A Message From The Athletics Director - April
Hurricane Fans,
It’s an exciting time of year surrounding Miami Athletics as our spring sports start to make their annual postseason push.
Our women’s tennis team (13-6) has moved to 16th in the national rankings, thanks in large part to the stellar play of sophomore Estela Perez-Somarriba, who is 20-1 in singles play this spring and has captured four ACC Player of the Week honors. Estela has climbed all the way to third in the national rankings – the highest for a Hurricane since 2009! Miami defeated Virginia Tech 4-0 this past Sunday on Senior Day, and now hits the road for its last two regular season matchups before the ACC Tournament.
Amy Deem’s track and field squad continues to impress as five Hurricanes have earned ACC Performer of the Week honors in 2018, the most recent being Samantha Gonzalez in the 400 meter hurdles. Miami wrapped up its home regular-season schedule this past weekend with the Hurricane Collegiate Invitational, where freshman Kayla Johnson won the 800 meters with a school record and NCAA-leading time of 2:03.04. UM returns to Cobb Field for the ACC Outdoor Championships from May 10-12. We hope to see you there.
Our baseball team took two of three games at eighth-ranked Clemson over the weekend, including a stunning comeback in the first contest. The Hurricanes trailed 11-3 entering the top of the ninth, but scored eight runs before eventually winning 12-11 in extra innings. It was UM’s biggest comeback win in 26 years. Jim Morris’ squad returns home to host Pittsburgh for a crucial three-game set starting Friday night at 7 p.m. Come cheer on the Canes at The Light as they head down the home stretch!
Two weeks ago, our men’s tennis team posted a breakthrough win at three-time defending national champion Virginia, becoming the first ACC team to win in Charlottesville since 2006. The Hurricanes dropped two tough matches on the road this past weekend, and now return home to face Duke on Friday at 3 p.m. and North Carolina Sunday at noon. Come check out some great action this weekend at the Neil Schiff Tennis Center!
Patti Rizzo’s golf team is heading to the ACC Championships in Greensboro this weekend. After winning three of their past five tournaments, the Hurricanes are currently ranked 22nd in the nation, one of four ACC teams in the Top 25. Good luck to our golfers in Greensboro!
Our rowing team had a strong showing at the prestigious Knecht Cup in New Jersey over the weekend, earning a bronze medal in one event and winning the petite final in another event. The Hurricanes have one more regatta this month in Austin, Texas, before heading to the ACC Championships at Clemson in May.
We had a terrific turnout this past Saturday night as our Spring Game returned to Hard Rock Stadium. Coach Mark Richt’s squad put on a great show for our fans, simply adding to the enthusiasm for Canes Football across South Florida this fall. Season tickets are moving at a brisk pace as we look to sell out our season ticket allotment at Hard Rock for the first time in school history. If you haven’t already secured your seats for 2018 please call 1-800-GO-CANES or visit hurricanesports.com/tickets.
We announced last week that men’s basketball head coach Jim Larrañaga has agreed in principle on a two-year contract extension through 2024. Jim has done an outstanding job building this program and we look forward to continued success under his watch for many years to come. Our ACC opponents for this coming season were announced last week as the Hurricanes welcome North Carolina, Notre Dame, NC State and Florida State, among others, to Watsco Center. You can order your season tickets by calling 1-800-GO-CANES or visiting hurricanesports.com/tickets.
I am thrilled to announce that Miami took top honors in Division I for the 2018 NCAA Helper Helper Community Service Competition Award. The competition ran from January through March, during which our student-athletes participated in more than 200 events and totaled more than 3,382 hours of community service. Thank you to all of our student-athletes for their dedicated commitment to serving others in our community!
If you’ve been on campus you might have noticed the towering structure rising above the Hecht Athletic Center. The magnificent Carol Soffer Football Indoor Practice Facility is scheduled to be completed in August, and our crowdfunding campaign that focuses on outfitting the interior continues to build momentum. 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.
We also recently launched the Building Women Champions campaign, an initiative that will enhance scholarship support, leadership development and career coaching for Hurricane female student-athletes. Please visit buildingwomenchampions.com to learn how you can help.
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.
Go Canes!
Blake James
