Track Starts Season Strong at UAB Invitational
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – The University of Miami track and field program kicked off the 2017 indoor season with a strong showing at the UAB Blazer Invitational.
The men and women donning orange and green at the Birmingham CrossPlex wasted little time showing their talents on Friday, as several veterans and newcomers posted some of the best times and marks in program history.
“I thought we had some solid performances today and the team gave good effort,” Miami director of track and field/cross country Amy Deem said. “There were a lot of positives to build on and clearly some areas where we need to get better. I was pleased with our freshman and how they handled their first collegiate meet.”
Alfreda Steele was impressive in her Hurricane debut finishing second in the women’s 60m final with a time of 7.35 seconds. The redshirt freshman Steele was second in preliminaries with a time of 7.38 seconds, while Kristina Knott finished fifth in the final with a time of 7.41 seconds. Freshman Symone Mason was ninth with a time of 7.56 seconds.
Myles Valentine finished third in the men’s 60m final with a time of 6.71 seconds. The junior reached the final by posting a time of 6.81 seconds. Isaiah Taylor just missed a spot in the 60m final, placing ninth in preliminaries with a time of 6.86 seconds.
Miami had a trio of women excel in the 60m hurdles final led by freshman Tiara McMinn, who was the top collegiate finisher with a time of 8.49 seconds to place third. Junior Michelle Atherley was fourth with a time of 8.50 seconds, while fellow junior Samantha Gonzalez finished eighth with a time of 8.94 seconds.
Kayla Johnson was another freshman that impressed in her Miami debut, winning the women’s 600m with a time of 1:31.78 that ranks third all-time in UM history.
Anne den Otter set a school record in the women’s 1000m, placing second with a time of 2:52.83. The junior broke Latrice Shaw’s record of 2:53.88 that has stood since 1998.
After a strong showing in her first cross country season, freshman Maryam Jawid opened her inaugural indoor track and field season with a fifth-place finish in the women’s 3000m, posting a time of 10:26.19.
The Canes had three men finish in the top 10 of the men’s mile, with Nathan Kuck leading the way in fifth place with a time of 4:16.99 that ranks fifth all-time in UM history. Fellow senior Sean Grossman was sixth with a time of 4:17.09, while junior Sean Hagert was ninth with a time of 4:23.91. Kuck and Hagert also earned top-five finishes in the men’s 3000m, with Kuck finishing fourth with a time of 8:49.78 and Hagert placing fifth at 8:50.12.
Ibrahim Dodo led Miami’s men in the 300m, finishing ninth with a time of 35.01 seconds. Erin Ford was Miami’s top finisher in the women’s 300m, placing 15th with a time of 40.15 seconds. McKinly Brown led the Hurricane men in the 500m, finishing 10th with a time of 1:04.96.
The Canes closed out the running events with top-five finishes in both the men’s and women’s 4x400m relay. The women’s team of Mason, Atherley, McMinn and Gonzalez finished fourth with a time of 3:44.87, while the men’s group of Brown, Valentine, Dodo and Mullings placed fifth with a time of 3:16.38.
While the Canes got off to a solid start on the track, Miami had an equally impressive day in the field events.
Freshman Hasani Knight earned a victory in his first competition as a Cane, winning the men’s triple jump with a mark of 15.26m that ranks fourth all-time at Miami. Darlene Charles was second in the women’s triple jump with a mark of 12.17m, while Peyton Russell placed sixth with a mark of 11.80m and Niara Hill was seventh at 11.71m.
McMinn finished seventh in the women’s high jump with a mark of 1.64m, while senior Amy Taintor was 10th in the same event with a mark of 1.64m.
Gian Piero Ragonesi opened his season with a second place finish in the shot put, posting a mark of 18.35m. Freshman Debbie Ajagbe finished sixth in the women’s shot put with a throw of 14.17m, while sophomore Sherry Lubin was 12th with a mark of 13.24m.
Freshman Michael Holdship placed 10th in the men’s weight throw with a mark of 14.83m that ranks fourth in UM history. Zakiya Rashid was the top Hurricane in the women’s weight throw, placing sixth with a mark of 18.20m, while Ajagbe debuted with a throw of 16.33m to finish 12th.
Following this weekend’s action at UAB, the Canes will travel to Lubbock, Texas to compete at the Red Raider Invitational on Jan. 19.
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