Miami's 4x400m Relay Team Finishes 7th at NCAAs
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – Miami’s women’s 4x400m relay team closed out the 2019 indoor season with a seventh-place finish at the NCAA Division I Men’s and Women’s Indoor Track and Field Championships Saturday night.
The squad made up of sophomore Symone Mason, junior Brittny Ellis, sophomore Kayla Johnson and senior Samantha Gonzalez combined to run a time of 3:32.62. The Miami women concluded the season not only running a season-best time in the event, but also the program’s fourth-fastest time.
“I thought the team competed hard and am proud that they ended the indoor season with a season-best in the event,” head coach Amy Deem said.
Overall, the Miami women finished tied for 15th with 12 points. Michelle Atherley’s first-place finish in the women’s pentathlon gave the Canes 10 points while the women’s seventh-place finish added the final two.
The Canes entered the event ranked 12th heading into the final day of the Championships and won Heat 1 running against Texas, Baylor and LSU.
The foursome bested their previous season-best time of 3:32.75, which they set at ACC’s two weeks ago to help the Canes win their third indoor ACC title in four years.
The last time the Miami women ran in the 4x400m relay was in 2017 when Aiyanna Stiverne, Brittny Ellis, Michelle Atherley and Shakima Wimbley finished seventh with a time of 3:31.85.
In 2017, the women finished tied for eighth with Missouri with 18 points.
Miami opens up the 2019 outdoor season March 15-16 when the Canes host the Hurricane Invitational.
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