The No. 15-ranked University of Miami women’s golf team returns to action on Friday to take part in the 2017 Bryan National Collegiate in Greensboro, N.C.
THE BASICS -The tournament will follow a 54-hole format. -UNCG and Wake Forest are the tournament hosts. -The tournament will be played at the par 72, 6,386-yard, Bryan Park Champions Course. -Play opens at 8:30 a.m., on hole 1 with 18 holes. Play continues on Tuesday off of holes No. 1 and No. 10, beginning at 8:30 a.m. Final round competition tees off at 8:30 a.m., with a shotgun start. -Live scoring can be found by clicking here. THE WORD ON THE CANES The Miami women’s golf team has been a model of consistency throughout the 2016-17 season as it has finished in the top three in five of its eight tournaments this year. The Hurricanes are coming off a fourth-place finish on March 21 at the Briar’s Creek Invitational.
Miami enters this week’s Bryan National Collegiate with a team average of 289.22 strokes per round. The Hurricanes posted an impressive 2016 fall season during which they posted three top-three finishes, including a dominating performance at the Mary Fossum Invitational, as Miami won by 40 strokes. The Hurricanes finished the fall campaign with a 286.22 team average.
LAST TIME OUT The Miami women’s golf team finished fourth at the 2017 Briar’s Creek Invitational on March 21. The Hurricanes posted a final round score of 294 and finished the tournament with a three-round total of 870. Sophomore Dewi Weber and freshman Filippa Moork highlighted tournament competition for the Hurricanes as both finished in the top 10.
Weber posted her sixth top-10 finish this season as she tied for third with a three-round total of 213. Weber posted a final round score of even par to finish the tournament three-under-par. DEWI CONTINUES TO DOMINATE The Canes are led by sophomore standout Dewi Weber, who has posted top-10 finishes in nine of her last 11 tournaments dating back to the 2016 spring season. Weber is currently ranked No. 12 by Golfstat.com and is the fifth-highest ranked women’s golfer in the ACC.
Additionally, Weber claimed individual crowns in two of the Hurricanes’ three tournaments this past fall, winning outright titles at the Mary Fossum Invitational and the Betsy Rawls Invitational. COMPETING TEAMS – TOP 25 RANKINGS ACCORDING TO GOLFSTAT.COM No. 12 Wake Forest, UNCG, No. 3 Alabama, No. 20 Baylor, Charleston, Colorado State, Georgetown, No. 9 Georgia, No. 15 Miami, Michigan, North Carolina, NC State, Notre Dame, Oregon, Penn State, No. 11 South Carolina, No. 22 UCF, Virginia
Wednesday was that morning for 15 young men at the University of Miami, although the circumstances were slightly different than what the rest of us might remember from our initial job hunts.
No suits, briefcases or boardrooms; instead there were cleats, cones and stopwatches. It was Pro Day in Coral Gables, the annual influx of NFL executives, coaches and scouts to observe draft-eligible Hurricanes in the familiar confines of the legendary Greentree Practice Fields.
All 32 NFL teams were on hand to watch the Hurricanes run through a series of interviews, tests and drills. Here’s what Pro Day looked like for the Hurricanes on Wednesday.
7 a.m.
Head coach Mark Richt arrives and starts off the morning with an appearance on WQAM’s The Joe Rose Show, which is broadcasting outside Miami’s Schwartz Center for Athletic Excellence as the parade of NFL scouts start to check in. Rose asks Richt about spring ball, recruiting and then jumps into questions about the Pro Day participants.
“We had a nice meal yesterday for all of them,” Richt says. “We talked a little bit about what the day is going to be like, and we just told them that we love them and we look forward to seeing them do their thing today.”
As Richt concludes the interview, defensive back Adrian Colbert walks by and Richt wishes him good luck.
8 a.m.
The pace starts to pick up at the check-in table in the Schwartz Center lobby, where Football Operations Assistant Justin Wells and Assistant Director of Operations/Recruiting Relations Brooke Wilson are issuing credentials to all of the NFL guests.
Joel Rodriguez, Miami’s Director of Player Development, is also there to greet everybody. Rodriguez oversees logistics and operations for Miami’s Pro Day, and also serves as the pro liaison.
