UNIVERSITY OF MIAMI DEPARTMENT OF ATHLETICS 5821 San Amaro Drive Coral Gables, FL 33146 305-284-3244 www.HurricaneSports.com Facebook: MiamiHurricanes Twitter: @MiamiHurricanes EDITORIAL ASSISTANCE Camron Ghorbi, Kevin Ivany, Amy LaBrie, Leo Ramos, Alex Schwartz, Tom Symonds, Carter Toole, David Villavicenio
PHOTOGRAPHY JC Ridley, Richard Lewis, Steven Murphy COVER Kyle Stopperan
UNIVERSITY OF MIAMI MISSION STATEMENT
The University of Miami’s mission is to educate and nurture students, to create knowledge, and to provide service to our community and beyond. Committed to excellence and proud of the diversity of our University family, we strive to develop future leaders of our nation and the world.
MARCH 2017 VOLUME VI, ISSUE 8
FEATURED
THE RUNDOWN The University of Miami men’s basketball team takes to the hardwood this week at the ACC Tournament in Brooklyn. This tournament preview will get you ready for March Madness.
12 // HELLO BROOKLYN The University of Miami women’s basketball team advanced to the semifinals of the ACC Championship for the second straight season, following wins over Georgia Tech and nationally-ranked Florida State.
14 // CANES WOMEN ADVANCE TO ACC SEMIFINALS Nine former University of Miami Hurricane football players put their skills to the test at the 2017 NFL Combine in Indianapolis. Check out how these future #ProCanes fared under the NFL’s bright spotlight.
16 // COMBINE CANES SHINE IN INDY 3
@MIAMIHURRICANES #BUILDINGCHAMPIONS
5 LETTER FROM THE AD 6-7 BASKETBALL PHOTO GALLERY 8, 10 HURRICANE CLUB 9 BY THE NUMBERS 11 AROUND THE WEB 12-13 MEN’S BASKETBALL POSTSEASON 14-15 WOMEN’S BASKETBALL POSTSEASON 16-17 CANES AT NFL COMBINE 18-19 BASEBALL UPDATES 20-21 MURPHY RETURNS TO BROOKLYN 28 FOUR CANES TO KNOW 31 COMPLIANCE 36-37 ACC TRACK INDOORS RECAP 40-41 KEYONA HAYES FEATURE 42-43 GOLF: DEWI WEBER 50 SPOTLIGHT ON BASEBALL 52-53 UM SPORTS HALL OF FAME
VIEW FROM THE U
32 TRACK & FIELD 38 MEN’S TENNIS 44 WOMEN’S TENNIS 45 SOCCER 46 SWIMMING/DIVING 47 GOLF 48 VOLLEYBALL/ROWING
FROM THE DIRECTOR OF ATHLETICS Hurricane Fans, We’ve entered the best month of the year for college basketball fans and, once again, Miami will be well represented in March. Our women’s basketball team just wrapped up a tremendous showing at the ACC Tournament in Myrtle Beach. The Hurricanes defeated eighth-ranked Florida State in the quarterfinals before falling in the final seconds to No. 13 Duke in the semifinals. Next up is the sixth NCAA Tournament appearance in the last seven years for Katie Meier’s club. In addition, Laura Cornelius, Emese Hof and Jessica Thomas were all selected as All-ACC Academic Team honorees, marking the first time in program history that Miami has had three players make that prestigious list. Our men’s basketball team posted huge wins late in the season at Virginia and at home over 10thranked Duke in front of the loudest Watsco Center crowd of the season. The victory over the Blue Devils was Miami’s 20th overall win and 10th ACC win, which puts Jim Larrañaga’s Hurricanes in excellent shape to earn yet another NCAA Tournament bid. We now head to Brooklyn for the ACC Tournament, where Miami will tip off postseason play against Syracuse Wednesday at noon on ESPN. Off the court, senior guard Davon Reed won the 2017 Skip Prosser Award, presented annually to the top scholar-athlete in ACC men’s basketball. Davon is a three-time All-ACC Academic selection who will graduate in May with a degree in sports administration and double minors in communications and marketing. Congratulations to Davon! Our women’s track team recently captured its second consecutive ACC Indoor Championship, which vaulted the Hurricanes into the Top 10 of the national rankings for the first time ever. Coach Amy Deem’s team defended its title with 113 total points, eclipsing the century mark for the first time since 2006. Senior Shakima Wimbley also made history by becoming the first woman in ACC annals to win four titles in a single event (200 meters) and she did it with a personal-best time of 22.83 seconds that set an ACC Championship record. Congratulations to the entire women’s track team, which this week heads to the NCAA Indoor Championships. Jim Morris’ baseball team starts ACC play this weekend against Georgia Tech. We hope to see all of you at Mark Light Field cheering on the Hurricanes throughout the spring. Our golf team finished fourth in their recent “home” tournament at The Biltmore and is currently ranked 14th in the country. Diver David Dinsmore won gold at the recent ACC Swimming & Diving Championships, while swimmer Angela Algee qualified for three events at the upcoming NCAAs. Women’s tennis has jumped out to a 3-0 start in ACC play, while the men’s team is off to a solid start as well. March is also an important month for our football program, which kicks off spring practice on March 21 at Greentree Practice Fields. Coach Mark Richt and his staff will oversee 15 practice sessions as they start to build towards what promises to be an exciting 2017 campaign. I also want to recognize our four student-athletes who recently received 2017 ACC Postgraduate Scholarships -- Emily Auld (soccer), Christopher Barr (baseball), Davon Reed (men’s basketball) and Julia Schippert (swimming). Each of them have performed with distinction in both the classroom and their respective sport, while demonstrating exemplary conduct in the community. All four will receive $5,000 towards their graduate education and we couldn’t be more proud of their efforts. We are fast approaching our goal of $34 million for the Carol Soffer Football Indoor Practice Facility, however we are still a few million dollars short and need everyone’s support. Thank you to everyone who has already made a commitment and, if you have yet to donate, please consider helping us with this final push. For more information on how to make a gift in support of this project, visit hurricanesfootballfacility.com or call the Hurricane Club at (305) 284-6699. Naming opportunities located within the facility are still available. I hope you enjoy this month’s magazine. For the latest information on each of our varsity sports, please be sure to visit HurricaneSports.com or follow us on Twitter @MiamiHurricanes. Go Canes! Blake James
5
@MIAMIHURRICANES #BUILDINGCHAMPIONS
BY THE NUMBERS A statistical look at the Miami Hurricanes
1 2
Miami senior Davon Reed is the recipient of the Atlantic Coast Conference’s 2017 Skip Prosser Award, presented annually to the top scholar-athlete in ACC men’s basketball.
The Miami women’s track and field team entered the 2017 ACC Indoor Championships as the favorites and they left as champions for the second straight year.
3
Miami swimmer Angela Algee will take part in three events at the NCAA Swimming & Diving Championships: 100 fly, 200 fly and 50 free.
4
Miami men’s tennis defeated FGCU, 4-3, for the Canes’ fourth win of the season under first-year head Coach Aljosa Piric.
AROUND THE WEB FOLLOW US ON FACEBOOK & INSTAGRAM Facebook Instagram Athletics MiamiHurricanes MiamiHurricanes Baseball TheUBaseball CanesBaseball Men’s Basketball CanesHoops CanesHoops Women’s Basketball CanesWBB CanesWBB Football CanesFootball CanesFootball Golf CanesGolf Rowing CanesRowing CanesRowing Soccer CanesFutbol CanesFutbol Men’s Tennis CanesMensTennis CanesMensTennis Women’s Tennis CanesWTennis CanesWTennis Track and Field CanesTrack CanesTrack Volleyball CanesVB Canes_VB Sebastian the Ibis SebastianTheIbis UM_Sebastian
CANES ALL ACCESS
TRACK & FIELD DAY 3 AT THE #ACCITF CHAMPIONSHIPS
FOLLOW US ON TWITTER ATHLETICS
Official @MiamiHurricanes Compliance @UCompliance Ticket Office @UMTickets
ADMINISTRATION
Official: @CanesBaseball Jim Morris: @Coach3Morris
MEN’S BASKETBALL Official: @CanesHoops
Blake James @CanesAllAccess Tony Hernandez @UMTony Jennifer Strawley @JennStraws Jason Layton @LaytonJason Tim Wise @TimWise1 Jesse Marks @jessehmarks Craig Anderson @CraigAndersonUM
COMMUNICATIONS
WOMEN’S BASKETBALL
Official: @CanesWBB Katie Meier: @CoachKatieMeier Official: @CanesFootball Mark Richt: @MarkRicht
GOLF
CREATIVE SERVICES
Official: @CanesFutbol
DEVELOPMENT
Chris Cohen Alfonso Restrepo Dillon Boggs Emily Boone
@TimdanBrog @LeoRamos82 @KyleStopperan @canescohen @305fonzi @dboggs24 @emilycboone
Official @TheUEqRoom Lindy Sparby Alejandro Rengifo Sebastian the Ibis
Official: @HurricanesGolf
ROWING
Official: @CanesRowing
SOCCER
Mary-Frances Monroe: @CoachMFMonroe
SWIM / DIVE Official: @CanesSwimDive
WOMEN’S BASKETBALL MIAMI VS. GEORGIA TECH HIGHLIGHT
MEN’S TENNIS
Official: @CanesMensTennis
WOMEN’S TENNIS
Official: @CanesWTennis
EQUIPMENT ROOM MARKETING
BASKETBALL MIAMI DOWNS DUKE
FOOTBALL
Carter Toole @CanesCarter Tom Symonds @Tom_Symonds Amy LaBrie @CanesHoops Camron Ghorbi @CamronGhorbi Alex Schwartz @AlexJSchwartz David Villavicencio @DVillavicencio6 Tim Brogdon Leo Ramos Kyle Stopperan
11
BASEBALL
TRACK & FIELD
Official: @CanesTrack Amy Deem: @AmyDeem @LindySparby @A_Rengifo1 @UM_Sebastian
VOLLEYBALL
Official: @CanesVB
FOOTBALL MAT DRILLS | ANOTHER DAY TO GET BETTER
@MIAMIHURRICANES #BUILDINGCHAMPIONS
BACK IN THE SADDLE By Carter Toole HurricaneSports.com It has become an annual ritual. Miami tips off its basketball season in November to modest expectations from prognosticators, yet when the calendar turns to March there the Hurricanes are, right back in their familiar spot in the thick of the postseason conversation. Which beckons the question…why is anyone out there still surprised? Yes, the Hurricanes entered the 2016-17 campaign looking to replace three starters from last year’s Sweet 16 team. Yes, they would start two freshmen throughout the season. And yes, Miami still had to navigate through 18 games in the toughest college basketball conference in the country. But good college basketball programs – good, consistent programs – have a foundation in place. They have a philosophy, an identity and, above all, a work ethic. They don’t rebuild. They reload. This is what Jim Larrañaga has created at Miami, a belief that playing deep into the postseason isn’t a lofty goal but a consistent expectation. And as the Hurricanes head to the Big Apple for the ACC Tournament – with 20 wins and another anticipated bid to the Big Dance in their pocket -- Miami is in great shape to make another run in March. “I think this team has really made great strides and can be a very tough opponent for anyone in the field,” Larrañaga said last week. Some of the top teams in the country would agree. The Hurricanes defeated the likes of Duke, North Carolina and Virginia during a season which saw UM win 10 games in the nation’s toughest conference. Miami did so with tenacious defense, ranking second in the ACC in points allowed and third in the conference in defensive efficiency. The Hurricanes also had consistent offensive production from two players in particular – one at the end of his career in Coral Gables and one just beginning his stint in orange and green. Guard Davon Reed, arguably one of the most underrated players in the country, had a stellar senior campaign, leading the team in scoring with 15.3 points per game. He scored 20-plus points in seven games and hit 73 from beyond the arc. Reed earned third-team All-ACC honors and All-ACC Defensive honors. Meanwhile, freshman guard Bruce Brown made an immediate impact, registering a triple double in December against South Carolina State. He averaged 11.8 points per game, scored a combined 55 points in home wins over top 10 teams North Carolina and Duke, and hit the game-winning trey in Charlottesville. Senior forward Kamari Murphy was the team’s best defender and rebounder. Ja’Quan Newton shifted to point guard and averaged 12.4
points per game. Sophomore Anthony Lawrence, Jr., started half the team’s games and averaged 7.5 points. Freshman Dewan Huell and sophomore Ebuka Izundu provided valuable scoring and defense inside, while freshman DJ Vasiljevic stretched the defense by hitting 47 3-pointers. The Hurricanes aren’t the deepest team in the league but, in true Miami style, they play tough and they play together – which was a must for the rigors of ACC play in 2017. “The league is about as good as any conference has ever been in this country,” Larrañaga said. Miami tipped off its conference slate on New Year’s Eve with a home win over N.C. State but dropped four of its next five games to fall to 2-4 in the ACC. The Hurricanes then hung on for dear life for a one-point win over Boston College, which didn’t bode well with ninth-ranked North Carolina coming to the Watsco Center three days later. But Miami dominated the Tar Heels 77-62 behind an astonishing performance from Brown, who scored 30 points. The Hurricanes lost to Florida State before heading to Raleigh for a rematch with the Wolfpack. Looking back, Larrañaga considers that game to be the season’s turning point. Miami was down nine points at halftime before dominating in the second half to win 84-79, the most points the Hurricanes scored in an ACC game all season. “I thought the preparation and execution of the game plan at NC State was a real turning point for us because we needed our young big guys – Dewan and Ebuka in particular, and Anthony Lawrence – to step up and make a more significant contribution,” Larrañaga said. “They were already playing pretty good, but for us to take a step forward we needed them to play even better. Anthony and Ebuka both had career highs against NC State so it changed our course from being a team that maybe lacked a little confidence to a team that was confident they could play. I thought that was a real confidence booster for us.” The win in Raleigh ignited a stretch of six wins in seven games – the only loss at fourth-ranked Louisville. Miami capped its home slate with a raucous win over No. 10 Duke, where Brown again flourished, scoring 25 of the team’s 55 points. The Hurricanes dropped two road games in Blacksburg and Tallahassee to end the season, but with 20 overall and 10 ACC wins, appear to be in good shape for another NCAA berth. It would be Miami’s third NCAA bid in the last five years, which includes two Sweet 16 appearances and a run to the NIT Championship Game. Now comes March, where the Hurricanes will need every ounce of energy and poise to survive and advance. “In March there is no next game unless you win that first one,” Larrañaga said. “It’s really all about focusing all of your attention and energy into winning the game you have in front of you. “What we’ve used as our expression is it doesn’t matter who we play or where we play, what does matter is how we play. If we execute our game plan better than they execute their game plan then we have a great chance of winning.”
