A Message from the Athletic Director - November 2019
Hurricane Fans,
As the Thanksgiving holiday approaches we have much to be thankful for at Miami Athletics. Our student-athletes continue to set an amazing standard of excellence on and off the field and our coaches and staff are proud to support them each and every day.
Manny Diaz’s football team wraps up its regular season Saturday at Duke, seeking its seventh win and fifth conference win. Kickoff is set for 3:30 p.m. on ESPN2. The Canes are going bowling for the seventh consecutive season and we will find out our bowl destination on Sunday, December 8. Once the bowl matchup is announced all Canes fans will be able to request tickets with seat locations assigned on a priority basis to Hurricane Club members. Call 1-800-GO-CANES for more information.
Jim Larrañaga’s men’s basketball team defeated Missouri State in this past weekend’s Charleston Classic before dropping tough contests to Florida and Connecticut. The Canes are now 4-3 on the young season and continue their rigorous non-conference schedule Monday night at Illinois in the ACC-Big Ten Challenge. Tipoff is 7 p.m. on ESPN2. The Hurricanes’ home slate at Watsco Center includes visits from Duke, Florida State, Syracuse and defending national champion Virginia. Call 1-800-GO-CANES to secure your season tickets for Canes basketball!
Katie Meier’s women’s team, ranked 17th in the nation, dropped a hard-fought contest at then-No. 19 DePaul over the weekend in the championship game of the Maggie Dixon Classic. Senior forward Beatrice Mompremier, a preseason All-American, racked up 31 points and 18 rebounds. The No. 19 Canes (4-1) continue their tough non-conference slate Friday in the first game of the Miami Thanksgiving Tournament against seventh-ranked Oregon State. Tipoff at Watsco Center is at 2 p.m. We hope to see you there!
The rest of the women’s home slate features ACC foes Duke, Florida State, Louisville and Syracuse in addition to an ACC-Big Ten Challenge battle against Indiana. Call 1-800-GO-CANES to secure your season tickets for Canes basketball!
Gino DiMare announced our 2020 baseball schedule earlier this month and this season’s slate features a three-game home series against Florida (February 21-23) as well as ACC home series against Clemson, Louisville, North Carolina and Virginia. The Canes return three All-ACC players and boast the conference’s best incoming recruiting class. It promises to be another magical season at The Light so reserve your season tickets by calling 1-800-GO-CANES today!
We recently announced a new fundraising campaign to help renovate facilities inside Alex Rodriguez Park at Mark Light Field. The $7 million campaign will help fund a new scoreboard, as well as renovations to the Hurricanes locker room players lounge and nutrition center. This marks the second phase of renovations, following the building of a state-of-the-art indoor practice facility that will house batting cages, bullpens and a multi-purpose area. For more information on how to make a gift in support of this project, please call the Hurricane Club at (305) 284-6699.
Coming off a challenging setback at Louisville, Jose Gandara’s volleyball squad wraps up its season with two home games, starting with today’s 3 p.m. tilt with Florida State. The Canes conclude 2019 with another 3 p.m. contest Friday against Georgia Tech. Come cheer on the Canes at Knight Gym!
Andy Kershaw’s swimming team placed third in the Kansas Invite this past weekend, led by Sydney Knapp and Zorry Mason, who were both selected to the all-invitational team. Dave Sanderson’s rowing team wrapped up its fall campaign earlier this month in Earlysville, Va., where our novice boat finished fourth in a competitive field.
Senior Estela Perez-Somarriba, the defending NCAA women’s singles champion, finished her fall tennis season ranked third in the country after posting a 14-2 record. We also have a Top 10 ranking on the men’s side as the doubles team of Franco Aubone and Benjamin Hannestad finished the fall ranked ninth. Congratulations to Estela, Franco and Benjamin!
Amy Deem announced her track and field program’s 2020 schedule last week. The Canes open the indoor season in Ann Arbor, Mich., on January 10, and will attempt to defend their ACC Indoor title in South Bend, Ind., on February 27. The Canes will also host two outdoor meets at Cobb Stadium, the Hurricane Invitational on March 21-22 and the Hurricane Alumni Invitational on April 10-11.
Legendary UM coach Dennis Erickson will be inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame on December 10 in New York. We were honored to host Dennis and the 1989 national championship team in October for their 30th anniversary, and we can’t wait to see him officially join the Hall of Fame. Congratulations, Dennis!
The ACC Network is providing us with a tremendous platform to help promote and showcase our teams, our student-athletes and our University to a wide audience. Providers across the country are carrying ACCN, including AT&T U-Verse, DIRECTV, Dish, Spectrum, NCTC, Fios, Google Fiber, Hulu, Sling, Optimum and YouTube TV. The lone major cable provider that isn’t carrying the network is Comcast, which has a large footprint in South Florida and throughout the Sunshine State. I encourage all Canes who have Comcast to call them and demand ACCN! We want everybody to be able to watch every Canes game for every sport this season.
The latest phase of construction for the Carol Soffer Indoor Practice Facility — our spectacular new football recruiting area — is nearly complete. I want to again extend my heartfelt thanks to Carol Soffer and her family for the lead gift for this magnificent facility. We have raised more than $37 million of the $40 million we need so we are not done yet — and we still need your support. One exciting way to give is an exclusive opportunity to have your name etched into one of the player chairs in the refurbished Edgerrin James Team Meeting Room. Your donations will continue to ensure that this facility continues to be one of the best in the country. Visit uhurricaneclub.com to pledge your support.
For the latest information on each of our varsity teams, please be sure to visit HurricaneSports.com or follow us on Twitter @MiamiHurricanes. Happy Thanksgiving to you and your family and I hope you enjoy this month’s magazine!
Go Canes!
Blake James