Rodriguez is also a former Hurricanes offensive lineman and remembers his own Pro Day back in 2005 well.
“I just remember the nerves,” Rodriguez said. “It’s different than a game because with a game you know what you’re walking into. On Pro Day you’re not exactly sure exactly what’s going to happen, who’s going to be there, who’s going to work you out.
“Once it’s over, it’s like a 10,000-pound gorilla off your shoulders.”
Once the scouts and coaches check in, they head upstairs to the second floor to meet the players, who have gathered to get measured -- height, weight, hand size and wing span. Some teams have also scheduled meetings with individual players.
10 a.m.
Rodriguez kicks off the welcome session in the auditorium before handing the mic over to Demetreus Darden and Vinny Scavo. Darden, Miami’s Assistant AD/Academics and Director of Football Academics, discusses each player’s academic standing. Scavo, the Hurricanes’ Associate AD/Athletic Training, goes over any injuries. Richt wraps up the session with some brief remarks and thanks everybody for coming on campus.
10:45 a.m.
Everybody ventures downstairs to the Squillante Strength & Conditioning Center for physical testing. Each player participates in the bench press, vertical jump and broad jump.
First up is the vertical jump, where fullback Marquez Williams receives the loudest ovation from his teammates. Current Miami players come into the weight room for the bench press, cheering loudly for their former teammates. Williams again impresses on the bench.
11:15 a.m.
The Hurricanes then head outside to the practice fields for drills. The players start with the 40-yard dash, running two heats (one north, one south) as a chorus of stopwatches click away at the start and finish.
Assistant Head Coach/Defensive Line Craig Kuligkowski chats with New England Patriots head coach Bill Belichick for several minutes. Defensive coordinator Manny Diaz and safeties coach Ephraim Banda soon join them. Meanwhile, two UM Vinnys – Scavo and former Heisman Trophy winner Vinny Testaverde – also catch up.
The players next hit the shuttle and cone drills before moving to position group drills. First up are the tight ends and all eyes are on David Njoku, projected by many draft analysts as a first-round pick, and his quarterback, Brad Kaaya, who became Miami’s all-time leader in passing yards this past season.
Kaaya scripts 70 throws and looks sharp. Family, friends, teammates and Hurricane legends who have gone on to become NFL stars cheer on as he continually hits Njoku, Stacy Coley, Standish Dobard, Joseph Yearby, Malcolm Lewis and Williams all in stride.
In fact, Pro Day served as a U Family reunion of sorts. In addition to Testaverde, attendees included Jon Beason, Duke Johnson, Artie Burns, Deon Bush, Sean Spence, Stephen Morris, Travis Benjamin, Tracy Howard, Brandon Harris, Jon Feliciano, Rashawn Scott, and Donnell Bennett.
The defensive backs group is another heavily sought after workout, as Hurricane standouts Corn Elder, Rayshawn Jenkins, Jamal Carter and Adrian Colbert put their skills on display looking to prove that they are the next great DBs out of a school that has produced so many superstars at the position.
All-ACC players Danny Isidora and Justin Vogel also had opportunities to shine before NFL brass, with Isidora showing the strength and footwork that made him one of the top guards in the country and Vogel flashing the powerful and accurate right leg that earned him so many punting accolades in his career.
After the position drills are finished, Richt talks to NFL Network and the local media before checking out some individual workouts that teams request with certain players. The field isn’t cleared until well after 2 p.m.
In his first trip back to the same pool where he lost out on a chance to represent the United States at last year’s Olympics, University of Miami redshirt freshman diver David Dinsmore won the NCAA national championship in the men’s 10-meter platform at the 2017 NCAA Swimming & Diving Championships at the IU Natatorium Saturday night.
Competing in his first NCAA Championships after redshirting his freshman year, Dinsmore outdueled Purdue sophomore and 2016 U.S. Olympian Steele Johnson, finishing with 528.20 points to Johnson’s 506.05.
