Burns Breaks Miami 400m Hurdles Record
By Ashleigh Young
HurricaneSports.com
GAINESVILLE, Fla. – Thomas Burns broke Miami’s program record in the 400m hurdles on Saturday at the 2019 Pepsi Florida Relays.
The freshman’s time of 50.62 seconds broke Cory Nelms’ previous record that was set in 2008. The Miami native now leads the ACC with fastest 400m hurdles time and ranks second in the NCAA. Burns now has his name in three top-five performances for the Canes, including the fifth-fastest time in the indoor 200m dash and the fourth-fastest time in the indoor 400m.
“Thomas performed really well today and ran a really smart race,” director of track and field/cross country Amy Deem said. “There are some things technically we still want to work on, but to go out there and compete at the Florida Relays was great to see. I know there’s more to come from him.”
Junior McKinly Brown finished third with a time of 51.20 seconds, which ranks second in the conference and sixth in the nation. Brown entered the day with Miami’s second-fastest time in the event at 50.78 seconds, a time he set last season.
Junior transfer Raheem Chambers continues to etch his name into the Miami record book, as the Bahamas native finished with the fastest collegiate time at 10.27 seconds in the 100m dash. Chambers is now tied for second in program history with senior Myles Valentine. Senior Isaiah Taylor also competed in the event, finishing with a time of 10.95.
Kevin Arreaga was the final Cane for the Miami men to compete, as the sophomore finished seventh in the men’s invite hammer throw. Arreaga finished with a mark of 68.94m.
On the women’s side, senior Michelle Atherley registered an outdoor personal-best mark in the long jump with a mark of 6.10m. The North Port, Fla., native finished third in a field of 21. Atherely began her day in the 100m hurdles and finished seventh with a time of 13.38 seconds, while sophomore Tiara McMinn finished sixth at 13.37 seconds.
Four Canes competed in the women’s 100m dash and Alfreda Steele led the way with her time of 11.46, followed by Carolyn Brown at 11.69, Symone Mason at 11.70 and Amuru Patterson at 11.74 seconds.
Kayla Johnson was next up on the track in the women’s 800m dash. The sophomore posted a top-10 performance, finishing eighth with a time of 2:06.60. Seniors Samantha Gonzalez and Anna Runia also registered top-10 finishes, as the duo put together impressive performances. Gonzalez finished sixth with her time of 57.92 seconds, while Runia’s time of 58.67 was good for a ninth-place finish.
Miami’s women were well represented in the field events, as Zakiya Rashid finished seventh in the women’s discus college invite with her mark of 52.51m. Hannah-Sophia Hall finished with season-best mark of 45.58m.
The Canes return to the track tomorrow for the final day of the Florida Relays, starting with the women’s hammer invite and concluding with the women’s Tom Jones 4x400m relay.
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.
