Hurricanes Close Out 2018 NCAA Outdoor Championships
EUGENE, Ore. – The University of Miami track and field program closed out four days of competition at the 2018 NCAA Men’s and Women’s Track & Field Championships on Saturday.
The Hurricanes had two athletes in action at Historic Hayward Field on the last day of the NCAA Championships with Michelle Atherley in the women’s heptathlon and Debbie Ajagbe in the women’s discus field.
Ajagbe opened in the women’s discus with a throw of 46.34m, but her second throw in was an improvement, marked at 49.99m. Her third attempt was a foul, closing out the freshman’s debut at the NCAA Championships. Ajagbe ended Flight 1 in sixth place and finished 16thoverall in the women’s discus to wrap up an impressive inaugural collegiate season. The Miami native was First Team All-ACC in the shot put at the ACC Championships, earning a bronze medal in the event. Ajagbe was also a Second Team All-ACC honoree in the women’s hammer and qualified for the NCAA East Preliminary in the shot put, discus and hammer.
Atherley entered Saturday’ competition in fifth place with 3,481 points and started well on Day 2 of the heptathlon, posting a season-best mark of 5.95m in the long jump that was fifth in the event and adding 834 points to her total score. But the junior failed to record a mark in the javelin, tossing three consecutive flats throws that were ruled fouls and scoring no points in the sixth of seven heptathlon events. The foul in the javelin dropped Atherley from fifth to 21stplace in the women’s heptathlon and she did not start the 800m and did not complete the heptathlon.
The heptathlon at the NCAA Championships was a challenge for Atherley. She started the competition finishing second in the 100m hurdles with a time of 13.22 seconds, but battled through the next two events, clearing 1.69m in the high jump and posting a mark of 10.64m in the shot put. After a disappointing performance in the shot put, Atherley responded in a big way in the 200m with a personal-best time of 24.04 seconds that was second-fastest in the field.
“It was a pretty rough day, to say the least,” Atherley said following Friday’s events. “Just getting from event to event, I had to change my mindset. Even though the previous event didn’t go as planned, you have to get ready for that next event and focus so you don’t mess up. Every event has its days and I feel like I just have to push through. This is my third heptathlon, so I am still working through some things and trying to find my groove.
Atherley may not have had the performance she hoped for at the NCAA Championships, but she was exceptional all season long for the Hurricanes. The 2018 ACC Women’s Outdoor Field MVP, Atherley won ACC titles in the heptathlon, high jump and women’s 4x400m relay while helped the Canes capture the 2018 ACC Women’s Team Championships. She earned First Team All-ACC honors in all three events, as well as Second Team All-ACC in the women’s 100m hurdles.
Miami had eight entries in the 2018 NCAA Outdoor Championships, with six in the women’s meet and two on the men’s side. Kevin Arreaga got things started with a top-10 finish in the men’s hammer on Wednesday. Miami had competitors in the women’s 100m hurdles, 400m hurdles and 4x400m relay on Thursday, while Gian Piero Ragonesi wrapped up his Hurricane career on Friday.
At the conclusion of the 2018 NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships, the top eight finishers in each event will be named First Team All-American, while finishers 9-16 earn Second Team All-America honors and 17-24 receive All-America honorable mention.
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