Four members of the University of Miami track and field program were named to the 2015 All-ACC Academic Team for outdoor track and field.
Dakota Dailey-Harris, Lea Johnson, Tiffany Okieme and Kayann Richards were among the 49 student-athletes selected to the 2015 Women’s Outdoor Track and Field All-ACC Academic Team. Johnson and Okieme were also All-ACC Academic honorees for indoor track and field.
“We are always proud of our student-athletes’ athletic and academic accomplishments,” Miami director of track and field/cross country Amy Deem said. “Lea, Tiffany, Dakota and Kayann have shown a continued commitment to excellence in athletics and academics and it is great to see them recognized for their achievements.”
Johnson is the cream of Miami’s impressive crop, earning the sixth All-ACC Academic honor of her career. A First Team Academic All-American, Johnson has proven to be a model student-athlete in her time as a Hurricane. One of the most decorated throwers in Miami history, Johnson won the ACC title in the weight throw in 2014 and 2015 and claimed the ACC title in the hammer in 2014.
Johnson was a first team Indoor All-American in the weight throw in 2015 and earned second team All-America in the weight throw and hammer in 2014. She is a three-time All-ACC performer and ranks second in UM history in both the weight throw and the hammer throw. She was one of 19 Hurricanes that competed at the 2015 NCAA East Preliminary in Jacksonville, Fla.
In the classroom, Johnson is a stellar student-athlete, earning Capitol One Academic First Team All-District honors. A microbiology and immunology major, Johnson finished with a 3.934 GPA when she graduated from the University of Miami in early May and will attend the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine in the fall.
A psychology major, Okieme earned the second All-ACC Academic award of her Hurricane career after transferring to Miami in the fall. The junior represented the Hurricanes at the NCAA East Preliminary, competing in the shot put and hammer throw. Okieme also scored for the Hurricanes in two events at the ACC Outdoor Championships, placing fourth in the hammer throw and eighth in the shot put.
Dailey-Harris is another Cane exceling in athletics and academics, earning the second All-ACC Academic honor of her career. The junior was the runner-up in the women’s high jump at the 2015 ACC Outdoor Championships, earning a silver medal and scoring eight points to help Miami’s women place third at the conference meet with 93 points. A sport administration major, Dailey-Harris also represented the Hurricanes at the 2015 NCAA East Preliminary.
Richards is a first-time All-ACC Academic selection. The New Jersey native scored twice for the Hurricanes at the 2015 ACC Outdoor Championships. Richards placed sixth in the women’s 60m hurdles, earning Second Team All-ACC honors, and helped the women’s 4x100m relay place fifth at the conference meet. A human and social development major, Richards graduated from the University of Miami in May.
Every member the 2015 All-ACC Academic Women’s Outdoor Track and Field Team also scored earned All-Conference honors or place among the top eight in their respective event, earned athletic or academic All-America honors, was named an ACC Performer of the Week on at least one occasion and/or qualified for the finals of the NCAA Championships held earlier this month at Eugene, Oregon.
Minimum academic requirements for selection to the All-ACC Academic Team are a 3.0 grade point average for the previous semester and a 3.0 cumulative average during one’s academic career.