TOGETHER THEY RISE By Carter Toole HurricaneSports.com Katie Meier knew coming into this season that the Hurricanes were poised for something special. Three senior starters returned from a team that won 24 games last year. Miami’s backcourt tandem of Jessica Thomas and Adrienne Motley was one of the best in the country. The Hurricanes could go deep into their bench and few teams could match their work rate on both ends of the floor. Four months later, sitting in front of a microphone in Conway, S.C., Meier felt the same way. Her Hurricanes had just completed a scintillating run to a second consecutive ACC Tournament semifinal, knocking off No. 8/12 Florida State and battling No. 13/11 Duke to the final buzzer. Despite the loss, Miami enters the NCAA Tournament with growing confidence -- and growing expectations. “We talked real quick—we’re very authentic and we’re very frank—and I said, ‘Right now, if I didn’t think we were a Sweet 16 team and beyond, I would tell you how much I love you, how great you are and
ignore the mistakes, but that’s not us,’” Meier said. “If you want to be high-level, we’re going to hear it right now. As tired as they are, I’m so proud of our effort, I really am.” Now the fun begins. Miami is heading for its sixth NCAA berth in the last seven years, an unprecedented run of success in the program’s history. Miami enters the NCAAs with a 23-8 record. The Hurricanes were ranked in the top 25 for the entire season, including in the top 18 for 14 weeks in a row, and for good reason. Miami defeated four ranked opponents, including two top-10 teams away from home, one just seven teams in the nation to do. The Hurricanes raced out to an 11-1 start, which included an overtime win at No. 9/10 Ohio State. Then came the rigors of conference play. Nothing came easy in the ACC, arguably the most competitive conference top to bottom in women’s basketball in 2017. During one stretch in January, the Hurricanes played five consecutive conference games against ranked opponents.
The last of those contests was an 81-48 loss to Syracuse in the Carrier Dome. From there, Miami regained its collective focus. The Hurricanes returned home and scored 100 points against North Carolina, launching a stretch where they would win nine of their next 11 games. Thomas and Motley came up big throughout the season, combining to average 25.4 points per game and earning second-team All-ACC honors. Thomas averaged four assists per game, hit 43 treys and had 48 steals. Motley led the team with 55 3-pointers. Fellow senior Keyona Hayes, an ACC AllTournament Second Team selection, averaged 9.5 points and a team-leading 5.8 rebounds per game from her forward spot. All three eclipsed the 1,000-point mark for their careers, marking the second time in program history Miami has had a teammate trio reach the threshold. The Hurricanes also got consistent frontcourt contributions from Erykah Davenport, who averaged seven points per game and shot nearly 60 percent from the field, ranking in the top three in the ACC in the field goal percentage for most of the season, and Keyanna Harris, who scored nearly
five points per game and was fourth on the team in rebounding. Off the bench, Emese Hof averaged 6.2 points and led the team with 30 blocks. Laura Cornelius, one of the finest sixth players in the nation, spelled Miami’s dynamic backcourt duo, averaging 8.4 points per game and hitting 42 treys. Senior Nigia Greene also chipped in four points per contest. In fact, Miami’s bench accounted for 32 percent of the Hurricanes’ points this season, outscoring the opposition’s bench in 25 games. The Hurricanes have proved they can light up the scoreboard, hitting the century mark against North Carolina and shooting 64 percent in the ACC Tournament opener against Georgia Tech. But it was those last two tournament games where Miami really showed its mettle. The Hurricanes held both Florida State and Duke under 60 points, which is a great sign this time of year. “When it comes March, you make sure that you’re locking down on the defensive end,” Meier said.
to find out where they will be headed for March Madness. Regardless of seed, very few teams will want to see The U in their side of the bracket. Miami enters the NCAA Tournament with three precious commodities – depth, senior leadership and great guard play. Postseason play oftentimes comes down to the final seconds, when you need poise and the ability to make clutch shots. “In our minds, when we control the game we are going to make sure we get really secure touches and don’t take any vulnerable shots,” Meier said. Thomas, Motley, Hayes and Greene are ready to close their careers on a high note, as the Hurricanes appear to be peaking at just the right moment. “There was a great amount of pressure on them to sustain the level we had prior to their arrival,” Meier said of her seniors. “They all came here because they wanted that, they knew we were an up-and-coming program. They saw how two or three players can make a huge difference in a program trajectory and they absolutely wanted to be those players.” Their coach is glad they did.
The Hurricanes will gather together Monday
COMBINE CANES SHINE IN INDY By Tom Symonds HurricaneSports.com INDIANAPOLIS – Nine former University of Miami football players were among the 200-plus prospects that concluded their workouts at the 2017 NFL Scouting Combine at Lucas Oil Stadium. Hurricanes Jamal Carter, Sr., Stacy Coley, Corn Elder, Danny Isidora, Rayshawn Jenkins, Brad Kaaya, Al-Quadin Muhammad, David Njoku and Justin Vogel each took part in the league’s primary scouting event. Isidora and Vogel highlighted Day 1 combine action on Friday, March 3, as both individuals posted strong performances. Isidora’s 5.03 40-yard dash time was the fifth-best time among offensive lineman. The Weston, Fla., native also finished in the top 10 of the bench press (26) and the vertical jump (29.0). Vogel’s 40-yard dash time (4.70) and vertical leap (34.0) were tops among all specialists. Njoku headlined Day 2 on Saturday, March 4 as he took part in six workouts and finished in the top 10 in every drill. His 11 foot, 1 inch leap in the broad jump was the second-best performance among tight ends and sixth-best among all competitors at the NFL Combine. Day 2 action also saw Kaaya and Coley compete in several drills, earning strong praise from those in attendance. Coley’s time of 4.45 in the 40-yard dash was the 12th–best time among wide receivers. Kaaya participated in all the passing drills and connected on numerous deep, short and intermediate routes. Final day testing on Monday, March 6 featured Carter, Elder and Jenkins all of whom performed well to further enhance their draft status. Jenkins and Carter both took part in the 40-yard dash, bench press, vertical jump and broad jump. Jenkins finished in the top 10 in each category for his position, including the bench where he and Carter each posted 19 reps of 225, which tied for third among safeties. Carter also cracked the top 10 in the vertical jump (35.0) and the broad jump (10-2). Elder rounded out the Hurricane participants as he participated in the 40-yard dash where he ran a time of 4.55. Each of these Hurricanes will continue with their training over the next few months as they prepare for 2017 NFL Draft. The 82nd NFL Draft will be held April 27-29 in Philadelphia.
VIEW FROM THE U
BASEBALL BY CAMRON GHORBI
@CanesBaseball
Pitching Impresses Over First Two Weeks of Season It may be too early to draw any conclusions about the 2017 Miami baseball team, but if there’s one thing that’s all but certain, it’s this: these Hurricanes can pitch. Miami’s junior duo of Jesse Lepore and Jeb Bargfeldt have been particularly impressive through two weekends, while proven winner and 2016 AllAmerica lefthander Michael Mediavilla is still looking for his groove on Sundays. Just how good have Lepore and Bargfeldt been? Consider this: facing a Gators team ranked No. 2 in the country at Alfred McKethan Stadium, Lepore and Bargfeldt combined to give up three runs in 12.0 innings, good for a combined ERA of 2.25. Though Miami’s offense struggled against a standout Gators rotation, Miami’s pitching staff combined to hold Florida to nine runs in three games in front of the largest combined weekend crowd in Gators history. To add to the excitement, freshman Greg Veliz made his mound debut March 1 against FAU in Boca Raton, Fla., and delivered. A week after his first scheduled start against FIU was postponed due to rain, Veliz tossed 4.0+ innings in his debut and struck out five batters. Better yet, Miami’s bullpen took over in the fifth and did not allow a run the rest of the way, leading the Hurricanes to a 5-2 win to snap a four-game losing streak. Up and down the roster, there are Hurricanes pitchers impressing and stepping up in new roles. Sophomore Frankie Bartow, who served as a setup man in 2016 and earned Louisville Slugger Freshman All-America honors, has not allowed a run in three appearances and is a perfect 2-for-2 in early save opportunities. He was named to the watch list for the Stopper of the Year Award - honoring the nation’s top relief pitcher - which former Hurricane closer Bryan Garcia won in 2016. Fellow sophomore Andrew Cabezas, who made three starts at the end of last season, has looked unhittable at times, and tossed 2.0 scoreless innings of relief at FAU. He is holding opponents to a paltry .192 average, and the staff’s combined average against is .248. Want more? Look no further than youngsters like Evan McKendry, who earned his first career win against the Owls, or Albert Maury, Jr., who joined the team in January and has already stepped up as the go-to man in the seventh. He has made four appearances and has a 1.42 ERA in 6.1 innings. ACC play begins on March 10, and there’s no doubt Miami’s pitching staff has a chance to lead the way to a fourth straight ACC Coastal crown.
