A Message From The Athletics Director - August
Hurricane Fans,
We’re off and running in Coral Gables!
The 2018-19 season is underway as our soccer and volleyball teams are already off to great starts, while our football team is gearing up for a big season opener in the national spotlight.
Mark Richt’s Hurricanes are ranked eighth in both the AP and Coaches preseason polls as they prepare to face No. 25/24 LSU Sunday night at 7:30 p.m. in Arlington, Texas. The game will be televised nationally on ABC, and we’re also expecting a large group of UM supporters at AT&T Stadium. Whether you’re sitting in the stands or glued to your television we need your support as we kick off what promises to be another exciting season!
Speaking of the LSU game, we will be wearing new adidas environmentally-conscious alternate uniforms – the first-ever football uniforms featuring repurposed and upcycled materials created in partnership with Parley For The Oceans. Starting this week, the Miami x Parley A1 uniforms will be auctioned off with the proceeds going to the Rosenstiel School of Marine and Atmospheric Science (RSMAS) to launch a fund for educational research. We’re thrilled to partner with adidas, Parley and RSMAS on this initiative. For auction information go to fanaticsauctions.com/hurricanes.
As the football team grinded through fall camp, there was one notable difference from past years. We are able to practice inside! The Carol Soffer Indoor Practice Facility opened its doors on August 17. Click here to read about the first practice and view photos from an historic day. I want to again extend my heartfelt thanks to Carol Soffer and her family for the lead gift for the facility. I also want to thank Robert Finizio, who recently made a generous donation that will transform the facility’s playing surface into Robert Finizio Family Field.
We are not done yet, and we still need your support. We’ve now started the branding process and our crowdfunding campaign that focuses on outfitting the interior of the Carol Soffer Indoor Practice Facility continues. 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.
The Hurricanes return home to Hard Rock Stadium on September 8 against Savannah State and we are poised to sell out season tickets at Hard Rock for the first time in history. If you haven’t secured your seats call 1-800-GO-CANES or visit hurricanesports.com/tickets.
Volleyball tipped off its 2018 season by winning two of three games in the Sunshine State Classic, defeating FAU in the opener and UCF in the finale. The victory over the Owls was Keno Gandara’s 100th win as Hurricanes head coach. Congratulations to Keno on hitting the century mark!
First-year soccer head coach Sarah Barnes has her team off to a 3-1 start. The Hurricanes opened their season with a 3-2 comeback win at FAU, and then raced past FIU 4-1 in their home opener before a packed house at Cobb Field. Miami then split a pair of games at the Music City Invitational in Nashville, edging Lipscomb 1-0 after a tough 2-1 loss to Vanderbilt.
Miami’s cross country squad opens up its 2018 season Friday in Boca Raton at the FAU Invitational. Last year our men’s team won the event, while the women finished second. Good luck to all of our runners!
We announced our non-conference slate for men’s basketball last week, which includes a trip to the Wooden Classic in Anaheim, Calif., over the Thanksgiving holiday and seven games at Watsco Center. Our ACC home schedule includes visits from Clemson, Florida State, North Carolina, Notre Dame and Virginia Tech. Our women’s basketball home schedule features another outstanding slate of ACC teams, plus the Preseason WNIT and non-conference matchups with Nebraska, Temple and Colorado. If you haven’t secured your season tickets, call 1-800-GO-CANES or visit hurricanesports.com/tickets.
Our Building Women Champions campaign continues to build momentum. The campaign is 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. We hope to see you cheering on the Canes at home and on the road in the weeks to come. Enjoy this month’s magazine!
Go Canes!
Blake James
