Running Start
By Ashleigh Young
HurricaneSports.com
CORAL GABLES, Fla. – In recent years, Miami’s women’s track and field team has become synonymous with winning ACC Championships under the direction of Director of Track and Field/Cross Country, Amy Deem.
Deem and company added yet another title to their touted resume as they claimed their third ACC Indoor Championship title in the last four years, and fifth overall last Saturday at Virginia Tech. The senior class garnered their fourth conference championship in as many years, becoming one of the most talented classes for the Canes having won three indoor and one outdoor title.
Miami’s Hall of Fame coach and team were up for a battle on the final day of competition, despite a nation-leading score boasted by the eventual 2019 ACC Indoor Field MVP, Michelle Atherley. Entering last weekend’s championships, Atherley was determined to make a historic statement.
“Going into ACCs, I had something to prove to myself, to my coaches and everyone that watched me underperform at last year’s championships,” Atherley said. “I’m not one to put pressure on myself or be concerned about my place or points throughout the competition. I just wanted to remain consistent and enjoy my last ACC Indoor Championships and I knew the results would speak for themselves.
Atherley dominated the women’s pentathlon on the first day of competition to give the women 10 points to the team score after registering five first-place finishes. The North Port, Fla., native had a chance at history heading into the 800m final event, and that’s exactly what Atherley went after.
“Deem brought it to my attention about the possibility of me grabbing the ACC record, so in that moment, I translated it into the need for me to run the race she has been trying to get out of me for years,” Atherley said.
By trusting her fitness and race plan, the senior etched her name in history recording a time of 2:12.98 in the event that was nearly six seconds faster than her next opponent. Atherley bested the previous ACC pentathlon record of 4,450 points, held by North Carolina’s Xenia Rahn set in 2015, by scoring 4,498. Her efforts gave the senior the best score in the nation heading in the NCAA Indoor Championships.
“I’m really happy with my results from ACCs and I’m looking forward to competing with the best combined event women in the nation,” Atherley said.
Atherley has now earned two ACC MVP accolades after being named the 2018 ACC Outdoor Field MVP on the Canes home track last season.
Friday didn’t pan out the way the Canes expected to say the least. Four entries in the Canes’ favored 400m event resulted in Brittny Ellis being the lone Hurricane advancing to the finals after a prelims-leading time. Senior Carolyn Brown was also the sole Cane to advance in the 60m dash.
Sophomore standout Debbie Ajagbe kept the Canes in the title hunt as she made her way to the podium in the women’s weight throw, earning both a bronze medal after a personal-best mark of 20.75m and six team points. Atherley continued to shine and medaled in her second event of competition, earning a bronze in the high jump. Atherley was responsible for 19 of the Canes 25 points heading into the finals.
The Canes entered the final day of competition tied for fifth with in-state foe, Florida State. The build-up to the final event was everything as expected from the two teams and every point mattered. The sprinters and throwers had a lot of weight on their shoulders, but the Canes wouldn’t fold.
“Those groups carried our team with impressive performances after a tough second day,” Deem said.
The women’s shot put sparked the Canes on the final day as three different throwers scored. Freshman Selina Dantzler didn’t let the pressure of her first conference championship phase her as the German native made the podium, earning the bronze medal and six points. Ajagbe followed close behind with her fourth-place finish, adding five points while senior Zakiya Rashid added the final point in the event. The trio totaled 12 points and the Canes climbed into third place.
Tiara McMinn entered Saturday’s 60m hurdles final having won the previous four event finals she entered this season. McMinn posted personal-best times in each of her previous three heats, while her time of 7.95 seconds broke Miami’s program record and earned her the gold medal. The Miami native’s time ties for the second-fastest time heading in the NCAAs next week.
“I had no idea I broke the record until someone mentioned it to me,” McMinn said. “Winning ACCs was such an eye-opening and overwhelming experience. I’m extremely honored to be going to NCCAs this year after a disappointing year last year, but I’m ready to make a name for myself.”
Atherley added five more team points after her fourth-place finish and personal-best time of 8.15 seconds in the event, totaling 22 overall.
McMinn and Symone Mason combined to score three points after the 200m, while senior Ellis cruised to a gold medal in the 400m dash. Ellis registered a season-best time of 52.66 to add 10 more team points and was the lone finalist to run a sub-53 second time. Sophomore Kayla Johnson set her own personal-best time in the 800m and recorded her second program record of the season, finishing second with a time of 2:05.21 and earning her first ACC individual medal.
The track stayed hot for the Canes as senior Carolyn Brown also won her first individual Championship medal with her third-place finish in the 60m. Brown’s determination and drive led her to the finals of every 60m dash this season and her commitment to the process led her to a personal-best time of 7.32 seconds.
“She really stuck with her training this season and I couldn’t be more proud of her for going out there and competing for her first individual medal,” Deem said.
Despite adding 56 points on the final day, it all came down to the final event; the 4x400m relay. The Canes needed a first-place finish and a fourth-place or lower by the Seminoles to be outright champs.
All eyes were on the Canes and Mason, Ellis, Johnson and Samantha Gonzalez didn’t disappoint the crowd on hand at the Rector Field House. The relay squad ran a blazing meet record time of 3:32.75 to win the event by nearly six seconds in front of Virginia Tech and Florida State. The Noles’ third-place finish had the two rivals tied as Co-Champions, but the Canes became outright champs for the fifth time in Deem’s reign when FSU was disqualified in the event.
“Our relay team really took ownership of that race with the way they ran hard, especially running out by themselves like that,” Deem said.
A thrilling finish to an incredible effort on the final day describes this season’s women’s team. A determined team led by a fearless, accomplished leader wouldn’t be denied. The Canes title third indoor title in four years is the second-most any team has recorded in the last 10 years behind Clemson with five.
“There is nothing quite like winning a championship with your teammates,” Atherley said. “While that gold medal was amazing, holding my second ACC Indoor Championship team trophy was even better.”
With the ACC Championships under their belts, four Canes will compete in individual events at the NCAA Indoor Championships in Birmingham, Ala., on March 8-9. The gold medal relay team posted the ninth-fastest time in the NCAA and secured their spot to compete against the best.
Miami enters NCAAs ranked No. 13 by USTFCCCA, its highest ranking this season.
