Track Shines Bright at Red Raider Open
LUBBOCK, Texas – The University of Miami track and field team starred in the Lone Star State, as the Hurricanes shone bright at the Red Raider Open.
Miami stood out among a field filled with Texas schools and not just because they were donning their orange and green uniforms. The Canes had an impressive day in the sprints and hurdles, as well as in the middle and long distance events.
“We definitely improved as a team this weekend,” Miami director of track and field/cross country Amy Deem said. “We made finals and took advantage of opportunities to get better. If we continue to compete like this, the times and marks will come.”
The Hurricanes had a major showing in the women’s 60m hurdles final, with five of the eight competitors representing Miami. Freshman Tiara McMinn led the way with a second-place finish, posting a personal-best time of 8.32 seconds. Michelle Atherley (8.50), Stefani Kerrison (8.71) and Samantha Gonzalez (8.71) finished 4-5-6, respectively, while Anna Runia was eighth (9.07).
Alfreda Steele led a Miami duo in the women’s 60m final, finishing third with a time of 7.39 seconds, while freshman Symone Mason was fifth with a collegiate-best time of 7.48 seconds. On the men’s side, Isaiah Taylor led the Canes with a fifth-place finish in the 60m final, tying his career-best of 6.77 seconds, while Myles Valentine was sixth with a time of 6.80 seconds.
Freshman Kayla Johnson earned her first collegiate victory, winning the women’s 800m with a time of 2:12.75.
The Canes had two top 10 finishers in the women’s 200m, with Gonzalez finishing sixth with a time of 24.11 seconds and Erin Ford placing 10th with a time of 24.53.
Anne den Otter continued her strong start to the 2018 indoor season with a third-place finish in the women’s mile, finishing with a time of 5:09.02. Sean Hagert also finished third in the men’s mile, posting a time of 4:33.13.
The Canes had the top two finishers in the men’s 3000m, as Nathan Kuck earned the victory with a time of 8:44.54 and Sean Grossman was second with a time of 8:48.75. Adam George finished seventh with a time of 9:06.05.
The success on the track wrapped up with a season-best time from Miami’s women’s 4x400m relay. The quartet of Runia, Johnson, Gonzalez and Ford won the relay with a time of 3:41.84.
The Canes had another excellent weekend in the field events, as Miami had two winners in the throws and 12 top 10 finishers.
Freshman Debbie Ajagbe won the women’s weight throw with a personal-best mark of 18.47m, while junior Zakiya Rashid was second in the event with a mark of 17.72m. Sophomore Sherry Lubin was fifth with a personal-best throw of 16.35m, giving Miami three of the top five finishers in the event. On the men’s side, Michael Holdship posted a personal-best mark of 15.31m that ranks fourth in UM history.
Senior Gian Piero Ragonesi won the men’s shot put with a throw of 18.56m, while three women’s throwers stood out in the shot put. Rashid finished third with a throw of 14.43m, Sherry Lubin was fourth with a mark of 14.12m and Ajagbe finished sixth with a throw of 13.56m.
Atherley led four Canes that finished in the top nine of the women’s high jump, finishing fifth with a mark of 1.73m. McMinn was seventh with a season-best mark of 1.68m, while Kyra Maryland and Celine Thompson tied for ninth with a mark of 1.63m.
Amy Taintor led the Hurricane women in the long jump, finishing fourth with a mark of 5.76m, while Kerrison finished sixth with a mark of 5.74m.
Niara Hill finished sixth in the women’s triple jump with a season-best mark of 11.84m, while Peyton Russell was eighth (11.54m) and Darlene Charles finished ninth (11.46m).
Following this weekend’s action at Texas Tech, the Canes will be back in action on Feb. 2-3 at the Power 5 Invitational in Ann Arbor, Mich.
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.
