From the Desk of Dan Radakovich
Dear Canes Community,
I hope that all of you have an opportunity to celebrate with friends and family during the holiday season. In many ways, it’s the most wonderful time of the year for Miami Athletics as well. We are preparing for an exciting bowl trip and watching our basketball teams tip off conference play in December.
Bowl Bound
The Canes are heading to the Big Apple to face Rutgers in the Bad Boy Mowers Pinstripe Bowl on Thursday, December 28. Kickoff is 2:15 p.m. on ESPN. We are excited to compete in venerable Yankee Stadium and visiting New York during the holidays is a great reward and a memorable opportunity for both our student-athletes and our fans.
This will mark the 45th time in school history that we will compete in a bowl game, and it will be our first matchup with the Scarlet Knights in 20 years.
The priority deadline to request tickets to the Bad Boy Mowers Pinstripe Bowl is Tuesday, December 5 at 11:59 p.m. Bowl game ticket requests will be allocated based on Hurricane Club giving level and then donor priority order. We hope to see you in New York!
Last week defensive end Rueben Bain was named ACC Defensive Rookie of the Year and attended the conference’s annual awards banquet in Charlotte, N.C. Wide receiver Xavier Restrepo, safety Kam Kinchens and kicker Andy Borregales each earned first-team All-ACC honors. Congratulations to Rueben, Xavier, Kam and Andy on their terrific seasons.
While Mario Cristobal and his staff are preparing to face the Scarlet Knights, they are also hitting the recruiting trail to solidify what is shaping up to be another terrific class of Canes. Signing Day is Wednesday, December 20, and we look forward to welcoming the Class of 2024 to Coral Gables.
Basketball Teams Off to Sizzling Starts
Jim Larrañaga’s men’s basketball squad opened ACC play Saturday with a big win over Notre Dame before a sellout crowd at Watsco Center. The Canes, currently ranked eighth in the country, are now 6-1 with a home game against LIU on tap Wednesday at 7 p.m. on ACC Network Extra.
Our women’s basketball team ran its record to 7-0 yesterday with a 87-43 victory over NJIT. It was Katie Meier’s 350th career victory at UM. The Canes return to action Friday against DePaul at Watsco Center. Tipoff is 7 p.m. on ACC Network. We hope to see you at Watsco this week!
Single-game tickets are on sale for both men’s and women’s basketball. Call 1-800-GO-CANES or click here to reserve your seats today!
Olympic Sports Update
Our volleyball team advanced to the second round of the NCAA Tournament this past weekend before falling to top-seeded Wisconsin in Madison. The Canes defeated Northern Iowa in the first round and finished the season 18-12. It was our third straight NCAA Tournament appearance. Congratulations to Keno Gandara and his team on a great season!
Daphnee Lavassas qualified for the NCAA Cross Country Championships and posted a time of 20:08.4, which is the best NCAA finish in program history. Our swimming team recently captured the SMU Invite in Dallas, setting seven school records in the process. You can keep up with all our teams by clicking here to subscribe to the Miami Athletics Report.
Symons Training Facility
In November we formally dedicated the Susan and Stephen Symons Training Facility, our new state-of-the-art training center for our men’s and women’s basketball teams.
The new facility – adjacent to Watsco Center — covers more than 7,500 square feet. It includes the Jimmy and Kim Klotz strength and conditioning room, recovery area, nutrition bar and office space for support and medical staff, nearly tripling the size of the programs’ previous training facilities.
Our mission is to build championship programs here at Miami, and a major part of that mission is ensuring our student-athletes have the very best facilities to compete at the highest level in the sports they love. Supporters like the Symons and Klotz families understand that vision and their leadership financial commitments have helped us create one of the premier basketball training facilities in college athletics.
Expanded Partnership with Legends
Today we announced a significant expansion of our partnership with Legends. Initially focused on marketing partnerships and rights since April 2021, this collaboration has evolved to encompass all facets of revenue generation within Miami’s athletics programs. The transformative partnership, the first of its kind in collegiate athletics, now includes overseeing athletics sponsorships, ticketing, annual fund initiatives, and an off-campus Hurricanes retail store. In addition to the expanded scope within athletics, Legends will help the University to enhance campuswide partnerships that include both athletic and non-athletic assets.
As part of this expanded alliance, Jason Layton, currently the Senior Deputy Director of Athletics at Miami, will assume the role of Chief Revenue Officer of Hurricanes Sales and Partnerships within newly formed Legends College. Under his leadership, a dedicated staff will provide widespread support to drive the success of this multifaceted partnership.
We are excited to expand our partnership with Legends. Their vision for the University of Miami is just as bold as ours and we look forward to working with Jason and his talented team to drive revenue across our entire enterprise.
Canes Connection
We are excited to announce that Canes Connection is now our Official NIL Collective. Legends facilitated the partnership with Canes Connection.
Canes Connection is rapidly developing partnerships to benefit student-athletes, which will help Miami build the most successful NIL program in college athletics. Canes Connection empowers student-athletes to help maximize their full potential by fostering and developing their individual brands, business acumen, and marketing expertise, while still achieving success in competition and in the classroom. Click here to learn more about Canes Connection.
Coalition for the Future of College Athletics
College athletics are the lifeblood of communities and a unifying force for fans, alumni, parents, coaches and universities. Through college athletics, hundreds of thousands of young men and women have been provided life-changing opportunities, first-class educations, and the ability to pursue their lifelong dreams. But without Congressional action, the future of college athletics could be in jeopardy.
The Coalition for the Future of College Athletics is dedicated to the mission of forging a balanced pathway that respects the rights of college athletes while preserving the integrity and tradition of college athletics. Momentum is building for a uniform federal solution, and now is the time to pass federal legislation that can secure the future of college athletics for generations of student-athletes, fans, alumni and supporters.
Click here to learn how you can do your part to help make passing federal NIL legislation a top priority.
Our Canes Community remains stronger than ever thanks to your continued support. Happy Holidays and Go Canes!
Dan Radakovich
