A Message From the Athletic Director - December 2019
Hurricane Fans,
We’re about to ring in the New Year and 2020 promises to be another terrific year both on and off the field for Miami Athletics.
Our football season ended on a disappointing note with a loss to Louisiana Tech in the Walk-On’s Independence Bowl. Manny Diaz is the right leader for our program but clearly changes are necessary and expected. I have full confidence that Manny will make tremendous strides with this young team as they enter the offseason conditioning program with a collective eye towards 2020. We also welcome an outstanding recruiting class with many of those young men choosing to enroll in January, which will only help their development.
We have seven home games at Hard Rock Stadium next fall, including visits from Florida State and North Carolina. We need your continued support to ensure Hard Rock remains one of the best home field atmospheres in college football. Call 1-800-GO-CANES to renew or purchase your season tickets today!
Jim Larrañaga’s men’s basketball team (8-3) is on a four-game win streak, including impressive non-conference wins over Illinois and Temple. The Canes set a program record with 18 three-pointers in their most recent win over Coppin State, paced by junior guard Kameron McGusty, whose 28 points helped him earn Co-ACC Player of the Week honors. Next up for the Canes is a visit to Clemson on New Year’s Eve. Tipoff is at 4 p.m. on ACC Network. The Canes then return home to Watsco Center on Saturday to face second-ranked Duke at 8 p.m., which is just part of an entertaining home ACC schedule that also includes visits from 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 24th in the nation, ran its record to 9-3 this past Sunday with a 59-56 win over Wake Forest in their ACC opener. Senior forward Beatrice Mompremier, a preseason All-American, is the only ACC player to rank in the conference’s top five in both scoring (16.9 points per game) and rebounding (10.6 rebounds per game). The Canes hit the road to face Georgia Tech this Thursday at 7 p.m. before returning home for a huge showdown with No. 8 Florida State at Watsco Center Sunday at 2 p.m. Call 1-800-GO-CANES to secure your tickets and we hope to see you there!
Gino DiMare’s baseball squad is ranked fourth in the nation preseason by Collegiate Baseball, UM’s highest preseason ranking since 2015. The Canes return three All-ACC players and boast the conference’s best incoming recruiting class. This 2020 home slate features a three-game series against Florida (February 21-23) as well as ACC series against top-ranked Louisville, Clemson, North Carolina and Virginia. 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. I want to thank Jimmy and Kim Klotz for their naming rights gift for the indoor practice facility, as well as UM great and current Milwaukee Brewer Ryan Braun for his recent major gift towards the campaign. For more information on how you can make a gift, please call the Hurricane Club at (305) 284-6699.
The U was once again well represented at the USA Diving Winter National Championships earlier this month. Senior David Dinsmore won the gold medal in the 10-meter platform, while recent UM graduate Briadam Herrrera also won gold in the 3-meter. Both Canes earned a spot on Team USA for the FINA Diving World Cup in Tokyo in April. Congrats to David and Briadam and head coach Randy Ableman!
Andy Kershaw’s swimming team, fresh off an impressive performance at the U.S. Open in Atlanta earlier this month, hosts Boston College on Saturday. Come cheer on the Canes at Norman Whitten Pool!
Both our men’s and women’s tennis teams start their spring campaigns next week. The men will host the Miami Spring Invite January 10-12, welcoming Georgia and Wisconsin as well as top-ranked defending national champion Texas to the Neil Schiff Tennis Center. The women will spend that weekend in the Bahamas, playing a stacked field that includes Florida, Texas and UCLA in the Pink Flamingo Invitational. Later this month, we will also recognize Wayne and Cynthia Boich at the official dedication for the Boich Family Scoreboard, which is one of the largest and most state-of-the-art tennis videoboards in the country. Thank you to Wayne and Cynthia for their generous donation and continued support of our tennis programs!
Amy Deem’s track and field squad opens its indoor season on January 10 in Ann Arbor, Mich., at the Wolverine Invitational. It’s the first of four indoor meets leading up to the ACC Indoor Championships in late February, where the women’s squad will attempt to defend their ACC title in South Bend, Ind. Good luck to the Canes!
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 New Year to you and your family and I hope you enjoy this month’s magazine!
Go Canes!
Blake James
