Here is a quick summary of the Miami Hurricanes sports happenings for the week of April 22-29...
FOOTBALL: Six Miami Hurricanes were selected in the 2018 NFL Draft, which took place April 26-28 at AT&T Stadium.
The Cleveland Browns selected defensive lineman Chad Thomas in the third round (67th overall). Tight end Christopher Herndon (New York Jets, 107th overall) and running back Mark Walton (Cincinnati Bengals, 112thoverall) went in the fourth round. The New York Giants selected defensive lineman RJ McIntosh in the fifth round with the 139th overall pick. Wide receiver Braxton Berrios went to the defending AFC Champion New England Patriots in the sixth round (210th overall), while defensive lineman Kendrick Norton was selected by the Carolina Panthers in the seventh round (242nd overall).
FACT: Miami has produced 12 tight ends that have been drafted by the NFL since 2000.
BASEBALL: Miami drops first two games of series to rival Florida State in Tallahassee.
Miami dropped Game 2 of its annual rivalry series with Florida State Saturday night, falling to No. 14 Florida State, 10-1, at Dick Howser Stadium. Sophomore righthander Evan McKendry allowed just two earned runs and struck out nine, but Miami's offense could not solve Florida State righthander C.J. Van Eyk, who impressed on the hill.
McKendry scattered six hits and three walks in a 105-pitch effort before departing in front of 5,356 fans. Freshman Raymond Gil connected on his second home run of the season in the loss. The Seminoles (31-13, 13-9 ACC) struck for unearned runs in the first and third to take an early 2-0 lead. They padded to the lead with six runs in the final two innings.
The series concludes with game 3 today at 1 PM.
FACT: Miami's record now stands at 17-25 on the season and the Hurricanes are 10-13 in the ACC.
TENNIS: Miami's impressive showing in ACC tourney ended by #1 seeded Duke.
The fourth-seeded University of Miami women's tennis team saw its seven-match winning streak end Saturday in the ACC Championship semifinals at Cary Tennis Park. No. 15 Miami (16-7, 11-3 ACC) dropped a 4-1 decision to top-seeded and third-ranked Duke, which was the last team to beat the Hurricanes back on March 25.
"You can't start playing tennis when you're down, 5-0, not on this stage. So, if you don't loosen up and start playing until you're down big, it's way too late," Miami head coach Paige Yaroshuk-Tews said. "We talked about getting off to a quick start and I didn't see any quick starts on court one, two or three in doubles. Duke, on the majority of the courts today, just their emotional maturity and their ability to hit balls longer in points and higher situations [was key]."
FACT: Miami dropped to 17-13 all-time in ACC Championship play with Saturday's result, including 16-11 at Cary Tennis Park. The Hurricanes will now await their seeding for the NCAA Team Championship, with draws announced Tuesday at 5 p.m.
TRACK: The Hurricanes competed in an elite track and field event on Saturday at the National Relay Championships.
With the ACC Outdoor Track & Field Championships just two weeks away, the Canes had a chance to compete against an outstanding field of talent this weekend at John McDonnell Field by the University of Arkansas.
"It was a great meet and a great concept," Miami director of track and field/cross country Amy Deem said. "I'm disappointed. I didn't think we performed extremely well in any event across the board. It wasn't a lack of effort. We just were off this weekend in a lot of event areas. I've noticed in the past when we've had a meet like this that we've come back really strong, so in that aspect we hope to be fine for ACCs.
Miami's men finished third in Heat 1 and eighth overall in the 4x100m relay, as McKinly Brown, Myles Valentine, Isaiah Taylor and Lorenzo Lingard combined to run a season-best time of 40.44 seconds.
"I was proud of our 4x1 men," Deem said. "We had to make some last minute decisions and I think they worked out well and we have something we can build on now."
FACT: UM's Amy Deem is widely recognized as one the the best track and field coaches in the Country.