A MESSAGE FROM THE ATHLETICS DIRECTOR
As the holidays draw near, it gives us a chance to reflect on – and celebrate – what has been a remarkable season to date for Miami Athletics.
Our football team finished the regular season with a 10-2 record, capturing the ACC Coastal Division title for the first time in school history and finishing 10th in the final College Football Playoff rankings. Head coach Mark Richt guided UM to its first 10-win season since 2003, and earned both ACC Coach of the Year honors and Walter Camp Coach of the Year honors.
The Hurricanes now prepare for their first trip to the Capital One Orange Bowl since 2004. Miami will face sixth-ranked Wisconsin at the friendly confines at Hard Rock Stadium on Saturday, December 30, at 8 p.m. We hope to see many of you there cheering on the Hurricanes in what should be a memorable finale to the 2017 campaign.
Our men’s basketball team is also ranked 10th in the nation after racing out to an 8-0 record, including a big road win at No. 12 Minnesota in the ACC/Big Ten Challenge. Sophomore center Dewan Huell (13.1 points per game) leads a quartet of Hurricanes averaging double figures in scoring, while head coach Jim Larrañaga’s team is playing its trademark stingy defense. Miami ranks second in the ACC and third nationally in scoring defense. Miami next heads to George Washington on Saturday, December 16, before making the long trek to the Hawaiian Airlines Diamond Head Classic over the Christmas holiday – a tournament that features five teams that made the NCAA Tournament a season ago.
Katie Meier’s young women’s basketball squad has won six of its first nine games, including a 65-54 win over No. 20 Kentucky this past weekend at Watsco Center. Freshman guard Endia Banks paced Miami against the Wildcats with 13 points, while Mykea Gray leads the team in scoring overall (14.3 ppg), and has already earned ACC Rookie of the Week honors twice. Next up for UM is a home game against Alabama State on Friday, December 15, at 7 p.m. Come cheer on the Hurricanes!
Our volleyball team reached the second round of the NCAA Tournament, defeating College of Charleston before falling to second-ranked Florida in a tight four-setter. The Hurricanes finished with a 22-6 record, 15-5 in the ACC. Senior outside hitter Olga Stranzali was named ACC Player of the Year as well as the AVCA All-East Coast Region Player of the Year. Haley Templeton also earned both All-ACC and All-AVCA honors. Congratulations to Olga, Haley, head coach Jose “Keno” Gandara and the rest of the Hurricanes on an outstanding season!
Miami Director of Track and Field/Cross Country Amy Deem is heading to Phoenix this week to join five others as inductees into the 2017 Class of the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association Coaches Hall of Fame. In her 27 years at the helm, Coach Deem has turned the Hurricanes into a national powerhouse as her student-athletes have laid claim to 14 national championships and nearly 200 first-team All-America selections. Congratulations to Amy on this tremendous honor!
Fall graduation is slated for Thursday, December 14, and we have 18 student-athletes across four different programs graduating. One of those 18 is wide receiver Braxton Berrios, who was honored at last week’s National Football Foundation Awards Dinner in New York as one of 13 finalists for the Campbell Trophy, which annually recognizes the top football scholar-athlete in the nation. Congratulations to Braxton and all of our UM graduates. We can’t wait to see what the future holds for all of you!
Our crowdfunding campaign that focuses on outfitting the interior of the Carol Soffer Football Indoor Practice Facility is in full swing. This project addresses three areas of the facility – our football history displays, installation of state-of-the-art technology and enhancement of recruiting services. More than 350 Hurricanes supporters have pledged over $32 million of the $34 million goal. Your donations will help us finish this project the right way, and elevate this facility to one of the best in the country. Visit Give2IPF.com to pledge your support and, for a limited time, receive exclusive gifts hand-selected by Coach Richt.
For the latest information on each of our varsity teams, please be sure to visit HurricaneSports.com or follow us on Twitter @MiamiHurricanes. I hope you enjoy this month’s magazine, and I hope that you and your family have a safe and joyous holiday season.
Go Canes!
Blake James
