Four Canes Podium at NCAA Championships
AUSTIN, Texas – Four Miami track and field athletes made their way to the podium on the final day of the 2019 NCAA Outdoor Championships on Saturday at the Mike A. Myers Stadium.
In the team standings, the Miami women tied for 20th place with 13 points.
Michelle Atherley finished her first NCAA heptathlon of her career, earning a bronze medal with a Miami program record of 6,014 points. Atherley began the day finishing fourth in the long jump with a mark of 6.06m to add 868 points to stay in third place heading into the javelin. The North Port, Fla., native finished with a mark of 32.18m in the javelin for 518 points and dropped one spot to fourth.
Atherley returned to the track for the 800m run and finished the heptathlon running an outstanding personal-best time of 2:10.50 and finish second overall. Atherley totaled 6,014 points, besting her previous program record by 48 points.
“Michelle started hot and finished hot,” Director of Track and Field/Cross Country Amy Deem said. “She struggled a little bit in the middle but never gave up. You watch her and see she gets down on herself but never gives up. She fought to the end. People don’t know that even though she’s a junior, this is her first complete heptathlon at the NCAA Championships. I think you’re going to see some big scores from her in the future.”
Sophomore Tiara McMinn was the next Cane up in competition and finished seventh in the 100m hurdles with a time of 12.97 seconds. McMinn broke Miami’s record and ran a personal-best time in the prelims at 12.74 seconds.
“I’m really proud of Tiara this season,” Deem said. “Tiara is one of those athletes who learns from each race and gets better with each experience. As a staff, we knew she was ready to run what she ran in the prelims and now I think she knows what everyone else knew about her. I’m really looking for her to grow and see a different side to her next season.”
Senior Samantha Gonzalez finished an incredible career with the Canes, finishing eighth in the 400m hurdles with her time of 58.43 seconds. Gonzalez ran a season-best time of 57.07 seconds in the semifinals.
“Samantha has really stepped up when we needed her to this season,” Deem said. “She’s had some ups and downs, but I’m so happy she got to come home to Texas and run in front of her family and friends and be able to be an All-American.”
Sophomore Debbie Ajagbe concluded her outdoor campaign throwing a personal-best mark of 56.92m to finish fifth-overall. Ajagbe’s mark ranks as the second-best mark in Miami program history, besting her previous mark of 56.39m. Senior Zakiya Rashid just missed the podium, as the senior finished 10th overall with her mark of 55.01m. Rashid ends the season with the third-best mark in program history at 55.68m she set in March.
“Debbie has been up and down all year and to see her step up at the right time and shine, was great,” Deem said. “Debbie and Tiara are both sophomores and I’m really excited about the future with them.”
Atherley, McMinn, Ajagbe and Gonzalez all earned First Team All-American honors, while Zakiya Rashid and Kevin Arreaga earned Second Team honors for their performances. The women’s 4×100 relay, 4×400 relay and Raheem Chambers all earned Honorable Mention for their efforts on the track.
