From the Desk of Dan Radakovich
Dear Canes Community,
This is an exciting week for the University of Miami as we officially celebrate our centennial, and Miami Athletics features prominently in the weeklong celebration.
Centennial Celebration
The university is hosting a Centennial Celebration on Tuesday, April 8, to commemorate 100 years since its charter was signed. The festivities are open to the public and feature a carnival, concert, fireworks and more. Several prominent former Miami student-athletes will be introduced during the concert. The carnival on Foote Green kicks off at 5 p.m., while the concert will start at 7 p.m. on Lakeside Patio. A fireworks show follows the concert. Click here for more details. It will be a fun and momentous event for all, and we hope to see you on campus!
Spring Game
Mario Cristobal’s squad will wrap up spring football with our annual spring game on Saturday, April 12. We had a great atmosphere at Cobb Stadium last year and we’re looking forward to hosting the game back on campus again this year.
Tickets sold out quickly so for those of you attending the gates open at Cobb at 1:30 p.m. and players will sign autographs at 2 p.m. before the game kicks off at 3:30 p.m. WQAM will also broadcast the game live.
Don’t forget we have eight homes at Hard Rock Stadium this season, including non-conference titles with Notre Dame on August 31 and Florida on September 20. Click here or call 1-800-GO-CANES to secure your tickets for what promises to be a memorable fall at Hard Rock!
Pro Day
Our football program hosted its annual Pro Day on March 24, and we had a tremendous turnout with all 32 NFL teams and more than 80 personnel on site to see our draft hopefuls exhibit their talents. It was great to see Cam Ward and so many of his teammates back on campus, and there appears to be significant interest in Cam as the top overall pick in the draft. The event was a terrific showcase for Canes football and a credit to Mario and his staff for what they are building here. Good luck to our Canes in the NFL Draft later this month!
National Champion
Chiara Pellacani captured the NCAA 1-meter diving title last month in Federal Way, Wash. Chiara, who represented Italy in last year’s Summer Olympics, also finished second in the 3-meter. She is the 86th individual NCAA champion in our history. Mia Vallée, the 2022 NCAA 1-meter champion, also earned All-America honors alongside Chiara in both the 1- and 3-meter.
Overall, our women’s swimming and diving team finished 13th overall, our highest finish since 2011. Our men’s diving team, led by two-time All-American Max Flory, finished tied for 23rd in the team standings. Congratulations to Chiara, Mia and Max on their outstanding seasons!
Latest Canes News
Our baseball team (17-16 overall, 4-8 ACC) won at Pittsburgh 14-4 Sunday to claim the rubber match of the three-game series. Dorian Gonzalez, Jr. belted a three-run home run and Daniel Cuvet hit a three-run triple. The Canes return to The Light this weekend for a three-game series against Duke, starting Friday at 7 p.m. We hope to see you there!
Our men’s tennis team (13-8 overall, 6-6 ACC) beat Notre Dame 4-2 Saturday to finish their home campaign with a perfect 13-0 record. The Canes wrap up the regular season Friday against Florida State in Tallahassee. Our women’s tennis team (9-10 overall, 4-6 ACC) fell to No. 12 NC State Sunday. Before the match we recognized 2024 NCAA singles champion Alexa Noel on her Senior Day. Congratulations to Alexa as she puts the finishing touches on an amazing career as a Miami Hurricane!
Our track and field squad posted a strong showing at this past weekend’s Florida Relays in Gainesville. Devoux Deysel, last year’s ACC champion in the javelin, currently ranks fifth in the nation in that event, while Sanaa Hebron currently owns the fourth-best time in the country in the 400m hurdles.
Our rowing team hosted Nova Southeastern Saturday for the Miami International Regatta. Miami’s collegiate four boat took first place, while the collegiate eight boat finished second in a tight race. Next up for the Canes is a trek across the state to Sarasota for the Big Ten Invitational on April 18.
Our golf team has wrapped up its regular season and is preparing for the ACC Championships, which commence at Sedgefield Country Club in Greensboro, N.C., on April 16.
You can keep up with all 18 of our programs by subscribing to the weekly Miami Athletics Report. Click here to sign up!
UM Sports Hall of Fame Induction Banquet
The University of Miami Sports Hall of Fame & Museum’s 55th induction banquet will take place on Thursday, April 17 at Watsco Center.
The eight-member Class of 2025 is comprised of Vikki Alonzo (soccer), Mark Cooper (football), Kevin Howard (baseball), Cindy Kessler Miller (golf), Jerome McDougle (football), Brian Ramos (diving), Darius Rice (basketball), and Krista Simkins (track & field).
Tickets to the event are $200 for single tickets, a regular table of 10 can be purchased for $2000, Sponsor Tables of 10 for $2750, which includes preferred seating, and a limited number of Elite Sponsor Tables for $5000. Tickets and tables can be purchased by clicking here. We hope to see you there for a memorable celebrating some of our greatest Canes student-athletes!
Canes Connection
Canes Connection is the Official NIL Collective of Miami Athletics and helps develop partnerships to benefit student-athletes with the goal of building the most impactful NIL program in college athletics.
You can support student-athletes through Canes Connection, and as a benefit of that support, receive exclusive access to a wide variety of benefits including direct interaction and engagement with student-athletes. Click here to learn more about Canes Connection and its variety of membership plans.
Our Canes Community remains stronger than ever thanks to your generosity. Thank you for your continued support. Go Canes and Happy 100th Birthday to the U!
Dan Radakovich
