A Message From The Athletics Director - September
Hurricane Fans,
It has been a busy start to the fall semester for Miami Athletics and we have a ton of action both on and off the field to close out September.
Our 16th-ranked football team has won four consecutive games, the latest a 47-10 win over North Carolina last night in a nationally televised game on ESPN. Our defense tied a school record by returning three turnovers for touchdowns, igniting another raucous crowd at Hard Rock Stadium. It was our 12th straight regular season home win. Our fans continue to provide one of the best home field advantages in all of college football — let’s bring that same passion and energy to Hard Rock on October 6 when Florida State comes to town!
During last week’s win over FIU we honored the 1983 National Champions at halftime on the 35th anniversary of their historic season. Hurricane legends such as Bernie Kosar, Alonzo Highsmith, Eddie Brown and Kenny Calhoun were in attendance. One of the great traditions of UM football is how closely our alumni follow the program and continue to engage with the current players, coaches and staff. Congratulations once again to Miami’s first title team and thank you for your support!
Our volleyball team got off to a great start in ACC play with a two-game home sweep of Wake Forest and Duke to push its overall record to 6-3. The Hurricanes defeated the Demon Deacons 3-0 before holding off the Blue Devils 3-1 before a packed house at Knight Gym. Next up for Keno Gandara’s squad is a tough pair of weekend conference contests, first at eighth-ranked Pittsburgh on Friday night at 7 p.m. and then at Virginia on Sunday at 1 p.m.
Continuing a rugged stretch of ACC contests, our soccer team returns home this Saturday to face Syracuse. Kickoff is at 7 p.m. We hope to see you out at Cobb Stadium to cheer on the Canes!
Miami’s cross country squad is off to a great start this fall. Several runners posted personal bests this past weekend at the Mountain Dew Invitational in Gainesville. Our men’s team captured the UCF Invitational the previous weekend, while the women finished fourth in Orlando. We have one more regular season meet at USF on October 12 before beginning preparations for the ACC Championships at Boston College on October 26.
Our tennis teams have kicked off their fall campaigns. The men’s team participated in the Gamecock Invite in Columbia, S.C., this past weekend and next travels to UCF Friday for the Bedford Cup. The women’s team hosted Florida, Michigan, Pittsburgh and Ole Miss at the Miami Fall Invite, winning 10 of 14 singles matches.
Meanwhile, Estela Perez-Somarriba was competing on the other side of the country and had a tournament to remember. Estela, who entered the fall ranked third in the nation — the highest preseason ranking for a Hurricane since 2006 — captured the Oracle ITA Masters in Malibu, Calif., defeating Pepperdine’s Evgeniya Levashova 6-4, 6-3 in the final. She didn’t lose a set in five matches, becoming just the third Hurricane to win an ITA major fall singles title. Congratulations to Estela on a terrific start to the season!
Our golf team opened the fall season with a sixth-place finish at the Mary Fossum Invitational hosted by Michigan State. Dewi Weber finished fourth individually with a score of four under. The Hurricanes’ next tournament is this weekend’s Schooner Fall Classic in Norman, Okla.
Last week we announced a five-year contract extension for diving coach Randy Ableman, who has coached an astonishing 12 divers to an NCAA-record 23 individual national titles in his 30 years at UM. Randy is one of the premier diving coaches in the world and we are excited that he and his wife, Karen, will continue to make Miami home and remain part of the Hurricanes Family!
Both our swimming and diving teams open their season at home this weekend with two meets – the first against Florida on Friday at 3 p.m. followed by a visit from FIU on Saturday at 11 a.m. Come catch some rays and see some terrific swimming and diving action at Norman Whitten Pool!
The Atlantic Coast Conference released the schedules for both men’s and women’s basketball earlier this month and there will once again be some exciting matchups at Watsco Center this season.
Both teams open league play at home on January 3, with the women hosting Virginia Tech at 2 p.m. before the men square off against NC State at 7 p.m. Our women’s team will also host defending national champion Notre Dame on February 7 and in-state rival Florida State on February 24. Our men’s team welcomes five NCAA Tournament teams to Coral Gables, including North Carolina on January 19 and the Seminoles on January 27. If you haven’t secured your basketball season tickets call 1-800-GO-CANES or visit hurricanesports.com/tickets.
Our football team has already conducted several practice sessions inside the new Carol Soffer Indoor Practice Facility, which opened its doors in August. I want to again extend my heartfelt thanks to Carol and her family for the lead gift for the facility. We have raised more than $36 million but are not done yet — and we still need your support. We have now started the branding process and our crowdfunding campaign that focuses on outfitting the interior of this magnificent building 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.
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