“It was a legendary night for the Hurricanes. We’ve had a lot of great success over the years, but this ranks right up there with the guys he was up against, and in this pool, this is where the Olympic trials were,” head diving coach Randy Ableman said. “He got beat out by two points by Steele for a spot on the Olympic team...we’ve been talking about it and he knew he had to be bring his ‘A’ game tonight. There was no room for error. He brought it.”
The New Albany, Ohio native became the 13th diver from the University of Miami to win a national championship under Ableman, now in his 28th year at the helm of the program.
Dinsmore topped the field with 528.20 points, scoring 81 points or higher on all six of his dives. He clinched the title with 95.40 points on his final dive, a back 2 ½ with 2 ½ twists. Purdue’s Johnson scored 506.05 points for second after winning 1-meter and 3-meter titles earlier in the week.
“I believe this is his highest score he has ever achieved,” Ableman said. “It took all of that to become a national champion. That makes all the sweeter to be pushed like that and to have that going on in this pool, and to be in that position again and to come through this time, it meant a lot to both of us.”
Miami tied for the most hits North Carolina has allowed all season, but fell to the Tar Heels by a final score of 6-3 Saturday afternoon at Boshamer Stadium.
The Hurricanes (10-13, 3-5 ACC) totaled double-digit hits and out-hit the Heels 10-4, but could not overcome an early deficit in front of 2,476 fans.
The two teams combined for 17 runners left on base, including nine by the visitors. With the victory, the Tar Heels (18-5, 6-2 ACC) won their first series against the Hurricanes since 2013.
A two-run home run by Brandon Riley to right opened the scoring in favor of the hosts in the bottom of the second, and Brian Miller added a two-run triple in the fourth.
With the victory, the Tar Heels (18-5, 6-2 ACC) won their first series against the Hurricanes since 2013.
Don't look now but it is football season in Coral Gables.
The Miami Hurricanes hit the Greentree Practice Fields Tuesday for their first of 15 spring practices in preparation for the 2017 season.
Now in his second year at the helm, head coach Mark Richt said that, in comparison to last year’s first spring practice, Tuesday’s morning session was a breeze - in more ways than one.
“It was a beautiful day,” Richt said. “It started out a little bit cool and then it did get warm at the end…the weather really cooperated with us.”
Richt said the difference was evident in the practice habits developed by players now in their second year in his system.
“Like I told the team after practice, you can tell who the veterans are and you can tell who knows how to practice. You can tell the guys who are in shape and you can tell the guys who know what to do,” Richt said. “It’s very obvious who the mid-year guys are, as far as knowing how to practice and knowing what to do.”
Defensive lineman Kendrick Norton agreed with Richt’s assessment, and said the comfort level was evident in returning players.
“[Freshman] have guys in front of them to show them how to do it,” Norton said. “Last year nobody had that, because everybody was a freshman last spring.”
One of those mid-year players who impressed Norton Tuesday was Jonathan Garvin, a defensive lineman from Lake Worth, Fla.
“Garvin is doing very well. He’s coming on, he’s learning. But it’s only the first day,” Norton said.
Coach Richt also complimented freshman DeeJay Dallas, one of 10 mid-year enrollees taking the field for the first time.
“Deejay showed the ability to snatch the ball well, which is a great key – to be able to catch the ball well and not cradle it,” Richt said.
Senior tight end Christopher Herndon IV, expected to take on an even bigger role in the offense with the departure of All-ACC tight end Davis Njoku, reiterated that Tuesday marked a good start for the Hurricanes.
“First day was basically just getting back in the groove of things,” Herndon said. “Everybody is kind of fresh to the offense again, so we just took our time out there today, but we were still trying to make sure we were doing everything at a full-speed pace and just focusing on our plays.”
After leading Miami to its first bowl win since 2006 last December, Richt said spring practice is about improving as a team more so than focusing on individual position battles.
“I want everyone to compete,” he said. “I want everybody to prove that they should start or they should play, or that they deserve to be on the travel squad – whatever it is - so they’re at least proving that they’re bought into what we’re doing.
“I want guys to play hard, play fast and be physical, be disciplined – those are the main things. If you do that, you’re going to be pretty good.”
Join the University of Miami in celebrating the life of Hurricanes tennis legend Gardnar Mulloy Thursday, March 23 at 6 p.m., at the Newman Alumni Center.