CANES SET FOR HOME-AND-HOME PAIR WITH FIU • The Miami Hurricanes will play a home-and-home pair with crosstown foe FIU on Tuesday, March 7 at Mark Light Field (6 p.m.) and Wednesday, March 8 at FIU Baseball Stadium (7 p.m.). • The first scheduled game between the two teams for 2017, slated for Wednesday, Feb. 22 at FIU, was postponed due to rain. • The matchup is the first between the two schools in the regular season since 2008; Miami topped the Panthers 6-2 in an NCAA Coral Gables Regional matchup at Mark Light Field in 2015. • Miami carries a commanding 92-24 all-time series lead, including a 60-16 record at Mark Light Field and a 26-7 advantage in games played on the road. Freshman Greg Veliz (0-0) will make his second start in Game 1, and fellow freshman Evan McKendry (1-0) will make the first college start of his career in Game 2. LAST WEEK: MIAMI FINISHES 2-2, TOPS FAU • Miami captured a come-from-behind 5-2 victory on Wednesday, March 1 in its first of three games against nearby FAU in Boca Raton. • Trailing 2-1 in the seventh, Miami used a four-run rally to take a lead it would not relinquish. James Davison's go-ahead drag bunt single put the Hurricanes up 3-2, and a two-RBI single from Johnny Ruiz made it 5-2. • The Hurricanes dropped two of three games to visiting Dartmouth from March 3-5; Miami fell in Game 1 (0-1) and Game 3 (0-5) but won Game 2 (32). • Junior righthander Jesse Lepore went a career-long 8.0 innings in Friday's 1-0 loss, the team's second straight series-opening loss by the same scoreline. A walk-off balk in the ninth inning of Game 2 gave Miami a 3-2 come-frombehind victory. MIami lost 5-0 in Game 3. LEPORE IMPRESSING AS WEEKEND STARTER • After spending the 2016 season as the midweek starter, junior righthander Jesse Lepore has been impressive as Miami's Friday night starter in 2017. • Despite picking up 1-0 losses in back-to-back weekends against No. 2 Florida (2/24) and Dartmouth (3/3), Lepore has pitched three straight quality starts to begin his 2017 season. • Lepore went a career-long 8.0 innings in his most recent start against the Big Green. He has gone at least six innings in all three starts and his 0.90 ERA is fifth-best in the ACC. • The Beverly Hills, Fla., native went 9-0 for the Hurricanes in 2016 as the team's midweek starter, compiling a 2.20 ERA. His career record on the hill is 10-2. adidas RELEASES HERITAGE COLLECTION • To gear up for the 2017 season, adidas Baseball partnered with Arizona State, Louisville, Miami, Mississippi State, Nebraska, N.C. State and Texas A&M to create the adidas Baseball Heritage Collection. • Working with each school, adidas designers dove into the archives, vaults and libraries to research logos, word marks, styling and materials to create the retro looks. • Retro Jersey dates for Miami's jersey: 1970s and ’80s era Miami teams. The jersey features iconic old English blocking with a classic fit and design lines along with modern moisture wicking materials. The cap features an old English gray “M” logo to complete the look.
BACK TO BROOKLYN by Amanda Alvarez, Communications Intern
The days of waking up early to shoot some hoops at the Canarsie courts, then grabbing a soda pop and heading back to the courts to play basketball until the street lights came on, are just a few of his favorite memories from Brooklyn, N.Y. Kamari Murphy has only made short trips home since graduating from Abraham Lincoln Senior High. This week he returns as a six-foot-nine-inch forward for the ninth-seeded University of Miami Hurricanes. This week he will compete in the Atlantic Coast Conference Tournament in his hometown of Brooklyn. The redshirt senior has received a lot of affection from his hometown neighborhood, called East New York. “I am very excited to be going home. I get to see old friends and family members,” Murphy said. “There is a lot of love from the people in the neighborhood that have seen me play on TV.” Prior to his playing days at Miami, before the quintet of recorded double-doubles, being named the MVP of the Hoophall Miami Invitational and the captain of the Hurricanes, Murphy was not known for being the athlete he is today. Basketball was not his original calling. It was not until his stepfather pulled him off the couch from playing video games, at the age of nine, that he began his career as an athlete. With limited knowledge of the game and experience playing on an organized team, the sport of basketball did not come easy to him, though. At the time, Murphy loathed the idea of being forced to play hoops. The star forward accredits his success to an organized league, which really put the training wheels on for him, as those coaches took the time to develop his skill set. Since then, his love for basketball has evolved.
“I couldn’t dribble and I had a low basketball IQ. The organized league really gave me some roots in the game,” Murphy said. Describing the neighborhood he grew up in as a very rural area controlled by a considerable amount of violence, Murphy did not have it easy growing up. He confesses that leaving Brooklyn is difficult, and being in the wrong place at the wrong time can lead to a bad situation. “It is really tough to get out of Brooklyn. They say you have to be an artist or an athlete to get out, and nine times out of 10, it is true,” Murphy said. “Basketball kept me out of trouble. And now I take Brooklyn with me everywhere I go.” The reality of his upbringing in Brooklyn did not take a toll on his aspirations to succeed. In fact, he is motivated by the opportunities that arose from playing the sport. “I have met people that I should have never met, and I met them because of basketball. I appreciate that,” Murphy said. “I am going to keep using basketball to be successful and travel the world and meet different people.” As he reminisced about his hometown, Murphy admitted there are a lot of good things that Brooklyn has to offer. He recommends that tourists visit the Barclays Center in downtown Brooklyn where the ACC Tournament will take place. He also suggests that tourist pick up cheesecake from his favorite place in Brooklyn, Junior’s Restaurant. “There are so many neat things to do in downtown and Coney Island that tourists need to experience,” Murphy said.
University of Miami student-athletes Emily Auld (women’s soccer), Christopher Barr (baseball), Davon Reed (men’s basketball) and Julia Schippert (women’s swimming) were selected by the Atlantic Coast Conference as the 2017 Weaver-James-Corrigan Award recipients. The four Hurricanes will be honored at the annual Cone Health ACC Postgraduate Luncheon hosted by the Nat Greene Kiwanis Club and presented by ESPN on April 12 at the Sheraton Four Seasons Hotel Imperial Ballroom in Greensboro, N.C. The Weaver-James-Corrigan and Jim and Pat Thacker postgraduate scholarships are awarded to selected student-athletes who intend to pursue a graduate degree following completion of their undergraduate requirements. Each recipient will receive $5,000 toward his or her graduate education. Those honored have performed with distinction in both the classroom and their respective sport, while demonstrating exemplary conduct in the community. In addition, to those receiving scholarship funds, Reed is one of nine ACC student-athletes that will receive the Weaver-James-Corrigan Honorary Award. The Weaver-James-Corrigan Award is named in honor of the late Jim Weaver and Bob James, as well as Gene Corrigan, the first three ACC commissioners. Auld played multiple positions during her time at Miami, aiding the Hurricanes wherever she was needed. She started 40 matches during her four-year career, including 18 of 19 during her senior season. In her final campaign, she helped Miami finish 10-8-1 (5-5-0 ACC), good for its best record in five years and most conference victories ever. A 2016 CoSIDA Academic All-District 4 Team honoree, Auld was the first Hurricane to garner the accolade since 2010. Auld, in an accelerated accounting program, has a 3.963 undergraduate GPA. She has recorded a 4.0 GPA in six of her seven semesters. Barr, a 2016 All-ACC Academic Team selection, has served as Miami’s starting first baseman since 2015. Known for his dominant glove and ability on the base paths, Barr has made 148 starts and played in 177 games since 2013. He has scored 115 runs, 148 hits, 14 doubles, nine triples, one home run, 63 RBI and 35 steals. He has served on the UM Student-Athlete-Advisory Committee and has volunteered at local baseball youth clinics and camps during his time at Miami. Reed leads the Hurricanes on and off the basketball court. He is among the top ACC players in five statistical categories, and earlier this season he joined Miami’s 1,000-point club. Reed is majoring in sports administration and double minoring in marketing and communications. He was named to the NABC Honors Court and CoSIDA Academic All-District team, which makes him eligible for Academic All-America honors. Reed also serves on Miami’s Student-Athlete Advisory Committee, is an elementary school pen pal, has volunteered at the Miami Homeless Shelter and is an intern in the athletics-marketing department. Schippert anchored Miami’s breaststrokers during her four seasons in orange and green, earning Miami key points in the events throughout her career. She finished with two NCAA “B” cut times at last year’s ACC Championships, and has been Miami’s top performer in the stroke since arriving on campus in 2013. A native of Sweden and an international finance and marketing major, Schippert will return to her home country upon graduation for graduate school.
22
HURRICANE MAGAZINE
MARCH 2017
DOWN. SET.
DELIVERED.
Bring us your problems. Your challenges. Your just about anything. Because we’re not just in the shipping business, we’re in the problem solving business. It doesn’t matter if you’re a big company or you’re just you, we’ll help make it happen. We’re 400,000 people around the world serving in more than 220 countries and territories, ready to roll up our sleeves and get to work. So bring us your ideas, your questions, your boldest business plans yet. ups.com/solvers
ups united problem solvers™
Official Corporate Sponsor of the Miami Hurricanes © 2015 United Parcel Service of America, Inc. UPS, the UPS brandmark and the color brown are trademarks of United Parcel Service of America, Inc. All rights reserved.
More than 330 supporters packed the Watsco Center Fieldhouse Feb. 12 for the University of Miami’s third annual Celebration of Women’s Athletics. The event, which sold out for the first time, honored current Miami female student-athletes from each of UM’s nine women’s programs for excellence on the playing field, as well as in the classroom and community. The event raised $300,000 for the Edna Shalala Women’s Athletics Fund, which provides UM female student-athletes with firstclass opportunities to compete, study and prepare themselves for life after athletics. Former UM President Donna Shalala pledged a major gift to the fund, matching all gifts up to $100,000 for the CWA. Former Hurricanes women’s basketball standout and current Mayor of Dania Beach, Fla., Tamara James, was the event’s keynote speaker. James is the Hurricanes’ career scoring leader and was elected mayor of her hometown this past November. The crowd was also treated to inspiring speeches from Shalala, UM President Dr. Julio Frenk, Director of Athletics Blake James, Deputy Director of Athletics/SWA Jennifer Strawley, women’s basketball head coach Katie Meier and women’s soccer studentathlete Gracie Lachowecki, who will graduate this spring with a degree in nursing. Hurricanes head football coach Mark Richt and men’s basketball coach Jim Larrañaga, as well as U.S. Women’s National Soccer Team Head Coach Jill Ellis, were also in attendance. For more information on the Edna Shalala Women’s Athletics Fund please visit www.miami.edu/ednacshalalafund. Below are the 2017 CWA student-athlete winners. Congratulations to all of the winners, and thank you to everyone who attended the event and continue to support women’s athletics at Miami. Basketball: Adrienne Motley Cross Country: Gabrielle Hesslau Golf: Dewi Weber Rowing- Teagan Lynch Soccer- Gracie Lachowecki Swimming & Diving: Angela Algee and Wally Layland Tennis: Sinead Lohan Track & Field: Shakima Wimbley and Ebony Morrison Volleyball: Olga Strantzali
26
HURRICANE MAGAZINE
MARCH 2017
We’ll Get
EASTERN & There!
