Track Earns Over 20 Entries to NCAA East Preliminary
CORAL GABLES, Fla. – Michelle Atherley is headed to the NCAA Outdoor Championships in the women’s heptathlon and a bevy of ACC champions headlined a talented group from the University of Miami track and field program accepted to compete at the 2018 NCAA East Preliminary.
Miami earned 22 entries in the 2018 NCAA East Preliminary, with 17 different student-athletes set to travel to Tampa, Fla., to represent the Hurricanes. Including Atherley in the heptathlon, the Canes have 16 women’s entries and seven spots on the men’s side.
Atherley already punched her ticket to the NCAA Outdoor Championships in the women’s heptathlon, earning one of the top 24 scores in the country. The junior’s school record heptathlon score of 5,816 points is ranked 11thin the NCAA this season.
Miami has six entries in the sprints, led by ACC Women’s Track MVP Symone Mason’s fifth-ranked 400m time of 51.53 seconds. Alfreda Steele is on of two Hurricanes in the women’s 100m, ranked 23rdwith a time of 11.31 seconds, while Kristina Knott is 42ndin the 100m (11.51) and 39thin the 200m (23.52).
Miami’s men have two entries in the 100m, with Myles Valentine entering the NCAA East Preliminary ranked 42ndwith a time of 10.34 seconds and Isaiah Taylor’s time of 10.37 seconds is ranked 48th.
The Canes have four entries in the hurdles, led by ACC champion Samantha Gonzalez in the women’s 400m hurdles. Gonazlez enters the NCAA East Preliminary ranked fifth with a time of 56.77 seconds, while fellow junior Anna Runia is 10thin the 400m hurdles with a time of 57.64 seconds.
Tiara McMinn is ranked 14th in the 100m hurdles in the East region with a time of 13.10 seconds, while McKinly Brown enters the men’s 400m hurdles ranked sixth with a time of 50.78 seconds.
Sean Grossman will represent Miami in the men’s 10,000m. The senior, who is ranked 26thin the East region with a time of 29:38.64, is the first Hurricane distance runner to qualify for an NCAA East Preliminary and was the first Cane to score in a distance event at the ACC Championships.
Miami’s women will compete in both the 4x100m and 4x400m relays at the NCAA East Preliminary. Knott Steele, Mason and McMinn combined to win gold at the ACC Championships in the women’s 4x100m relay with a season-best time of 43.48 seconds that is second in UM history.
The 4x100m relay enters the NCAA East Preliminary ranked sixth, while Mason, Runia, Atherley and Gonzalez earned a victory in the women’s 4x400m, posting a season-best time of 3:32.40 that is eighth in the East region.
The Hurricanes have nine entries in the field events, including seven in the throws.
Freshman Debbie Ajagbe qualified in three throws on the women’s side, ranking eighth in the discus (55.07m), 13thin the shot put (16.22m) and 26thin the hammer throw (60.98m). Zakiya Rashid will join Ajagbe in the women’s discus, ranking seventh with a mark of 55.68m.
Senior Gian Piero Ragonesi earned two spots in the men’s throws, ranking eighth in the discus (58.33m) and 20thin the shot put (18.67m), while Kevin Arreaga is 11thin the men’s hammer throw with a mark of 70.64m.
The Canes also have two competitors in the women’s triple jump, as Niara Hill is ranked 31stwith a mark of 12.81m and Peyton Russell is 47thwith a mark of 12.56m.
The preliminary competitions are scheduled for May 24 – 26. The University of South Florida in Tampa, Florida will host the East Preliminary and California State University, Sacramento in Sacramento, California will host the West Preliminary. The qualifiers out of these two regions will compete in the NCAA Division I Men’s and Women’s Outdoor Track and Field Championships held June 6-9 in Eugene, Oregon.
NCAA track and field fans can watch a live stream of the NCAA Division I East and/or West Preliminary Championships as FloTrack Pro subscribers. The subscription will include access to all FloTrack live broadcasts, video on-demand from all events, documentaries, technique videos and more. Coverage of the preliminary competitions will be available May 24 – 26 at www.FloTrack.com.
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.
