Hurricanes Complete UNF East Coast Relays, Now Set Eyes on Outdoor ACC Championships
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – The University of Miami Track and Field team competed in the University of North Florida East Coast Relays Friday and Saturday in Jacksonville.
Starting off on Friday, the women’s shot put lineup, which consisted of Hannah Hall, Erikka Hill, and Selina Dantzler, placed first-second-third, respectively, in the event.
Hall earned a mark of 16.94m, Hill with 15.48m, and Dantzler with 14.31m.
In the hammer thrower, Portgual native Décio Andrade continued his winning ways as he placed first at the UNF East Coast Relays with a final distance of 72.02m. This first-place finish is Andrade’s third in the outdoor season.
Skyla Wilson continued her streak of impressive performances in the women’s 400m hurdles, earning a time of 57.07 and placing second.
The women’s 200m sprinters showed up in a big way Friday, as all four hurricanes who participated in the event notched new personal bests – Sanaa Hebron at 23.56, Blanca Hervas at 23.78, Kennedy Brace with 23.05, and Krystalann Bechard with a collegiate personal best of 24.79.
Junior jumper Russell Robinson, competing only in the long jump this weekend, took second place with a final mark of 7.73m.
Ashley Moore also took the second-place spot in the women’s long jump with a 6.07m jump.
Dahpnee Lavassas had another solid outing as the Greece native placed third in the women’s 1500m event with a final time of 4:25.09.
Closing out Friday, middle-distance runner Oskars Bambals earned himself a new personal best in the men’s 1500m, ending with a time of 3:47.60.
On day two, the women’s 4×100 relay started the day off finishing in a time of 45.03, giving them the second-place finish.
Erikka Hill had a solid outing in the women’s javelin as she placed second with a season-best of 45.26m, which came on Hill’s final throw.
Sincere Rhea was on another level in the men’s 110m hurdles posting a wind-legal time of 13.72. This propelled Rhea to a second-place finish, a new personal best, and sole ownership of the fourth-best time in the Miami program record books for the event.
Rhea is getting hot at the right time and will look to make some noise in two weeks at the ACC Outdoor Championships in Raleigh, North Carolina.
Kennedy Brace built off of her new personal best in the women’s 200m and was locked in again in the 400m event.
Brace earned a massive personal best of 52.16 and placed second overall in the event, capping off a very successful weekend for the Las Vegas, Nev., sprinter.
Moriah Oliveira finished right behind Brace in the women’s 400m with a final time of 52.27. Oliveira will look to repeat as ACC Outdoor Champion in the 400m event in just two weeks time.
Moving over to the jumpers, Taylor Wright continued her momentum, placing second in the women’s high jump with a final height of 1.74m
Kristina Rakocevic also earned the silver medal in the women’s discus, ending with a final mark of 54.83m.
Lastly, the women’s 4×400 relay team, this time comprised of Gabriella Grissom, Moriah Oliveira, Natalie Varela, and Krystlann Bechard, earned the gold medal with a finishing time of 3:35.42.
The Hurricanes now set their eyes on Raliegh, N.C., for the 2023 ACC Outdoor Championships. With a collection of great performances all outdoor season long, the team is confident going up against the rest of the conference. With the women’s team winning the conference championship last season, the Hurricanes will look to repeat as champions against a competitive ACC conference.
“I think the mindset it’s very positive right now. They’re going in there with confidence but, for the ones that didn’t perform the way they wanted to, it gives them extra motivation to get it together before next week,” head coach Amy Deem said.
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