Proud to be the Official Airline of U Miami Athletics
NICOLE ROTKOVITZ ROWING
FAVORITES Food: Macaroni and Cheese Movie: “Saving Private Ryan” Musical Artist: Imagine Dragons Athlete: US Rowing’s Gevvie Stone Race Course: Oakridge, Tenn., for Youth Nationals Color: Blue
Part about living in Miami: The spirit across the city. You see a love for the Canes everywhere. Hobbies: Reading and running Outdoor activity: Going to the beach Place to eat on campus: at the farmer’s market Place to vacation: Barcelona
MARCELA MARIC DIVING
FAVORITES Sport (non-diving): Soccer Movie: Harry Potter (all of them) Junk Food: Ben & Jerry’s cookie dough ice cream
Social Media App: Instagram Actor / Actress: Jim Carrey Musician / Artist: Ed Sheeran Color: Neon yellow Athlete (non-diving): Luka Modric Diver: Tania Cagnotto
DEWI WEBER GOLF
FAVORITES Athlete: Rich Froning Beach: Key Biscayne Musical Artist: John Mayer Meal: Salmon Movie: Pulp Fiction
Day of the Week: Friday Colors: Green and Orange Place in Miami: Wynwood Sport other than golf: Crossfit Place on campus: The hammocks TV Show: House of Cards
ZADA WILLIAMS
WOMEN’S BASKETBALL FAVORITES Basketball Player: LeBron James Food: Sushi Movie: “Taken” Pro Sports Team: Cleveland Cavaliers Place to eat on campus: Lime Song: “Can’t Give Up Now” by Mary Mary
Part about living in Miami: Weather Sport other than basketball: Volleyball TV show: “Prison Break” Vacation spot: Beach Color: Pink Snack: Twizzlers Fun fact: I played the piano as a kid
University of Miami Athletics, in partnership with Miami native and the star of CNBC show “The Profit,” Marcus Lemonis, announced the ‘Match Marcus’ fundraising campaign for Student-Athlete Excellence at a Hurricane Club pregame celebration before Miami’s appearance in the Russell Athletic Bowl on Dec. 28. The ‘Match Marcus’ campaign challenges the University of Miami community and Canes fans to raise a total of $2 million to support UM student-athletes in their pursuit of excellence. For every donation to the campaign, Lemonis will match half of the total - resulting in up to a $1 million gift from Lemonis. “I’m a big believer that as you experience success in life, you really have to remember where you came from and how you got there, and the people that got you there,” Lemonis said. “That’s very important to me. I’ve always been grateful to the University of Miami for years for really giving me something to look forward to.” All funds will be directly used by the athletics department to enhance the student-athlete experience and resources in the classroom, in competition and in life skills and career development. Lemonis jumpstarted the ‘Match Marcus’ campaign with a $250,000 check presented to Director of Athletics Blake James at the celebration outside Camping World Stadium. “On behalf of our 400+ talented student-athletes, we truly appreciate Marcus’s commitment and leadership to give and inspire others to get involved with our program and supporting student-athlete excellence,” James said. “Marcus has motivated and inspired countless people through his business career, and we are honored to have his partnership in Building Champions at the University of Miami. For information on how to make a gift in support of the MatchMarcus Campaign or to track our progress, visit MatchMarcus.com or call the Hurricane Club at (305) 284-6699.
29
@MIAMIHURRICANES #BUILDINGCHAMPIONS
As March Madness approaches, the University of Miami Athletics compliance office would like to share with you a few rules that our student-athletes and athletic department institutional staff members must abide by when it comes to gambling. Student-athletes and athletic department institutional staff members are prohibited from engaging in wagering activities. A wager is any agreement in which an individual or entity agrees to give up an item of value (e.g., cash, shirt, dinner) in exchange for the possibility of gaining another item of value. The prohibition also extends to sports wagering. Sports wagering includes placing, accepting or soliciting a wager (on a staff member's or student-athlete's own behalf or on the behalf of others) of any type with any individual or organization on any intercollegiate, amateur or professional team or contest. While there are many NCAA bracket pools that would be considered permissible, the prohibition on wagering activities would include participation in all (e.g., NCAA, NIT, CIT, CBA) Tournament bracket challenges in which an entry fee is required and money or any item of tangible value may be won. Previous NCAA major infractions cases involving staff members’ participation in organized gambling activities have resulted in a number of institutional corrective actions, including termination of employment. The following list includes examples of impermissible sports wagering: • Paying to enter a pool at work or at any other location; • Placing a bet on the internet on a college or professional sports event; • Entering online pools (including the current basketball pool on facebook.com and other websites) that have fees associated with them; • Participating in fantasy leagues that require an entry fee; • Placing a bet with your co-workers, family members, or friends; • Purposely affecting the outcome of a game or contest in which you are involved; and • Providing information about your team, teammates, or other student-athletes to anyone who places bets on college or professional sports. Please contact the University of Miami Compliance Department with any questions regarding NCAA or ACC rules or regulations at athleticscompliance@miami.edu or 305-284-2692. ASK BEFORE YOU ACT! Sincerely,
Craig Anderson Senior Associate Athletic Director for Compliance Athletics Compliance Office | University of Miami Athletics Schwartz Athletic Center | 5821 San Amaro Drive | Coral Gables, FL 33146 Direct: (305) 284-2692 | Fax: (305-284-2276)
31
@MIAMIHURRICANES #BUILDINGCHAMPIONS
VIEW FROM THE U CROSS COUNTRY/TRACK&FIELD BY DAVID VILLAVICENCIO
@MiamiTrack
2017 TRACK SCHEDULE
Shakima Wimbley Makes ACC History Senior is first woman to win four straight ACC titles
Shakima Wimbley entered the 2017 ACC Indoor Championships as one of the most accomplished sprinters in conference history. The senior from Fort Lauderdale, Fla., had earned numerous accolades, including 13 individual ACC titles, seven ACC records and 14 First Team All-ACC honors. But it’s what Wimbley accomplished on the final day of the ACC Championships that separated her from the rest of the great sprinters in conference history. Wimbley won the women’s indoor 200m final for the fourth consecutive year, becoming the first woman in ACC history to win four titles in a single event. The superstar senior won her fourth straight indoor 200m title with a personal-best time of 22.83 seconds that set an ACC Championship record and ranks third in UM history. “I’m grateful,” Wimbley said. “I put in a lot of hard work. I trusted in myself and in my training. I trained hard and I went for it. I just keep it simple. I go through my steps, set my blocks, talk about my race plan, mentally and physically prepare and I just go out and do what I can. I don’t really get pressured too easily. I just go out and do what I need to do.” Wimbley was named ACC Women’s Track MVP for the second straight year, earning three gold medals and scoring 22.5 points for the Hurricanes, as they won the conference indoor team title for the second straight season. In addition to her historic performance in the 200m, Wimbley also defended her ACC indoor 400m title, winning with an NCAA-leading time of 51.20 seconds. The Fort Lauderdale, Fla., native’s time set a new ACC record, ACC Championship record and school record,
while leading a trio of Canes that finished in the top four in the event. “It’s always more special to me to win the team championship,” Wimbley said. “I have won individual medals, but to win with my team is feels more fun. We all sweat every day and work hard every day. We’re a family and it feels great when we all win.” Brittny Ellis earned a silver medal with a personalbest time of 52.19 seconds that puts her in the top six in the NCAA this season and ranks fourth in UM history, while Aiyanna Stiverne won section 1 of the women’s 400m final and finished fourth overall with an indoorbest time of 53.22 seconds. “I am so proud of my teammates, but I am not surprised to see them do that because they train like beasts with me,” Wimbley said. They’re always alongside me in practice and I was just waiting for that moment where they would have that breakthrough.” Wimbley closed out the meet with an outstanding anchor leg on the women’s 4x400m relay to win her second consecutive ACC 4x400m indoor gold medal. The talented sprinter teamed with Anna Runia, Aiyanna Stiverne and Erin Ford to put an exclamation point on Miami’s team championship, winning gold with a time of 3:34.77 and scoring the Hurricanes’ final 10 points of the meet. The victory marked Miami’s third in the last four years in the women’s 4x400m relay. “It’s the icing on the cake,” Wimbley said. “I can’t write a better ending to my ACC indoor career. It’s awesome and I just love how my teammates have so much confidence in me. They just know that if I am there, I am going to give it my all and they put me in good position and we went and got it.”
INDOOR TRACK AND FIELD DATE MEET 1/13-14 Virginia Tech Invitational 1/20-21 Rod McCravy Memorial Invitational 2/3-4 Meyo Invitational 2/10-11 Tiger Paw Invitational 2/23-25 ACC Indoor Championships 3/10-11 NCAA Indoor Championships OUTDOOR TRACK AND FIELD DATE MEET 3/17-18 Hurricane Invitational* 3/25 Hurricane Twilight Meet* 3/30-4/1 Florida Relays 4/7-8 Hurricane Alumni Invitational* 4/22 Michael Johnson Invitational 4/28 Tom Jones Invitational 5/12-14 ACC Outdoor Championships 5/25-27 NCAA East Preliminary 6/7-10 NCAA Outdoor Championships
* - Home Meet
SENIORS SET EXAMPLE AT ACCs The Hurricanes had big performances from several seniors at the 2017 ACC Indoor Championships. Shakima Wimbley was the biggest star of the weekend, winning ACC Women’s Track MVP for the second straight year, earning three gold medals and scoring 22.5 points for the Hurricanes, as they won the conference indoor team title for the second straight season. Ebony Morrison was another super senior, winning a gold medal in the women’s 60m hurdles with a personal best-tying time of 8.12 seconds. “Ebony and Shakima have done so much,” Miami director of track and field/cross country Amy Deem said. “Shakima has done do much for our program and Ebony got her first conference championship. They set the bar high for our underclassmen as two of our seniors. Shakima has had her success in the ACC, but she has had her struggles, as well. For the young kids to see our seniors continue to work hard and have great things come to them sets a great example for the next group. Our signees have text me and they’re excited to be part of the program. There are a lot of great schools in this conference and the Florida States and the Clemsons are not going to just give it to you. You’re going to have to continue to work and get better, but I think our young kids see that and I think our seniors have done a good job of showing them how to compete at the highest level. Aiyanna Stiverne was another major senior contributor for the women, scoring in the 200m and 400m and running a crucial second leg in the women’s 4x400m relay that put the Canes out front for good as they defended their gold medal in that event. In the field events, Carlos Mangum earned a silver medal in the men’s weight throw for the second straight season and improved on his school record mark with a throw of 21.42m. Karyna Armstrong scored for the women’s with a seasonbest throw of 18.71m in the women’s weight throw, while twin pole vaulters Amanda and Emily Gale each scored with personal best marks of 3.96m.
MOM FRIENDLY. DAD READY.
Official Grill
â„¢
of the
Miami Hurricanes!
Hurricane Club Members! Visit www.LynxGrills.com/Hurricanes for an exclusive offer just for you!
