Hurricane Fans,

It has been several months since we have had the opportunity to watch our student-athletes don their orange and green in an athletic competition. But thanks to the tireless work of so many people in our department, on campus and throughout our Canes community that moment finally arrived last week.

Fall sports are underway and even though the events may look and feel slightly different in response to the pandemic, it is still exciting and inspiring to see our student-athletes competing in the sports they love.

We wouldn’t be competing if it hadn’t been for the incredible guidance and support we have received from University President Dr. Julio Frenk, as well as senior campus officials and the physicians and administrators at UHealth. But most of all we have to credit our student-athletes and coaches, who continue to do their part to follow the health and safety protocols to help ensure a safe return to play.

Manny Diaz and our football team opened their season last Thursday night, defeating UAB 31-14 before a socially distanced crowd at Hard Rock Stadium. The Hurricanes racked up 492 yards of total offense and forced the Blazers to punt 11 times. Running back Cam’Ron Harris rushed for 134 yards and two scores, while quarterback D’Eriq King extended his FBS record to 16 games with at least one passing and rushing touchdown.

The Hurricanes are now ranked 17^th in the country and next up is the first of 10 consecutive ACC games, a nationally televised, prime time test at No. 18 Louisville. Kickoff is 7:30 p.m. on ABC and ESPN’s College GameDay will be on site. Let’s tune in to cheer on the Canes!

Our next home football game will be Saturday, September 26, against Florida State. For ticket information call 1-800-GO-CANES or visit miamihurricanes.com/tickets/. If you aren’t heading to Hard Rock be sure to tune into our new pregame show Hurricanes Gameday with hosts Josh Darrow, Will Manso and Micheal Barrow. The show starts two hours before kickoff and is streamed live on miamihurricanes.com, as well as the official Miami Hurricanes app and Apple TV.

Our soccer team enters its third season under Sarah Barnes and we opened our eight-game conference schedule Thursday night against Louisville. The Hurricanes next host Notre Dame Sunday at 2 p.m. at Cobb Stadium. Game attendance is restricted to immediate family members but you can tune into ACC Network Extra to catch the action. Good luck to the Canes!

Keno Gandara’s volleyball team is also gearing up for an ACC-only schedule, which tips off September 24 at Knight Sports Complex against Georgia Tech. The Canes are led by senior Elizaveta Lukianova, who earned preseason all-conference honors for the second straight season. Fans are not allowed at volleyball this fall but you can watch the opener on ACC Network.

Our cross country team will compete twice before the ACC Championships, starting with the Mountain Dew Invitational Friday in Gainesville. Good luck to the Canes!

I want to recognize track and field standout Brittny Ellis, who this week was named a Top 30 finalist for the 2020 NCAA Woman of the Year Award. Brittny graduated with a degree in nursing last spring with a 3.82 GPA and is currently earning her master’s degree in health informatics. As a 400-meter runner, she is a four-time USTFCCCA All-American, an eight-time ACC Championships medalist and a four-time ACC team champion. The NCAA Woman of the Year is a national award honoring academic achievement, athletics excellence, community service and leadership. It is one of the highest awards given by the NCAA. Congratulations to Brittny on this remarkable achievement!

We recently launched the Canes United COVID-19 Relief Initiative to help the athletics department navigate the significant financial ramifications of the pandemic. We want to do everything that we can to minimize the impact of this pandemic on our student-athletes and their overall athletics, academic and cultural experiences at The U and this initiative gives our supporters a chance to make an immediate difference in helping us to continue our mission of Building Champions. For more information please visit the official website at umcanesunited.com.

If you have any questions or need any assistance, please feel free to contact a member of our staff. For the latest information on UM Athletics, please be sure to visit our website — miamihurricanes.com – download our new Miami Hurricanes app or follow us on our various social media channels. I hope that you and your loved ones are staying safe and healthy. Enjoy this month’s magazine!

Go Canes!

Blake James