For more information regarding the event, click HERE or call, 305-284-6699.
A Miami native, Mulloy organized the first University of Miami men’s tennis team in 1935, leading the Hurricanes to a 67-6-4 record over 10 seasons, while also having great success as a tennis professional. In 1939, he won his first of many U.S. Championships with his father in the Father and Sons doubles.
He went on to compete for 75 years, winning senior titles until his late 80s, and continued shuffling around local courts well into his 90s. During his professional career, Mulloy first teamed up with Bill Talbert. The duo was ranked No. 1 and won US Open doubles titles in 1942, 1945, 1946 and 1948.
Pairing with Budge Patty in 1957, he set the record as the oldest player to have won men’s doubles at Wimbledon. One year earlier, he advanced to the finals of mixed doubles at Wimbledon with Althea Gibson. In addition, Mulloy was ranked among the world’s top 10 in singles play for 14 years – including a No. 1 world ranking in 1952.
He helped the United States win three Davis Cup trophies – in 1946, 1948 and 1949 – 129 U.S. national titles and 25 international titles.
In 2013, the City of Miami renamed a section of a road near Mulloy’s longtime home in Spring Gardens, calling it “Gardnar Mulloy Way.” In September of 2015, he was awarded the French Legion of Honour, the highest distinction in France, by the consulate general of France.
The French Legion of Honour, or in full the National Order of the Legion of Honour, was founded by Napoleon Bonaparte in 1802 to recognize eminent accomplishments of service to France.
In his late 20s, Mulloy served in the navy four years during World War II, earning the rank of lieutenant and commanding officer of a tanklanding ship, the USS Alameda County. His ship participated in the invasion of Southern France in August 1944.
Setting the Scene Date: Friday, March 17, 2017 Time: 9:20 p.m. Location: BOK Center | Tulsa, Okla.
No. 8 seed Miami Hurricanes (21-11, 10-8 ACC) Head Coach: Jim Larrañaga Record at Miami: 139-68, sixth season Career Record: 609-402, 33rd season
No. 9 seed Michigan State Spartans (19-14, 10-8 B1G) Head Coach: Tom Izzo Record at MSU: 543-219, 22nd season Career Record: 543-219, 22nd season
Miami in the NCAA Tournament The Canes are the No. 8 seed for the first time in UM history.
Miami’s highest seed has been No. 2, in 2013 and 1999.
All-time against potential 2017 regional opponents, Miami is 1-0 vs. Michigan State, 1-3 vs. Kansas, 4-0 vs. NC Central and 0-0 vs. UC Davis.
The Canes are playing in the NCAA Tournament for the ninth time.
Miami is 8-8 in NCAA Tournament play.
UM has won at least one game in the NCAA Tournament in five of the eight appearances, including three-straight and in five of the last six.
Under head coach Jim Larrañaga, Miami is 4-2 in the NCAA Tournament in his six seasons at the helm. The
Hurricanes were 4-6 in their first six appearances in the Tournament.
UM has won five of its last eight games in the NCAA Tournament after going 2-1 in both 2016 and 2013, and 1-1 in 2008.
Miami in the Top 18 Miami is one of 17 teams in the NCAA Tournament to play in a pair of Sweet 16s since the 2012-13 campaign. The Canes are one of six ACC teams to do so: Louisville – 2013, 2014, 2015; Duke – 2013, 2015, 2016; Miami – 2013, 2016; Virginia – 2014, 2016; Notre Dame – 2015, 2016; North Carolina – 2015, 2016.
Miami vs. Top RPI Teams Miami was 2-4 against top-10 RPI teams this season, with victories over RPI No. 5 North Carolina and No. 6 Duke. The Canes were 4-10 against top-50 RPI teams and 17-1 against teams with a final RPI of less than 50. The only loss was on the road at No. 84 Syracuse.
Miami vs. NCAA Tournament Teams Miami played 10 teams (14 games) this regular season that went on to earn NCAA Tournament bids, winning four of those games. The Hurricanes compiled a 2-3 record against teams that earned top-two seeds, with wins over NCAA 1-seed North Carolina and 2-seed Duke.
