Sprints and Hurdles Shine at Hurricane Alumni Invitational
CORAL GABLES, Fla. – Sprints and hurdles led the University of Miami track and field program on the final day of the Hurricane Alumni Invitational.
The Canes had a victory, eight personal bests and an all-time top-five time in the sprints and hurdles on Saturday at Cobb Stadium.
“It was a great day to run,” Miami director of track and field/cross country Amy Deem said. “We had some really solid competition and I just felt like the kids are really starting to believe in themselves and put things together. I think we’re healthy and that’s helping a lot. We’ve got to continue to do that and take care of ourselves, but I think they’re starting to come together at the right time. The freshmen are really starting to get over that hump. They’re in their element of outdoor season. Right now, I just see that we’re just going to continue to get better each week.”
Alfreda Steele finished second in the women’s 100m with a personal-best time of 11.31 seconds (w). Symone Mason finished fourth with a career-best time of 11.39 seconds (w), while Kristina Knott was sixth with a time of 11.51 seconds (w).
“Alfreda just needs races,” Deem said. “People don’t realize that she is coming off a high school ACL injury, so for her it’s just a matter of racing. She’s training well, but she just needs to race. I think the more competition she gets, the better she’s going to get. Hopefully we are going to see the Alfreda that everyone that knows her knows she can be and I think she’s going to come around at the right time.”
Myles Valentine and Isaiah Taylor were the fastest collegiate competitors in the men’s 100m. Valentine was fourth with a personal-best time of 10.34 seconds (w), while Taylor was fifth with a personal-best time of 10.37 seconds that ranks second in UM history.
“Isaiah does everything right,” Deem said. “He comes out here every day with a great attitude and trying to get better. We have multiple kids like that, but it’s really nice to see Isaiah come out and do what he did today. He’s just worked so hard for this moment. That was special.”
Mason also posted a personal-best time of 23.16 seconds to finish sixth in the women’s 200m, while Michelle Atherley was 15th with a time of 24.16 seconds.
McKinly Brown finished third in the men’s 400m with a time of 48.34 seconds, while Breon Mullings was fifth with a time of 48.40 seconds.
Samantha Gonzalez won the women’s 400m hurdles with a personal-best time of 57.89 seconds, while Ibrahim Dodo was ninth in the men’s 400m hurdles with a season-best time of 56.00 seconds.
“Samantha struggled a little bit as a freshman with some injuries from high school and she’s just really coming into her own and being the athlete that she knows she can be and that we know that she can be,” Deem sald. “She’s just going to continue to get better with each race because she gets more and more confident and cleans up more things technically.”
Tiara McMinn and Atherley were the top two collegiate athletes in the women’s 100m hurdles, McMinn was fourth with a personal-best time of 13.21 seconds (w), while Atherley was fifth with a personal-best time of 13.28 seconds (w).
Miami also had a strong showing in the distance events, as Sean Grossman finished second in the men’s 1500m with a personal-best time of 3:56.45. Abby Kettle finished fourth in the women’s 1500m with a personal-best time of 4:49.44.
Nathan Kuck won the men’s 5000m with a time of 15:01.82, while Adam George was second, Dylan Sykes sixth and Matthew Wiefels eighth to give the Canes four of the top 10 finishers in the event.
“I’m excited for them,” Deem said of the distance runners. “They’re really doing a really good job in their prep and I hope that in two weeks they can put a really good 10K down. They’ve done great. Sean, from cross country to now, has just been getting better week in and week out. I’m excited to see what he can do at Virginia and set up a nice 10K before ACCs.”
The Hurricanes closed out the running events with a victory in the women’s 4x400m relay, as Kayla Johnson, Anna Runia, Steele and McMinn combined for a time of 3:35.55.
The Canes also had a solid day in the field events, as senior Niara Hill was second in the women’s triple jump with a mark of 12.24m, while Darlene Charles was fourth at 11.94m and Peyton Russell finished fifth at 11.90m.
Kevin Arreaga finished third in the men’s hammer invitational section with a throw of 69.18m. Zakiya Rashid finished fifth in the women’s hammer invitational section with a personal-best mark of 56.64m. Debbie Ajagbe placed sixth in the same event with a personal-best mark of 55.13m.
“Kevin has been very, very consistent,” Deem said. “He’s trying to get over 70 meters and you love to see that. Our young kids are never satisfied.”
Gian Piero Ragonesi won the men’s discus with a throw of 57.21m, while Rashid won the women’s discus with a mark of 53.38m and Sherry Lubin finished fourth with a personal-best mark of 45.02.
Fans can find complete meet results by clicking HERE.
Following this weekend’s action, the Hurricanes will be back at Cobb Stadium for the Hurricane Collegiate Invitational on April 14. To view the complete Miami Track and Field schedule for the 2018 season, click here.
For all the latest information on the Miami Hurricanes, follow the official Twitter feed, @MiamiHurricanes, or “Like Us” on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/MiamiHurricanes. Follow @CanesTrack on Twitter for specific news on UM track and field and cross country. The program is also on Instagram.
