Canes Ready for ACC Indoor Championships
BLACKSBURG, Va. – The University of Miami track and field team is set to compete at the 2019 ACC Indoor Track and Field Championships, hosted by Virginia Tech from Thursday through Saturday at the Rector Field House.
ACC Network Extra will return to provide coverage at the Friday and Saturday sessions. The broadcast team will again feature former Olympic decathlon gold medalist Dan O’Brien as color analyst, reprising the role he first filled at the 2015 ACC Outdoor Championships. He will be joined by play-by-play announcer Shawn Kenney, distance analyst David Mitchell and trackside reporter Hanna Yates from 4 p.m. through 7p.m. on Friday and from 1 p.m. until the meet’s conclusion (approximately 5 p.m.) on Saturday.
The Miami women enter the conference meet as the defending ACC outdoor champions and are ranked No. 27 by USTFCCCA entering week six of the indoor season. The men look to build off a strong outing two weeks ago at the Tiger Paw Invite.
Defending ACC Outdoor Field MVP Michelle Atherley and fellow multis performer Andreas Christodoulou will kick off the action for the Canes on Thursday in the women’s pentathlon and the men’s heptathlon, respectively. Atherely enters the conference meet with the top pentathlon score in the ACC and the second-best score in the NCAA.
Miami features numerous sprinters that will hit the track this weekend holding top times in conference. Symone Mason, the 2018 ACC Outdoor Track MVP, holds the seventh-fastest time in the 200m, while sophomore Tiara McMinn is close behind with the ninth-best time. McMinn enters the weekend having earned ACC Track Performer of the Week two weeks ago after her ACC-leading time in the 60m hurdles. Her time also ranks as the sixth fastest in the NCAA.
The Canes have four women with Top-10 times in the 400m, with Brittny Ellis at No. 2, Kayla Johnson at No. 3, Samantha Gonzalez at No. 7 and Anna Runia at No 10. Ellis’s time of 53.66 seconds is just .01 off from the top time in the conference.
The women will be represented with a deep lineup in the field events. Four Canes rank in the Top 10 for the shot put with freshman Selina Dantzler leading the way at No. 2. Sophomore standout Debbie Ajagbe holds the sixth-best mark in the event and the third-best in the weight throw. Senior Zakiya Rashid and freshman Hannah-Sophia Hall close out the list in the shot put.
The Miami men look to make an impact with newcomers Raheem Chambers and Chauncy Smart in the 60m and freshmen Thomas Burns and Tyrees Moulton in the 400m. All four Canes boast Top-10 times in their respective events. Sophomore Kevin Arreaga will represent the Canes well in the men’s weight throw, boasting the conference’s second-best mark in the event.
Following this weekend’s action, qualifying Hurricanes that rank in the top 16 in the NCAA in their events will travel to compete at the NCAA Indoor Championships in Birmingham, Ala. on March 8-9.
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.
Men’s Entries:
60m: Chauncy Smart, Isaiah Taylor, Raheem Chambers
200m: Isaiah Taylor
400m: Davonte Fuller, Paul Spada, Tyrees Moulton
Mile: Matthew Wiefels
3000m: Matthew Wiefels
5000m: Sean Hagert
High Jump: Tristan Schultheis
Long Jump: Hasani Knight
Triple Jump: Hasani Knight
Weight Throw: Kevin Arreaga
Heptathlon: Andreas Christodoulou
Women’s Entries:
60m: Amuru Patterson, Carolyn Brown, Alfreda Steele
200m: Symone Mason, Tiara McMinn, Brittny Ellis
400m: Symone Mason, Samantha Gonzalez, Brittny Ellis, Anna Runia
800m: Kayla Johnson
Mile: Anne den Otter
3000m: Anne den Otter
60m H: Tiara McMinn, Michelle Atherley
High Jump: Michelle Atherley, Celine Thompson
Pole Vault: Molly Caudery
Long Jump: Darlene Charles
Triple Jump: Peyton Russell, Darlene Charles
Shot Put:Sherry Lubin, Selina Datzler, Debbie Ajagbe, Hannah-Sophia Hall, Zakiya Rashid
Weight Throw: Debbie Ajagbe
Pentathalon:Michelle Atherley
