A Message from the Athletic Director: April 2021
Hurricane Fans,
It’s an exciting time on campus as our spring sports start to push towards postseason play while our football team is gearing up for its annual Spring Game.
The Canes football family lost one of its legends on March 27 when Howard Schnellenberger passed away at the age of 87. Howard helped our University grow during a critical period of time and established a foundation for future success, on the football field and off. He led UM to the first of our five national championships in 1983 when Miami stunned top-ranked Nebraska in the Orange Bowl in one of the most memorable games in college football history. Howard will be remembered as so much more than a coach. Our thoughts are with his family, friends, former colleagues and players. He will forever be a Hurricane.
The Canes have had a spirited spring on Greentree thus far. Manny Diaz has four new defensive coaches on staff and our young quarterbacks have been getting lots of reps while D’Eriq King continues to progress on his rehab. The Canes will wrap things up with the Spring Game on Saturday, April 17, at 11 a.m. at Hard Rock Stadium. The game will be televised on ACC Network. Tune in to watch the Canes!
We held our annual Pro Day on Greentree last week as six players – Jose Borregales, Brevin Jordan, Chigozie Nnoruka, Jaelan Phillips, Quincy Roche and Greg Rousseau – showcased their skills for NFL representatives of every team. The NFL Draft kicks off on Thursday, April 29. Good luck to all our Canes in the draft!
Our baseball team (16-8) has won five straight games and is coming off a three-game home sweep of Duke. Catcher Adrian Del Castillo is the reigning ACC Player of the Week after batting .471 with seven RBI and six runs scored last week. Congratulations to Adrian! The Canes host FIU tonight at Alex Rodriguez Park at Mark Light Field before heading to Pittsburgh this weekend for another three-game ACC series. Good luck to the Canes!
Our track and field squad had a strong showing at last week’s Florida Relays and returns home to Cobb Stadium Friday and Saturday for the Hurricane Alumni Invitational, the final home meet for a terrific class of seniors. Our women’s team jumped eight spots to 14th in the latest rankings. Good luck to the Canes this weekend and congratulations to our seniors!
Our women’s tennis team (11-6) has won eight of its last nine matches, including a 4-3 win over No. 8 Virginia last Sunday. Estela Perez-Somarriba is currently ranked No. 4 in the nation in singles. Next up is a trip to Tallahassee Friday to battle sixth-ranked Florida State. Best of luck to the Canes!
Our men’s tennis team returns to action with two matches this week. The Canes play at Florida State Thursday at 5:30 p.m. and then return home to host Boston College Sunday at noon at the Neil Schiff Tennis Center. Good luck to the Canes at the Schiff!
Our volleyball team wrapped up its spring campaign this past weekend, sweeping North Carolina at Knight Gym to finish with an 11-7 record. Elizaveta Lukianova earned first-team All-ACC honors, while Savannah Vach was a second-team all-conference selection. Congratulations to Elizaveta and Savannah and congratulations to our volleyball team on a great season!
Our golf team is hard at work preparing for the ACC Championships, which start April 15 in Greensboro, N.C. Best of luck to our golfers at the conference tournament!
Our rowing team posted three third-place finishes at last weekend’s Sunshine State Invitational in Sarasota. Next up is a trip to UCF in Orlando on April 16. Good luck to our rowers!
Our women’s basketball team promoted Fitzroy Anthony to assistant head coach and has hired former Canes and WNBA standout Shenise Johnson as our newest assistant coach. Congratulations to Fitzroy and welcome back to Coral Gables, Shenise!
We will be holding the seventh annual Celebration of Women’s Athletics presented by adidas in June. We are excited to be able to continue the CWA – it has become one of our signature annual events and despite the current challenges of holding in-person events we still want to recognize, honor and celebrate these incredible female student-athletes. There will be a weeklong celebration culminating with an online ceremony. Dates and times will be announced soon.
We recently launched the 2021 Hurricane Club Student Impact Fund annual campaign, which offers a great way to make an immediate impact and help ensure that we support our student-athletes athletically, academically and culturally for years to come. Gifts to the Student Impact Fund support scholarships, academic services, medical care and comprehensive well-being, nutritional programs, and leadership development. For more information on the how you can help us Build Champions by supporting the Student Impact Fund, please call the Hurricane Club at 305-284-6699 or visit www.UHurricaneClub.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 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
