Canes Set to Host ACC Track Championships
CORAL GABLES, Fla. – The University of Miami is proud to host the 2018 ACC Outdoor Track & Field Championships at Cobb Stadium this weekend.
The three-day meet will showcase the best track and field student-athletes in the ACC, competing Thursday through Saturday at Cobb Stadium on the University of Miami campus. The ACC Outdoor Championships return to Cobb Stadium for the first time since 2009. Admission is free.
Action is set to begin Thursday at 11 a.m. with the combined events, while the field events are set to start at 3 p.m. and the running events will begin at 6 p.m. with the women’s 400m hurdles prelims. Friday’s competition will begin with the final day of combined events action at 11 a.m., followed by the field events starting at 4 p.m. and the running events opening at 5:45 p.m. Championship Saturday is set to begin at noon with the men’s javelin, while the running finals will start at 5 p.m. with the women’s 4x100m.
Fans can watch the ACC Outdoor Championships on ACC Network Extra beginning at 6 p.m. Thursday by clicking HERE. Friday’s broadcast begins at 5:30 p.m. and can be seen HERE, while Saturday’s broadcast begins at 6 p.m. ET and can be viewed HERE. Fans can also follow the meet via live results by clicking HERE.
The No. 22-ranked Miami’s women’s team has several standouts set to compete this weekend in Coral Gables. The Hurricanes enter the ACC Championships with the fastest 4x100m relay in the conference at 43.54 seconds and the third-fastest 4x400m relay (3:33.19).
Michelle Atherley’s school record of 5,816 points is the top heptathlon score in the ACC this season. Atherley is also one of four hurdlers expected to score this weekend, as she is fifth in the 100m hurdles and Tiara McMinn is fourth. Anna Runia is first in the ACC in the 400m hurdles, while Samantha Gonzalez is third.
The Canes also have a strong contingent of field event athletes. Debbie Ajagbe is top 8 in the ACC in the shot put (6th), discus (4th) and hammer (8th), while Zakiya Rashid is third in discus and eighth in shot put. Miami also has four of the top right high jumpers in the ACC: Erika Voyzey (2nd), Atherley (3rd), Celine Thompson (4th) and McMinn (8th).
On the men’s side, the Canes expect big things from a senior and a freshman in the throws. Gian Piero Ragonesi enters the championships ranked second in the ACC in the discus (58.33m) and third in shot put (18.67m), while Kevin Arreaga is second in the hammer throw (70.64m).
2016 ACC decathlon champion Andreas Christodoulou heads to this year’s conference meet with the second-best decathlon score in the ACC, 7,159 points.
Miami will look for big performances on the track from juniors Myles Valentine and Isaiah Taylor. Valentine is sixth in the ACC in the men’s 100m with a time of 10.34 seconds, while Taylor is seventh with a time of 10.37 seconds.
Sophomore McKinly Brown’s 400m hurdles time of 51.40 seconds is ranked fifth in the ACC, while senior Sean Grossman’s time of 29:38.64 is eighth in the ACC in the men’s 10000m.
Following this weekend’s action, qualifying Hurricanes will prepare to compete at the NCAA East Preliminary in Tampa, Fla., on May 24-26. To view the complete Miami Track and Field schedule for the 2018 season, click here.
Miami Entries
Men
100m: Myles Valentine, Isaiah Taylor
200m:Myles Valentine, Isaiah Taylor, Christopher Moree
1500m: Matthew Wiefels
5000m: Sean Grossman, Nathan Kuck, Adam George
10000m: Sean Grossman, Nathan Kuck, Dylan Sykes
110m HH: Lorenzo Lingard
400m HH: McKinly Brown, Ibrahim Dodo
4x100m: Isaiah Taylor, Breon Mullings, Myles Valentine, Lorenzo Lingard, Mike Harley
4x400m: Myles Valentine, Ibrahim Dodo, McKinly Brown, Andreas Christodoulou, Mike Harley
High Jump: Tristan Schultheis
Triple Jump: Hasani Knight
Shot Put: Gian Piero Ragonesi
Discus: Gian Piero Ragonesi
Hammer Throw: Kevin Arreaga
Javelin: Andreas Christodoulou
Decathlon: Andreas Christodoulou
Women
100m: Alfreda Steele, Kristina Knott
200m: Symone Mason, Alfreda Steele, Kristina Knott, Isabella Gentil
400m: Symone Mason
1500m: Anne den Otter
5000m: Anne den Otter, Abby Kettle
100m HH: Tiara McMinn, Michelle Atherley
400m HH: Tiara McMinn, Anna Runia, Samantha Gonzalez
4x100m: Kristina Knott, Symone Mason, Tiara McMinn, Alfreda Steele, Carolyn Brown
4x400m: Anna Runia, Samantha Gonzalez, Michelle Atherley, Symone Mason, Tiara McMinn
High Jump: Celine Thompson, Erika Voyzey, Kyra Maryland, Michelle Atherley
Long Jump: Darlene Charles
Triple Jump: Darlene Charles, Niara Hill, Peyton Russell
Shot Put: Debbie Ajagbe, Zakiya Rashid, Sherry Lubin
Discus: Debbie Ajagbe, Zakiya Rashid, Sherry Lubin
Hammer Throw: Debbie Ajagbe, Zakiya Rashid
Heptathlon: Michelle Atherley
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.