THE DRIVE TO DEFEND THE TITLE By David Villavicencio, HurricaneSports.com
Two-time Super Bowl champion head coach Bill Parcells once said, “If you’ve ever won a championship, then that’s all you’re interested in doing.” The Pro Football Hall of Famer’s mantra about winning applies perfectly to the University of Miami women’s track team heading into the 2017 ACC Indoor Championships. The Hurricanes entered the annual conference championship meet as the defending champions, but hungry for more. The Hurricanes remembered the euphoria that came with winning their 2016 indoor title, the team’s third in program history, but were motivated by their second-place finish at the 2016 ACC Outdoor Championships. The feeling of coming up short of their goal outdoors has been engrained in each returning Hurricane since they left Tallahassee, Fla., on May 15, 2016. It pushed each member of the 2017 team through every offseason workout, every rep in the weight room and every practice and meet of the indoor season. When the Hurricanes arrived at the Loftus Sports Center on the University of Notre Dame campus, there was no question they were determined to defend their title. Miami’s women went into the ACC Indoor Championships as the favorite. Not only were the Canes the defending champions, but they were the top team in the ACC with a No. 15 ranking by the U.S. Track and Field and Cross Country Coaches Association. The Hurricanes did not let the hype surrounding their team shake their focus. Every member of the team knew that last year’s championship came down to the final event, the 4x400m relay. Miami won the relay, but needed Notre Dame to finish ahead of Clemson to win the championship outright instead of share it with the Tigers. The Canes proved to be fortunate, as Notre Dame’s Margaret Bamgbose pushed past Clemson Deja Parrish to take second and give the Canes sole possession of the team championships. When the final scores were tallied, Miami won 85 points to claim its third ACC Indoor Championship. Clemson finished second with 83 points, while Notre Dame was third with 82 and Florida State finished fourth with 70 points. The 2016 ACC Indoor Championship was the tightest race among the top four teams in conference history, with just 15 points separating the champion from the fourth-place team. The victory was sweet, but also hard fought, and the 2017 Hurricanes knew that Clemson, Notre Dame, Florida State and the rest of the ACC would be coming for them all weekend. The Canes knew a repeat was possible, but it would not come easy. The women’s pentathlon kicked off the Hurricanes’ title defense and Miami benefitted from personal best performances from Michelle Atherley and Amy Taintor. Atherley became Miami’s first ACC indoor champion in 2017, winning the women’s pentathlon with a school and ACC Championship record score of 4,281 points. The sophomore began the day with a victory in the 60m hurdles with a time of 8.35 seconds and followed with a season-best mark of 1.76m to win the high jump with a mark that placed her fourth in UM history. Atherley was second in the shot put with a throw of 11.76m and finished fourth in the long jump with a mark of 5.76m. The standout sophomore, who led the pentathlon through all five events, closed out her title with a personal-best time of 2:15.86 in the 800m. “It was a really, really great experience,” Atherley said. “I came in and told myself, ‘Alright, I can do this.’ I joined this team that was already a winning team and I just wanted to come in and be able to add points to help replace the seniors that we lost from last year. I came in with the mindset of ‘I want to win’ and that’s what I did. It was fantastic to succeed with my teammate, Amy [Taintor], because you work with these people day in and day out all season and to see her do great was awesome. Our confidence is way up and I am so excited for her. It’s the greatest to have your teammate along with you. That’s probably better than winning by yourself.” Taintor also had an outstanding performance in the women’s pentathlon, placing fourth with a personal-best score of 3,961 points that ranks third in UM history. “I’m really happy with how I performed today,” Taintor said. “My main goal was to get higher than fifth place, which is what I was coming in at. I knew it would be difficult and that I would have to execute everything, but I wanted it so bad. I’m so emotional because Coach [Keith] Herston has told me since the beginning that I have it in me to be a great multi and it just feels amazing to get a PR and score points for my team, finally.” “Obviously the main goal is to be a champion, but I’m so proud of Michelle for earning that title,” Taintor said. “She works so hard and pushes me every day. I’m so thankful for that girl. And the support my teammates gave me during the pentathlon kept me motivated and the way they celebrated with me afterwards was honestly indescribable. I’m so happy I could score points for them. This is really a family and we are destined to do great this weekend. I’m excited for the rest of us to compete and just put everything on the line.” Miami also picked up points from Karyna Armstrong and Zakiya Rashid in the weight throw, finishing the day in second place with 22 points, but it was the multi-event athletes that got the Canes rolling from the start. “I am really pleased with how we started,” Miami director of track and field/cross country Amy Deem said. “I think it was a great day for us and a great way to start off the championships. It was very inspirational for the rest of the group that was out there supporting. They set the tone for the weekend and hopefully tomorrow we can have some more great performances like we did today and advance to the finals on Saturday.” Deem was prescient, as Miami had a huge day on the track to set themselves up for a chance to make a title push on the final day of completion. The Hurricanes had a trio of women advance to the finals in the women’s 60m hurdles, led by 2016 ACC silver medalist Ebony Morrison’s seasonbest-tying time of 8.13 seconds. Morrison earned the top seed, while Atherley was seeded second after a personal-best time of 8.24 and Stefani Kerrison’s personal-best time of 8.28 seconds seeded her fourth. Kerrison also had a big day in the women’s long jump, finishing sixth with a personal-best mark of 6.10m. Shakima Wimbley led a quartet of Canes advancing in the 200m preliminary, breaking her own ACC Championship record of 23.08 seconds from 2015 with a personal-best time of 22.88 seconds that ranks third in UM history. Brittny Ellis was second to Wimbley in section 1 of the 200m with a personal-best time of 23.59 seconds and earned the second seed in Saturday’s final. Aiyanna Stiverne won section 5 of the 200m preliminaries with a season-best time of 23.67 seconds and Kristina Knott won section 7 with a time of 23.85 seconds to round out Miami’s 200m qualifiers. Knott also earned a spot in the women’s 60m final with a time of 7.38 seconds. The Hurricane women had three student-athletes advance to Saturday’s women’s 400m final. The Canes earned the top three seeds, as Wimbley won section 2 with a time of 52.29 seconds, while Stiverne finished first in section 3 with a season-best time of 53.29 second and Ellis won section four with a personal-best time of 52.78 seconds that ranks fifth in school history. In addition to the success on the track, five Hurricane women scored on Friday to put Miami in third place with 34 points heading into the final day of competition.
Kerrison’s sixth-place finish in the long jump opened the scoring for the Canes. Erika Voyzey finished fourth in the women’s high jump with a mark of 1.76m, while Celine Thompson finished in a six-way tie for sixth place with a personal-best mark of 1.65m. Amanda and Emily Gale each set new personal-bests in the women’s pole vault. Amanda finished tied for sixth with a mark of 3.96m, while Emily was tied for eighth at 3.96m. The Gale twins are tied for second all-time in the women’s pole vault in school history. “We did everything we needed to do and more,” Deem said following the second day of action. “The kids just competed tremendously today and I’m just so proud of them. We scrapped to score every point. The twins scored in the pole vault and Erika, who struggled the last couple of weeks and couldn’t even clear a bar 10 days ago at practice—I know she wanted to jump higher, but she scored five points. Celine snuck in and scored another point, which is kind of like the omen from last year with Kyra [Maryland] in the high jump. We’ve just got to get to bed and get ready for tomorrow and go out and compete like we did today.” Miami entered the final day trailing first place Louisville by 9.5 points and three points behind second place Florida State, but everyone expected a major shuffling of the leaderboard on the last day of the meet. The Canes climbed to first place after superb showing in the women’s 60m hurdles final. Morrison was the first ACC individual champion for Miami on Saturday, winning the women’s 60m hurdles with a personal-best-tying time of 8.12 seconds. Atherley finished fourth overall with a personal-best time of 8.21 seconds and Kerrison placed fifth with a personal-best time of 8.25 seconds. The trio combined for 19 points towards the Hurricane women’s team score. Miami picked up two more points when Rashid placed seventh in the women’s shot put, but the Canes dropped to second behind Louisville after the Cardinals’ Emmonie Henderson won the event. The Hurricanes’ began to show their dominance in the 400 meters, as Wimbley defended her ACC indoor 400m title, winning with an NCAA-leading time of 51.20 seconds. The Fort Lauderdale, Fla., native’s time set a new ACC record, ACC Championship record and school record, while leading a trio of Canes that finished in the top four in the event.
four titles in a single event. The superstar senior won her fourth consecutive indoor 200m title with a personal-best time of 22.83 seconds that set an ACC Championship record and ranks third in UM history. “I’m grateful,” Wimbley said. “I put in a lot of hard work. I trusted in myself and in my training. I trained hard and I went for it. I just keep it simple. I go through my steps, set my blocks, talk about my race plan, mentally and physically prepare and I just go out and do what I can. I don’t really get pressured too easily. I just go out and do what I need to do.” Ellis and Stiverne also excelled in the women’s 200m finals, posting times of 23.76 seconds. Ellis edged out Stiverne for fifth place at 23.754, while Stiverne was sixth at 23.757. Knott finished seventh at 24.07 seconds to round out a 19-point performance by the women in the 200m final. Miami had 103 points leading up to the final event, holding an 11-point lead over Clemson. The Canes had mathematically secured their second straight conference championship, but Wimbley and her teammates still had one more title to defend: the 4x400m relay. The women’s 4x400m relay team of Anna Runia, Stiverne, Erin Ford and Wimbley put an exclamation point on Miami’s team championship, defending the Canes’ relay championship with a time of 3:34.77 and scoring the Hurricanes’ final 10 points of the meet. The victory marked Miami’s third in the last four years in the women’s 4x400m relay. “It’s the icing on the cake,” Wimbley said. “I can’t write a better ending to my ACC indoor career. It’s awesome and I just love how my teammates have so much confidence in me. They just know that if I am there, I am going to give it my all and they put me in good position and we went and got it.” The Hurricanes defended their 2016 ACC indoor championship in dominant fashion. Miami defeated Clemson by 15 points, scoring 113 points to secure its fourth ACC indoor women’s team championship in program history. “It was awesome,” Deem said. “They came in with a purpose and a focus. I kept waiting for the bubble to kind of burst – not that I didn’t have confidence in what we could do, but we were just kind of hitting on all cylinders. I am so pleased with the way they handled themselves and their composure and determination to repeat as ACC champions.”
“It’s always more special to me to win the team championship,” Wimbley said. “I have won individual medals, but to win with my team feels more fun. We all sweat every day and work hard every day. We’re a family and it feels great when we all win.”
The Canes eclipsed 100 points for the first time since scoring 117 in their 2006 ACC title performance. Miami also won back-to-back ACC indoor championships for the second time in program history, joining the 2005-06 consecutive team titles. With the victory, Deem is the active leader in ACC women’s indoor team titles with four.
Brittny Ellis earned a silver medal with a personal-best time of 52.19 seconds that puts her in the top six in the NCAA this season and ranks fourth in UM history, while Aiyanna Stiverne won section 1 of the women’s 400m final and finished fourth overall with an indoor-best time of 53.22 seconds.
Wimbley was named ACC Women’s Track MVP after her three gold medals, numerous records and 22.5 points scored for the Hurricanes. She also will lead a gifted group of Hurricanes into the NCAA Indoor Championships on March 10-11 that includes Morrison, Atherley, Ellis and the 4x400m relay.
“I am so proud of my teammates, but I am not surprised to see them do that because they train like beasts with me,” Wimbley said. “They’re always alongside me in practice and I was just waiting for that moment where they would have that breakthrough.”
Following their quest for indoor national championships, the Hurricanes will turn their attention outdoors where Miami will look to win another conference championship in May. They will train and work hard for a chance to win it because like coach Parcells says, “If you’ve ever won a championship, then that’s all you’re interested in doing.”
Knott earned a bronze medal in the 60 meters, giving the Canes 84 points for the day and putting them 15 points ahead of Clemson through 13 events. Then Wimbley returned to the track and made history, becoming the first woman in ACC history to win
VIEW FROM THE U
MEN’S TENNIS BY KEVIN IVANY
@CanesMensTennis
2016-17 SCHEDULE January 20 22
St. Johns University University of North Florida
W, 4-0 L, 2-4
February 4 10 12 19 25
Troy University W, 6-1 No. 16 Mississippi State University L, 0-4 Florida Atlantic University W, 5-2 Clemson University L, 3-4 Florida Gulf Coast University W, 4-3
March
Seven matches in to an 11-match home stretch, the University of Miami men’s tennis team begins preparations for the month of March, where it will face six opponents currently ranked in the ITA top-50. In February, the Hurricanes defeated Troy University, 6-1, the Florida Atlantic University, 5-2, and Florida Gulf Coast, 4-3, while falling to No. 16 Mississippi State, 4-0, and Clemson, 4-3. Miami (4-3, 0-1 ACC) kicked off the month with a victory over the Trojans before welcoming the 16thranked Bulldogs to the Neil Schiff Tennis Center. Highlighted with a pair of top 100 singles players battling it out at No. 1, No. 3 Nunos Borges bested No. 63 junior Piotr Lomacki, to give the native of Poland his only loss at the start of the 2017 season. Lomacki nearly forced a third set, but Borges ultimately took the match, 6-1, 7-5. Two days later, Miami looked to rebound with a home match against FAU. The Hurricanes opened the match strong with a pair of doubles victories to take the one point advantage, as well as momentum into singles play. At No. 3, junior Christian Langmo and sophomore Dane Dunlap got the day started, taking down Stefan Burnett and Arthur Stefani, 6-2. At No. 2, juniors Lomacki and Nile Clark got the Canes on the board first, after defeating Felipe Frias and Anthony Schohn, 6-3. In singles play the Canes continued to roll as senior Max Andrews gave Miami a two-point advantage after defeating Frias, 6-3, 6-1. Moments later, No. 63 Lomacki earned his third dual match victory of the season and the Canes third-point of the match, downing Andrei MorinKougoucheff, 6-4, 6-2. On court two, a battle took place between Langmo and Remi Chancerel, with the Owls junior opening the match strong with a 4-1 advantage. However, Langmo would not back down as he stormed back to take the opening set, 6-4. In a back and forth second set, Langmo once again found himself trailing. This time down 3-4 in the tiebreaker, the junior once again rallied a comeback, taking the final four points, as well as the match, 6-4, 7-6
(7-4). The following weekend, Sunday, Feb. 19, Miami dropped its ACC opener, 4-3, against the Tigers. The Hurricanes opened the match with the 2-0 advantage, taking the crucial doubles point as well as the opening singles victory when Lomacki took down Alex Favrot, 6-1, 7-6 (7-1). However, Clemson rallied from behind scoring four consecutive points to take the match, 4-3. Miami closed out the month of February with an instate battle against FGCU on Saturday, Feb. 25. Taking their fifth double point of the season, the Hurricanes once again entered singles play holding the advantage. At No. 2, Langmo took down Ezequiel Cerrini, 6-2, 6-4, while Lomacki took down Oliver Landert, 3-6, 6-1, 3-0, to kickoff singles play. Leading the overall match 3-0, Miami dropped its matches on courts 3, 4 and 5, setting up a winner-takeall match at No. 6. Competing in his first singles dual match of the spring season, Clark faced Sam Chaffin. After taking the opening set, 7-6 (7-5), Clark and Chaffin were tied in the second set at five games apiece, when Andrews fell to Felipe Ramirez, 3-6, 6-3, 3-6. Clark took the final two games to clinch the match for the Canes. Miami will return to the Neil Schiff Tennis Center Monday, March 6, against ETSU at 4 p.m. Following Monday’s match, the Canes will host Boston University (Friday, March 10 at 4 p.m.) and No. 12 Georgia Tech (Sunday March 12 at 12 p.m.), before wrapping up non-conference play against No. 32 Minnesota Friday, March 17 at 10 a.m. UM will conclude the month of March with a fourmatch road stretch, beginning with a battle against instate rival, No. 33 FSU Sunday, March 19 at 1 p.m. Sunday, March 26 at 12 p.m., Miami will take on No 42 Louisville Sunday, March 26 at 12 p.m., before facing No. 6 UNC on Friday, March 31 at 2 p.m. Miami will conclude the four-match road stretch against No. 3 Wake Forest on Sunday, April 2 at 12 p.m.