UM Unranked to 8-Seed Miami is an 8-seed in the 2017 NCAA Tournament, one of 15 teams among the top eight seeds that was not ranked in the AP preseason poll. Five teams in the past 50 years have won the national championship after being unranked in the AP preseason poll: 1966 Texas Western, 1985 Villanova, 2003 Syracuse, 2006 Florida and 2011 Connecticut.
Miami Basketball Teams Make School History The UM men's and women's basketball teams have both landed in the NCAA Tournament for the second straight season, the first time both Miami basketball teams play in The Dance in consecutive years.
The University of Miami women’s basketball team earned a No. 4 seed in the NCAA Tournament and will host the first and second rounds at home at the Watsco Center.
This is the 12th time in program history and the sixth time in the last seven years the Hurricanes have been selected to the NCAA Tournament.
No. 16/16 Miami (23-8, 10-6 ACC) was tabbed as the fourth seed in the Stockton Region, as revealed on the ESPN Selection Show Monday evening.
The Hurricanes will open play Saturday against No. 13-seed FGCU (26-8, 12-2 ASUN). The other teams in Miami’s pod are fifth-seeded Marquette (25-7, 13-5 BIG EAST), ranked No. 25 in the Coaches Poll and No. 12-seed Quinnipiac (27-6, 17-3 MAAC).
Miami is 5-11 all-time in NCAA Tournament play. The No. 4 seed is the fourth-highest mark in program history and the best since the Hurricanes were seeded third in 2012.
Head coach Katie Meier, in her 12th season at the helm of the Hurricanes, has now led Miami to the postseason for the eighth consecutive year, continuing a program-best streak. The prior mark was three straight from 2002-04.
Miami’s matchup with FGCU is set for Saturday at 4 p.m., and will be televised live on ESPN2. The Hurricanes won their only prior matchup with FGCU, earning a 70-57 victory on March 18, 2010 in the WNIT.
This will mark the third time in program history and the first since 1993 Miami will play at home in the NCAA Tournament. The Hurricanes are 6-1 all-time in Coral Gables in postseason play, including 2-0 in the NCAA Tournament.
The University of Miami earned an eight seed and will play ninth-seeded Michigan State University Friday at 9 p.m. on TNT in Tulsa, Okla., in the Midwest regional of the 2017 NCAA Men’s Basketball Championship.
The appearance is the third under Head Coach Jim Larrañaga, in his six seasons with the Hurricanes. In the first two trips to the NCAA Tournament, Miami played its way into the Sweet 16 in both 2013 and 2016.
This marks the second meeting between the Hurricanes and the Spartans, with Miami leading the all-time series 1-0. The Canes defeated No. 13/14 Michigan State, 67-59, in the ACC-BIG Ten Challenge on Nov. 28, 2012.
The Canes are 8-8 all-time in the NCAA Tournament, including a 4-2 mark under Coach L.
Here are 10 things to consider as we move forward. Feel free to add your own:
1. The Hurricanes enter the 2017 season after they captured their first bowl victory in 10 years. Miami defeated West Virginia 31-14 in the 2016 Russell Athletic Bowl.
2. The Hurricanes won their final five games of the season for the first time since 2001.
3. Mark Richt has won 10 bowl games as a head coach. Richt owns a 10-5 career record in bowl games.
4. Wide receiver Ahmmon Richards broke Michael Irvin’s 31-year-old single season freshman receiving yards record in 2016 as he finished with 934 yards. 5. Miami’s defensive unit recorded 108 tackles for loss, which tied for the sixth-highest total since 1990.
6. The Hurricanes welcome back 18 starters and 40 letter winners from last year’s team that finished 9-4.
7. Miami’s 2017 schedule features seven home games, including a game with Notre Dame. The Hurricanes own a 14-5 home record the past three years.
8. Running back Mark Walton enters his junior season with 25 career touchdowns in 26 career games. Walton’s 15 total touchdowns in 2016 ranked third for a single season in program history.
9. Kicker Michael Badgley enters his senior season just 91 points shy of becoming the school’s all-time points leader.
10. Miami had four players from the 2016 squad selected to the 2016 All-ACC Academic Team.