the sprints, hurdles and relays. On the women’s side we were able to strengthen our throws area, which will add to a already strong women’s program.”
Thomas Burns | Men’s Hurdles | Miami, Fla. | Pine Richland (PA)
Burns is a Miami legacy, following in the footsteps of his older brother, Artie Burns, who was a track and field and football standout for the Hurricanes. The younger Burns is the top long hurdler in the country, holding the second-fastest 300m hurdles time ever and the 11th-fastest 400m hurdles time ever. Burns won the 2017 FHSAA 300m hurdles state title and leading Miami Northwestern High School to a team title. Burns is also the 2017 AAU champion and the 2017 New Balance outdoor champion in the 400m hurdles. He also was the 300m hurdles champion at the 2017 Great Southwest Invitational, the Louie Bing Invitational, Bob Hayes Invitational and GMAC meet. His personal-best time in the 300m hurdles (35.25) and 400m hurdles (50.12) are both the top times among returning high school athletes, while he has a 110m hurdles personal-best of 14.30 seconds and a 200m personal-best of 21.56.
Selina Dantzler | Women’s Throws | Munich, Germany | LG Stadtwerke Munchen
Dantzler is a talented thrower from Germany who heads to Coral Gables to continue her academic and athletic career. She won gold in the shot put at the 2017 IAAF World U18 Championships and was the 2017 German U18 Champion in the shot put and discus. Dantzler has had a lot of success in her native Germany, finishing second in the shot put at the 2017 German Indoor Championships and third in the discus at the same meet. Dantzler was also the bronze medalist in the discus and placed fifth in the shot put at the 2016 German U18 Championship. She has personal-best marks of 52.03m (170-7) in the discus and 15.71m (51-5) in the shot put.
Davonte Fuller | Men’s Middle Distance | Goose Creek, S.C. | Stratford
Fuller is one of the top mid-distance runners in the country and he heads to Miami from South Carolina. Fuller is a back-to-back state champion, winning the 400m title at the South Carolina Class 5A state meet in 2016 and 2017. The Goose Creek, S.C., native also won the 800m at the 2017 New Balance Outdoor Emerging Elite meet and won both the 400m and 800m titles at the 2017 Mount Pleasant Invitational. Fuller’s personal-best of 1:52.00 in the 800m ranks ninth among returning high school competitors in the United States, while his top 400m time of 47.36 is 19th among returners.
Hannah Sophia-Hall| Women’s Throws | Union City, Calif. | James Logan
Hall is one of the best high school throwers in the United States. The California native finished third in the shot put and sixth in the discus at the 2017 state meet. Hall was also the runner-up in the discus at the 2017 Arcadia Invitational. Her personal-best throw of 156-3 (47.6m) in the discus ranks eighth among returning high school throwers in the United States, while her top mark of 46-5.25 (14.08m) in the shot put is ninth among returning throwers.
Tyrees Moulton | Men’s Sprints | Glendale, Ariz. | North Canyon
Moulton is one of the top sprinters in the country and the best in his home state of Arizona. The Glendale, Ariz., native was the 2017 state champion in both the 200m and 400m. Moulton was the runner-up in the 400m at the Arcadia Invitational and he also placed third in the Great Southwest Classic in the 400m. Moulton’s personal-best 400m time of 46.51 seconds is fourth-fastest among returning athletes in the United States, while he also has personal-bests of 21.36 seconds in the 200m and 10.82 seconds in the 100m.
Chauncy Smart | Men’s Sprints | Auburndale, Fla. | USF/Auburndale
Smart is an explosive and powerful sprinter who will join the Hurricanes in January after initially enrolling at USF on a football scholarship this fall. Smart was one of the top 100m runners in the state, winning county, district, regional and state championship titles. Smart won the 100m in the 2017 FHSAA 3A State Championship meet and was second in 2016, 0.01 behind the winner. He was named Auburndale’s Athlete of the Year both his junior and senior years. Smart was the 2017 100m champion at the Golden South Invitational and was the runner-up at in the 100m at the 2017 Florida Relays. Smart also placed third in the 100m at the Brooks PR Invitational. He has personal-best times of 10.26 in the 100m and 21.79 in the 200m.
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