6 10 12 17 19 26 31
East Tennessee State University Boston University Georgia Tech University of Minnesota at Florida State University at University of Louisville at University North Carolina
W, 5-2 4 p.m. 12 p.m. 10 a.m. 1 p.m. 12 p.m. 2 p.m.
at Wake Forest University Boston College University Notre Dame at NC State at Duke University University of Virginia Virginia Tech ACC Championships
12 p.m. 3 p.m. 12 p.m. 2:30 p.m. 3 p.m. 3 p.m. 12 p.m.
April 2 7 9 14 15 21 23 26-30
2016-17 ROSTER Max Andrews 6-2 Sr. Manchester, England Rice/ Academia Sanchez-Casal Kevin Bondar 5-8 Jr. Calabasas, California Oaks Christian HS Nile Clark 6-2 Jr. Philadelphia, Pa. Pennsylvania Cyber Charter School Dane Dunlap 6-0 So. Laurel Springs Online Washago, Ontario, Canada Jesse Flores 6-1 Sr. Oakville, Ont., Canada UCF Niclas Genovese 6-2 Jr. Zug, Switzerland Institut Montana Zug Christian Langmo 6-3 Boca Raton, Fla. Palm Beach Virtual
Jr.
Piotr Lomacki 6-1 Jr. Warsaw, Poland Sopocka Akademia
WE’LL GET YOU BACK IN THE GAME.
UHealthSportsMedicine.com
OFFICIAL SPORTS MEDICINE PROVIDER FOR THE MIAMI HURRICANES, MIAMI MARLINS, AND THE U.S. SAILING TEAM
From 0 to 1,000: Keyona Hayes’ Key to Success By Amy Taintor, HurricaneSports.com
Five years ago, Keyona Hayes came to the University of Miami with hoop dreams and shy demeanor. The Marietta, Ga., native arrived on campus as one of the best high school forwards in the nation and hoped to deliver on the court and exceed expectations. The city of Coral Gables has watched her grow as a person and as a player since the start of her career, which is now nearing its end. Now a redshirt senior, Hayes’ story as a Hurricane began before she even knew it, when Miami head coach Katie Meier saw her at a tournament in Virginia while she was still in high school. “We had Keyona on our radar. We had seen her a little bit, but I vividly remember what court she was on,” Meier said. “You make a depth chart when you come out of that tournament about who’s your number one and I [told her coaches], ‘That kid is unbelievable.’ She was so versatile, so powerful, so good with the ball and so fluid.” Meier knew Hayes’ playing style would fit perfectly into her program so she went after her, and sure enough, the frontcourt standout became a Hurricane. “Coming in to the University of Miami, there was already a lot of talent here,” Hayes said, citing Morgan Stroman, Suriya McGuire, Shawnice “Pepper” Wilson and Stefanie Yderstrom, all of whom have gone to play professionally. “. . . It was fun coming in with a lot of talent and upperclassmen who were wise and good people.” Like the other freshman, Hayes had to earn her spot on the team. While she came in a star, she found herself being a small fish in a
large pond and wishes she had not come in with any sort of nonchalant attitude. “I’d tell myself, ‘Don’t be so relaxed,’” Hayes said. “I waited so long to be who I am as a player.” Hayes found her groove in her sophomore season when she started in 28 of 31 games and led the team in double-doubles. Unfortunately, at the start of her junior year, Hayes suffered a right ankle injury that kept her out for the remainder of the season. She kept her composure and her passion as she rehabbed her ankle and watched as her team competed without her. “It was actually a lot because I’ve never been injured to the point where I had to miss a season or anything,” Hayes explained “I’ve had little dings before, but I’ve never been hurt to the point where I’ve had to miss the entire season and rehab consistently. It was really hard for me to get over, but I got over it.” Hayes had the support of her coaches, teammates, family and team’s sports psychologist as she worked day in and day out to overcome her injury. Although her injury came at a rough time, Meier always valued Hayes’ role on the team and knew she would get her spot back when she was fully healthy. “She’s pretty much had a spot since she’s arrived on campus. She’s very, very talented,” Meier said. “She does work, but she’s always been such an important piece of whatever game plan we’re putting together. When she’s been healthy, she’s been a very significant
player and has been since she showed up.” When she came back for her redshirt junior season, Hayes was superb on the court. She played in all 33 games and started in 31 of them. She scored double digits 13 times, had one double-double and made it in the record books with the eighth best single-season field goal percentage in program history. She made the bounceback from her injury look effortless and she awards her success that season to her hard work. Hayes has accomplished a lot during her time at the University of Miami. The Hurricanes have been to the NCAA Tournament in three of her four years and she attributes that to the talent of the team, as well as the love they have for the game. “Some teams can work hard and not have the talent and not have the opportunity to get there,” Hayes said. “But we work hard, have the talent and we have the heart. We want to be there.” Hayes blew past both the 1,000 point-barrier and the 700-rebound mark by posting 14 points and a season-high 13 rebounds in a 6352 win over Virginia Feb. 10 at the Watsco Center. She is one of just nine players in program history to reach both of those milestones.
Hayes and her teammates, Jessica Thomas and Adrienne Motley, create the second trio of teammates in program history to each have over 1,000 points at the same time. By reaching quadruple digits, Hayes will have her name on the wall among some of the finest players in Miami history. Her 1,000 points are a symbol of her hard work and achievement under Meier. “I’ll be on the wall with other greats who have accomplished that at the University,” Hayes said. “Getting on the wall means I’ve accomplished something here.” Meier attributes Hayes’ accomplishments to her humble brilliance that resembles how she plays on the court. “She is so hyper intelligent and she wants to keep that a secret, but that kid is brilliant,” Meier said. “She can figure anything out that she ever needs to figure out. She’s in–the-clouds brilliant and it helps her be strategic in how she plays.” After all of her accomplishments on the court, one can only wonder what lies ahead for Keyona Hayes. Well, she still carries the same hoop dreams that she had when she came in for her freshman year. When she graduates this spring, she hopes to go on and play in the WNBA or overseas. However, this basketball star has some other things she would like to accomplish, such as learning how to play the piano and channeling her inner Picasso. As for her life after basketball, Hayes hopes to work with technology or in the health field. The girl who was once a timid freshman is now one of the best players in school history. Throughout her time at Miami, she gained the support of many fans and fellow students, immersed herself in academics, overcame injury and put her name in the record books. Keyona Hayes knows the key to success, and the University of Miami can relish in all of her accomplishments when her name goes up on that coveted wall.
CROSSFIT DEWI by Amanda Alvarez, HurricaneSports.com
It all started with an injury. For most, an injury would equal a setback. However, for Dewi Weber of the University of Miami golf team, a door of unimaginable opportunities opened. “I hated golf when I first started,” Weber said. A native of the Netherlands, who began playing the sport at the age of 14, Weber initially was a tennis player as a kid, but a torn ankle ligament sat her out for a year and that is when she was able to discover golf. “My parents played it recreationally and they took me outside to join them one day because they were tired of seeing me inside sitting down doing nothing,” Weber said. As she began to play more golf and less tennis, she began to fall more in love with the sport. “I really started liking golf when I began playing internationally and that was around age 16,” Weber said. “I got to travel to many different places like Spain, Portugal, Estonia and Budapest. Places I would never have thought of traveling to and I also met a lot of people along the way.” The sport was still new to Weber, but her aspirations remained high. “I don’t do things to just be mediocre at them, I do them to be the best,” Weber said. Weber accredits a lot of her early success to her swing coach from the Netherlands, Root. He has had the biggest impact on her since she was 14. Even though she is thousands of miles away from her coach, the two have maintained a relationship. “He has never stopped being there for me. Even when I doubt myself and I have had push backs in tournaments,” Weber said. “Especially when I score really bad at tournaments he calls me to ask me what went wrong and he makes me go back and analyze the small things I did to help me fix them to make them better the next time.” Weber is only a sophomore at the University of Miami and under the instruction of head coach Patti Rizzo she has already made a distinct impact on the team. She is currently leading the team in strokes per round and has placed in the top-10 in every tournament she competed in during the fall 2016 season. However, Weber’s talents are not limited to the golf course. She also participates competitively in Crossfit. Crossfit - for those that don’t know - is a high-intensity fitness program which incorporates elements from several sports and different types of exercises and have been known to push those who participate in it to the point of complete exhaustion. Not exactly the typical fitness routine for a golfer, but nevertheless, it is the excercise, which provides Weber with the metal toughness to compete at the highest level in collegiate golf and earn national runner-up honors at the 2016 NCAA Championship. Weber attends crossfit at least five days a week and has earned the nickname “Crossfit Dewi” from her teammates on the golf team.
“I started [doing Crossfit] because I was bored and I hated conventional gyms,” Weber said. Unsatisfied with just her golf workouts, her commitment to Crossfit is a testament to her self-motivation and drive to achieve more for herself in order to be the best she can be. Being so far away from home, she longed for a sense of belonging and knew she was missing something in her life. “Crossfit isn’t about the workout it is about who you do it with and especially at the gym I go to, it is like this little family,” Weber said. Weber admits that sometimes she doesn’t balance things well and will run on zero sleep, but she has improved her time management skills by listening to her body. She has to make a structured schedule to keep her balanced, which includes breaks throughout her day. During her breaks, she watches movies and hangs out with her roommates Emese Hoff and Laura Cornelius, who are from the Netherlands and play on the women’s basketball team. “I am impressed with how multi-talented she is,” Cornelius said. “She can play the guitar, sing, she does Crossfit and, of course, golf and it is just impressive to see her balance it all.” Weber dreams of going to the Olympics one day. “I want to go to the Olympics, even though it’s a sore subject for golfers,” Weber said. “I think going to the Olympics is one of the coolest honors you can achieve as an athlete, just even participating is amazing.” Another endeavor of the talented golfer would be to follow coach Rizzo’s footsteps and play in the LPGA golf.
Rizzo played on the tour for 20 years and knows exactly what it takes to make it to that level. She reinforces Weber’s ability by analyzing the current scores of the tour and comparing them to the scores back in the day. “Coach Rizzo gives me a lot of confidence by telling me I have the mentality to play in the LPGA Tour one day,” Weber said. “She knows the kind of personality and determination you need to make it there.” The summer Olympic games and the LPGA Tour are the next set of goals Weber will set for herself. For now, Weber is focused on getting all her shots, both on the course and in the classroom.
VIEW FROM THE U
TENNIS BY ALEX SCHWARTZ
@CanesWTennis
2017 SCHEDULE
@CanesWTennis Rolls Past Florida State, 4-1 The University of Miami women’s tennis team opened ACC play in stellar fashion Tuesday at the Neil Schiff Tennis Center, posting a 4-1 victory over in-state rival Florida State. With the victory, No. 21 Miami (2-2, 1-0 ACC) moved to 34-6 all-time against the Seminoles, including 15-1 at home. “We had come from two losses and I think the girls really felt like this was a big match for them, not only because it’s FSU but because they needed to start feeling good about themselves,” Miami associate head coach Laura Vallverdu said. “It just was good. We didn’t play awesome tennis . . . but they just kind of started building a little bit more of better competition among themselves.”
DATE OPPONENT TIME/SCORE JAN. 20-22 MIAMI SPRING INVITE n/a (No. 22 Kentucky, No. 13 Texas A&M, No. 9 Vanderbilt) JAN. 27 [12] BROWN^ W, 4-0 JAN. 28 [12] No. 12 TEXAS A&M^ L, 4-2 Feb. 11 [17] at No. 18 Texas L, 5-2 FEB. 21 [21] FLORIDA STATE* W, 4-1 Feb. 24 vs. No. 10 Baylor (Columbus, Ohio) L, 4-2 Feb. 25 at No. 2 Ohio State L, 4-0 MARCH 3 NC STATE* W, 4-3 MARCH 5 WAKE FOREST* W, 4-0 March 14 at Georgia Tech* 3 p.m. MARCH 17 NORTH CAROLINA* 4 p.m. MARCH 19 DUKE* 12 p.m. March 24 at Boston College* 1 p.m. March 26 at Notre Dame* 12 p.m. March 31 at Florida Atlantic 12 p.m. April 7 at Louisville* 3 p.m. April 9 at Syracuse* 11 a.m. APRIL 14 CLEMSON* 2 p.m. APRIL 16 PITTSBURGH* 10 a.m. April 21 at Virginia Tech* 3 p.m. April 23 at Virginia* 11 a.m. April 26-30 at ACC Championship (Rome, Ga.) TBA May 12-14 NCAA First & Second Rounds (TBA) TBA May 18-29 NCAAChampionships (Athens, Ga.) TBA BOLD CAPS - home match, played at the Neil Schiff Tennis Center in Coral Gables, Fla. [##] - Miami’s ITA national ranking ^ - ITA Kick-Off Weekend (Coral Gables, Fla.) * - ACC match All times Eastern and subject to change
@CanesWTennis Facebook: /CanesWTennis Florida State (6-2, 0-1 ACC) got on the board first by picking up the doubles point. Andrea Twitter: Instagram: @CanesWTennis Website: HurricaneSports.com Garcia and Julia Mikulski downed Miami’s freshman duo of Dominika Paterova and Estela Perez-Somarriba, 6-1. That was followed by a 6-2 win by Nandini Das and Ariana Rahmanparast over redshirt senior Maci Epstein and sophomore Ana Madcur.
Junior Sinead Lohan and sophomore Clara Tanielian held a 5-4 edge on Gabriella Castaneda and Daniela Schippers when play was halted. “We wanted to turn the momentum first. Obviously, the doubles point is important, but we aren’t really too worried [about that],” Vallverdu said of the mentality entering singles play. “. . . When [head coach Paige Yaroshuk-Tews] got them together she was really just talking about— just what we always say, which is don’t worry too much about what happens, whether you win or lose. We just need to take control on the scoreboard at the beginning, as usual.” No. 100 Epstein evened the score with a dominant 6-4, 6-0 triumph against Das, winning each of the final eight games to register her first dual match singles win as a Hurricane. Sixth-ranked Lohan followed suit moments later with a 6-3, 6-1 victory over Castaneda. The Waterford, Ireland, native won 10 of the final 12 games and had her serve broken just once. No. 94 Perez-Somarriba increased Miami’s advantage to 3-1 after wrapping up a 6-3, 6-3 win versus Mikulski. Paterova then recorded the first dual match victory of her career, clinching the win for the Hurricanes by taking down Rahmanparast, 6-4, 6-3. When play was stopped, Madcur trailed Schippers, 4-6, 4-0, while junior Silvia Fuentes’ match with Garcia was even at one set apiece, 6-1, 4-6. To keep up with the University of Miami women’s tennis team on social media, follow @CanesWTennis on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.
VIEW FROM THE U
SOCCER BY ALEX SCHWARTZ
@CanesFutbol
2017 SPRING SCHEDULE DATE
FEB. 14 FEB. 24 March 26 APRIL 1 APRIL 13 APRIL 15
OPPONENT
TIME
UNIV. OF VICTORIA (CAN) T, 0-0 UCF T, 2-2 at Florida Atlantic 6 p.m. BARRY 1 p.m. PERUVIAN U-21 NAT’L TEAM 8:30 a.m. FIU 2 p.m.
BOLD CAPS denotes home match at Cobb Stadium in Coral Gables, Fla.
McCarthy Inks Pro Deal with Japan’s FC Charme
Website: HurricaneSports.com Twitter: @CanesFutbol Facebook: /CanesFutbol Instagram: @CanesFutbol
CORAL GABLES, Fla. – Former University of Miami soccer standout Shannon McCarthy has officially signed a professional contract to continue her playing career overseas. A five-year letter winner at Miami, McCarthy has joined FC Kibi International University Charme. Also commonly known as FC Charme, the team is located in Takahashi City, Japan, and competes in Nadeshiko II. “God put the goal of playing professional soccer in my heart at a very young age and has blessed me with the gifts necessary to be able to achieve that, so I want to praise and thank Him for this opportunity,” McCarthy said. “It is surreal to have achieved a goal that I’ve had my entire life. I am so thankful for my coaching staff and the incredible support staff that I had surrounding me during my college years at the University of Miami.” McCarthy, who arrived in Japan this week, played in 72 games as a Hurricane, registering 59 starts. Over her final three seasons, she started 53 of 54 matches. During the course of her last two years, McCarthy played 3,346 minutes and left the field for a total of 16 minutes, going the distance in all but one outing. A native of Brighton, Mich., McCarthy posted career highs in nearly every major statistical category in 2016, helping Miami to a 10-8-1 (55-0 ACC) record and one of its best seasons in program history. The defender finished second on the team with five assists and ranked sixth with seven points. “I am especially thankful for a coaching staff that worked after hours with me and never stopped believing in me. I am also incredibly thankful for a team of girls who constantly pushed me to become better with every game and every training session,” McCarthy said. “My family played a huge role in just loving me through every moment of life and I can’t begin to say thank you enough times. My Athletes in Action community also provided me with love and support to be able to achieve this goal.” McCarthy helped Miami reach the NCAA Championship in 2012, her first season on campus. She was limited to three matches as a sophomore due to injury, before bouncing back to be a team captain in each of her final three campaigns. McCarthy was one of two Hurricanes to start every match in both 2015 and 2016. Established in 2000, FC Charme has played at each level of Japanese soccer and signed its first foreign player in 2015. The Japanese leagues have featured numerous standouts from other countries, including Caitlin Foord, Teresa Noyola and Michelle Pao, all of whom have played for their respective national teams. “I have spent many hours by myself with the ball on a field, on a track running fitness tests or in the weight room lifting more than I thought possible,” McCarthy said, “and those hours have culminated with this point. I am ready for this.” To keep up with the University of Miami soccer team on social media, follow @CanesFutbol on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.
VIEW FROM THE U
SWIMMING & DIVING BY CAMRON GHORBI
@CanesSwimDive
Algee Earns Second Straight Trip to NCAA Championships For the second straight year, Miami Hurricanes swimmer Angela Algee will take part in the NCAA Swimming & Diving Championships. Algee, who qualified for the 2016 NCAA Championships in the 100-yard butterfly, will participate in three events in the 2017 championships, including her signature 100 fly event, in which she posted the 19th-best time in the country this season at a qualifying meet in Gainesville last week. “I can’t imagine myself any happier than I am right now, with getting the opportunity to finish my career at NCAAs,” Algee said. “Because I had a week of not knowing whether or not I was going to be there competing this year, I am even more excited to represent my team and school there and to finish my swimming career at Miami at one of the most competitive meets in the country.” Head coach Andy Kershaw said that Algee’s return trip to the NCAA Championships is a testament to her work ethic. “I’m very excited that all of the work and discipline that Angela and her teammates have put in this year has paid off in this way. I have seen Angela mature so much as a person and a swimmer, and that process continues every day,” Kershaw said. “She is a great representative of our program and the university as a whole. Her determination and competitiveness gives her a great chance at succeeding at NCAA Championships, and I can’t wait to watch her perform as a Hurricane one more time.” The championships will be held March 15-18 at the IU Natatorium in Indianapolis, Indiana. Indiana University-Purdue University at Indianapolis and Indiana Sports Corp will serve as co-hosts. “I think that last year, given the fact that I was ranked lower, was more about the feat of making the meet,” Algee said. “This year, now that I’m seeded 19th, it’s more about getting points for the University of Miami. I think getting the experience at the meet last year and watching every session will help my performance, and hopefully get me into a scoring final for my team.” Algee, who finished the 100 fly in a career-best 52.01 to secure her trip to Indianapolis, will also take part in the 200 fly (1:58.38) and 50 free (22.95), where she posted NCAA “B” cut times this season. “I am very honored to get the chance to give it my all for the second time of my life at this meet and ending my year this way with my coach,” Algee said. “I couldn’t have done it without the support of my team and the great atmosphere and confidence that they have all had all year.” A total of 322 participants (281 swimmers and 41 divers) will compete in the championships.
VIEW FROM THE U
GOLF BY TOM SYMONDS
@HurricanesGolf
2016-17 SCHEDULE Date Event 9/24-25
Mary Fossum Invitational
East Lansing, Mich.
10/9-10
Jim West Challenge
Houston, Texas
Result/Time 1st/12
3rd/15
10/17-18 Betsy Rawls Longhorn Invitational 2nd/14
Austin, Texas
1/30
Florida Challenge
Lecanto, Fla.
2/5-7
UCF Challenge
Orlando, Fla.
2/19-21
Allstate Sugar Bowl Intercollegiate 5th/17
New Orleans, La.
2/27-3/1
Hurricane Invitational
Coral Gables, Fla.
3/31-4/2
Bryan National Collegiate
Greensboro, N.C.
4/21-23
ACC Championship
Pawleys Island, S.C.
5/8-10
NCAA Regional
3rd/11
NO. 13 MIAMI WOMEN’S GOLF TAKES FOURTH AT THE HURRICANE INVITATIONAL The University of Miami women’s golf team concluded play on March 1 at the 2017 Hurricane Invitational. The Hurricanes fired a Day 3 score of 286 and finished the tournament with a total of 877 to finish fourth. Miami’s final day score of 286 was its lowest single-day total over the course of the three-day event, which was held at the par 72, 6,150-yard Biltmore Golf Course. Senior Delfina Acosta led the way for Miami as she tied for ninth with a tournament total of 217. Her top-10 finish was her second of the season and her first of the spring. The Argentina native closed out the event on a high note as she posted a final round of 69. Her Day 3 total was a single-round low this spring and tied for a single-round low this year. Earlier this season, Acosta posted a 69 during the second round of the Jim West Challenge back on Oct. 9. Acosta logged three birdies and an eagle during her final round. Her eagle came on the par 5, 501-yard, hole No. 1. Sophomore Dewi Weber also turned in a solid final round for the Hurricanes as she finished Day 3 by carding a score of 1-under-par, 71. Weber’s 71 marked the 13th time this year she has tallied a single-day score of 72-or-less. The Netherlands native would go on to finish the tournament tied for 20th. Freshman Filippa Moork also shot under par during the final day as she posted a 3-under-par score of 69. Moork tied for 28th to close out the event. Rounding out the Hurricanes’ top five were Macarena Aguilera and Renate Grimstad as they are tied for 39th (224) and tied for 42nd (225), respectively. Northwestern captured the team title, winning the event with a score of 859. Nothwestern’s Hannah Kim captured medalist honors as she finished with a three-round total of 210. Louisville’s Lauren Hartlage took runner-up as she totaled a score of 212. The Canes return to action at the Briar’s Creek Invitational in Kiawah Island, S.C. on March 20-21.
DARQUEA TO PURSUE LPGA CAREER Daniela Darquea earned LPGA Tour partial status at the third stage of qualifying school in Daytona Beach, Fla., earlier this month and has announced she will forego the remainder of her senior season and turn pro. Darquea tied for 29th and shot even par for the five-round event (360) posting rounds of 74-68-75-70-73. The top 20 earn full LPGA status for the 2017 season, while those finishing between 21st and 45th are granted partial status. “I would like to congratulate Daniela on her success at Q-school and thank her for everything she has done as a member of the Miami women’s golf team,” said head coach Patti Rizzo. “We wish her the very best as she moves on to the next chapter of her career.” Darquea leaves Miami following an impressive collegiate career where she captured three ACC All-Conference honors. She closes out her career with 17 top 10 finishes and three tournament individual championships. The Quito, Ecuador native, burst on the scene as a freshman in 2013 as she posted five Top 10 finishes en route to becoming Miami’s first All-American since Julie Brand in 1994. Off the course, Darquea was equally impressive as she was named to the ACC All-Academic team in each of her three years at Miami. Following the 2015-16 season, Darquea was selected as the ACC Scholar Athlete of the Year. MIAMI CANES INK HAARMAN TO NLI FOR 2017 The University of Miami women’s golf team announced today that world amateur standout Roos Haarman has signed a national letter of intent to continue her academic and athletic career, beginning in the fall of 2017. Haarman comes to Miami following a decorated amateur career in the Netherlands where she competed on the Dutch National team. “Roos will be a tremendous addition to our team next season,” said head coach Patti Rizzo. “She brings an incredible amount of amateur experience to our team and I couldn’t be more excited for her to join our team next season.”
T-1st/17
4th/15
All Day
All Day
All Day
TBD 5/20-23
NCAA Championship
Sugar Grove, Ill.
All Day
VIEW FROM THE U VOLLEYBALL
BY DAVID VILLAVICENCIO
@CanesVB
2016 @CANESVB SCHEDULE
Strantzali & Sorensen Honored
Two Hurricanes tabbed to 2016 All-ACC Academic Women’s Volleyball Team The University of Miami’s Olga Strantzali and Hannah Sorensen were named to the 2016 All-ACC Academic Volleyball Team. Strantzali and Sorensen were among the 35 student-athletes selected to the All-ACC Academic team following the 2016 season. All honorees were required to have a minimum GPA of 3.00 for both the last semester and for their careers. “I am excited for Olga and Hannah to receive this recognition,” Miami head coach Jose “Keno” Gandara said. “We want our student-athletes at Miami to excel in athletics, academics and life. It is great to see two of our players that work hard to succeed in all aspects of their Hurricanes career earn a well-deserved accolade.” Strantzali earned her second straight All-ACC Academic honor, adding to a long list of achievements following the 2016 season. A public relations major, Strantzali had a 3.75 GPA in the fall and is at 3.47 for her career. She has been named to the Athletic Director’s Honor Roll twice and is a three-time Book Buster since joining the Hurricanes prior to the 2015 season. On the court, Strantzali was recognized as AVCA All-America honorable mention and earned AVCA All-East Coast Region and First Team All-ACC honors. The junior outside hitter was one of the best players in the NCAA, finishing the regular season ranked seventh in Division I with 4.76 kills per set and ninth with 5.37 points per set. Her 0.39 service aces per set sat 50th among Division I players at the conclusion of Miami’s regular season. The Pylaia, Thessaloniki, Greece, native was arguably the top player in the ACC in 2016, leading the conference in kills per set, service aces per set and points per set. Sorensen received the first All-ACC Academic honor of her young career. An entrepreneurship major, Sorensen had a 3.43 GPA in the fall and is at 3.28 overall. The freshman was named to the Athletic Director’s Honor Roll and a Book Buster following the fall semester. A native of Sandy, Utah, Sorensen finished her collegiate debut season ranked third in the ACC with 10.88 assists/set. She had a career-high 64 assists in a five-set victory at Notre Dame that tied for second-most in a single match in program history. Two days later, she dished out 61 assists in a victory at Louisville and had a third 60-assist performance later in the season against Duke. She dished out at least 25 assists in each of her 23 matches played in 2016. Sorensen also finished the season with 20 service aces, good for fourth-most on the 2016 Hurricanes.
August Fri. 26 FLORIDA A&M^ Sat. 27 FIU^ Sat. 27 COASTAL CAROLINA^
W, 3-0 W, 3-0 L, 0-3
September Fri. 2 UTSA# Fri. 2 Lipscomb# Sat. 3 Texas# Fri. 9 Loyola Chicago! Fri. 9 Kansas State! Sat. 10 Mississippi State! Fri. 16 Delaware? Sat. 17 Missouri? Sat. 17 Duquesne? Fri. 23 at Florida State* Sun. 25 NOTRE DAME* Fri. 30 BOSTON COLLEGE
W, 3-2 L, 1-3 L, 0-3 W, 3-2 L, 0-3 W, 3-1 L, 2-3 L, 1-3 W, 3-1 L. 0-3 L, 0-3 W, 3-0
October Sun. 2 SYRACUSE* Fri. 7 at NC State* Sun. 9 at North Carolina* Fri. 14 PITT* Sun. 16 VIRGINIA TECH* Wed. 19 FLORIDA STATE* Sat. 22 at Virginia* Fri. 28 at Notre Dame* Sun. 30 at Louisville*
L, 1-3 L, 1-3 L, 0-3 L, 1-3 W, 3-0 L, 0-3 W, 3-0 W, 3-2 W, 3-2
November Fri. 4 NORTH CAROLINA* Sun. 6 NC STATE* Fri. 11 at Syracuse* Sun. 13 at Boston College Fri. 18 at Wake Forest* Sun. 20 at Duke* Wed. 23 GEORGIA TECH* Fri. 25 CLEMSON*
L, 1-3 L, 1-3 W, 3-1 W, 3-1 W, 3-1 L, 2-3 L, 2-3 W, 3-1
All Times Eastern BOLD CAPS indicates home matches * - ACC Match ^ - UM/FIU Invitational # - Texas Tournament ! - Wildcat Classic ? - Delaware Tournament
Transform your career with a UM master’s degree.
Now Online.
Online Master’s Programs: Sport Administration Business Administration Finance Accounting Health Informatics Nursing Informatics Communication Public Administration
LEARN MORE:
miami.edu/online 800.411.2290
STUDENT-ATHLETE SPOTLIGHT MICHAEL BURNS - BASEBALL Hometown: Littleton, Colorado Previous Schools: Wichita State (2015), Cisco Junior College (2016) Q: Why did you pick Miami? A: “The people. Without a doubt. I came here. Carl Chester was my host, and he’s one of my good friends now. Thomas Woodrey, Jesse Lepore, Keven Pimentel – I met them on my visit, and they were good people. Gino [DiMare], JD [Arteaga], 3 [Jim Morris]…every single one of them is a good man. They’re good quality people. That’s why I came.” Q: When you were diagnosed with sarcoma last spring, you were forced to miss your team’s run to the Junior College World Series in 2016 due to radiation treatment. What kept you going? A: “The people in my life. No question. I try to surround myself with the best people I possibly can. That’s why I came to Miami. I feel like I’m surrounded
by people who keep me going, even here. When I was going through that, it was my parents, my sisters, anybody I met in my life. It was the people in my life who kept me going every day.” Q: Why do you think, with so many new faces, the team was able to gel so quickly? A: “It was the veterans. We all get here and we’re new – it’s kind of like being the new kid at school. Even though I’ve been on teams before, even college teams, it was the veterans who reached out to us. They were kind of the ones who welcomed us and showed us the ropes. They helped this team gel so fast.” Q: What’s it like hitting high in the order and being asked to do a number of things – bunting, stealing and playing good defense included? A: “That’s my game. I’m 5-foot-9 and a ‘buck-eighty’ [180 pounds]. I try to run it out of the yard, but I don’ think a lot of them are leaving. That’s kind of my game. It’s kind of exciting that there are eight other guys who play the same game as me. Some of them have more juice, but we’re excited to be that team.”
UM SPORTS HALL OF FAME
UMSHoF Bowling Tournament a Huge Success The Sixth Annual UM Sports Hall of Fame Celebrity Bowling Tournament, sold out for the first time, was held on Monday, Feb. 27 at Splitsville in South Miami with Canes baseball legend Charles Johnson serving as host. Among the many celebrities and UMSHoF members in attendance were Bennie Blades, Brett Romberg, Tamara James, Jonathan Vilma, Tracy Kerdyk, Darryl Williams, Jon Beason, Duke Johnson and CJ’s former teammate with the then-Florida Marlins, Cliff Floyd. The event included a live and silent auction and featured a Celebrity Bowl-Off at the end of the night with five celebrities, which included Johnson, Tamara James, Albert Bentley, Steve Edwards and Duke Johnson facing off against the five highest non-celebrity bowlers. For the third year in a row, Steve Edwards claimed the “Top Bowler” award for celebrities in the main bowling session.
52
HURRICANE MAGAZINE
MARCH 2017
You are cordially invited to attend the
University
of
MiaMi
Sports Hall Of Fame
49th annUal indUction BanqUet Ryan BRaun (BaseBall) • audRa Cohen (Tennis) • dan davies (BaseBall) • sTeve edwaRds (BaskeTBall) • James JaCkson (FooTBall) •
Date:
Tuesday, April 18, 2017
Time:
Cocktails at 6:00 PM Dinner at 7:00 PM
Place:
Jungle Island 1111 Parrot Jungle Trail
Price:
$125 each individual ticket $1250.00 per table of ten $1,750.00 SUPER Table of Ten, includes preferred seating & 1/2 page ad in the banquet program
kaTie meieR (BaskeTBall CoaCh) • JeRemy shoCkey (FooTBall ) • valeRia Tipiana (volleyBall) •
•
daRRyl williams (FooTBall)
Please fill out form below and mail it with your check payable to: UM Sports Hall of Fame If you cannot attend, a tax deductible donation to the UMSHoF is greatly appreciated For further information call: John Routh - 305.284.2775 Ken Lancaster - 305.666.6000 or visit our website www.UMSportsHallofFame.com Ed Golden - Banquet Chairman Ken Lancaster - Ticket Chairman
Ticket Chairmen: Ken Lancaster: 305.666.6000 • John Routh 305.284.2775 UM Sports Hall of Fame Induction Banquet 5821 San Amaro Drive, Coral Gables, FL 33146 www.UMSportsHallofFame.com Please reserve ______ SUPER tables of Ten at $1,750.00 each, includes preferred seating & 1/2 page ad in the banquet program Please reserve __________ tables of Ten at $1,250.00 each Please reserve __________ seats at $125.00 each for the UM Sports Hall of Fame Induction Banquet To pay by credit card, call the UM Sports Hall of Fame at 305-284-2775. Enclosed is my check payable to UM Sports Hall of Fame in the amount of $ _________. I cannot attend, but enclosed is my donation of $ ___________. Please send tickets to: __________________________________ _______________________________________