Golf
University of Miami freshman Tiffany Prats fired a tournament low round of 68 on Tuesday to finish fifth at the rain-shortened NC State Saguaro Classic in Tucson, Ariz.
The tournament, originally scheduled for three rounds, was shortened to two due to rain.
Prats who was tied for 29th after and opening round 79 finished with a two round total of 147 to move up 24 spots. Prats’ final round 68 marks her best round as a collegian. Her fifth-place finish is also a season-best.
Junior Tina Miller shot a final round 74 to finish in a tie for eighth with a two round total of 150. Miller has finished in the top-10 of five of six tournaments this season including two victories.
As a team the Hurricanes finished fourth with a score of 608. Alabama won the tournament with a two-round total of 589.
Miami returns to action March 8-9 at the Peggy Kirk Bell Invitational in Orlando, Fla.
Volleyball
The University of Miami volleyball team will begin their 2004 spring practice Monday, March 1 at the Knight Sports Complex.
The Hurricanes’ spring season will run for six full weeks and will include four spring tournaments.
Miami will host two tournaments at the Knight Sports Complex during the spring schedule. UM will take on SEC Championship semi-finalist Alabama March 13 and Florida A&M and Miami-Dade will travel to Coral Gables April 17.
The Hurricanes’ spring slate will also include a trip to Gainesville, Fla. on April 1, where UM will face 2003 NCAA National Championship runner-up and SEC Champions Florida as well as South Carolina.
Miami looks to build on one of the deepest and most experienced lineups under the guidance of head coach Nicole Lantagne Welch.
The Hurricanes return 12 players from 2003’s squad that went 22-9, including All-Big East Second Team selection, senior Valeria Tipiana.
Along with Tipiana, UM will bring back four seniors from last year’s team with Elizabeth Tyson, Jamie Grass, Ashley Youngs and Mallorey James set to lead the Hurricanes in 2004.
Soccer
The University of Miami, along with head soccer coach Tricia Taliaferro, announced the hiring of Jeff Freeman as an assistant soccer coach Wednesday.
Freeman comes to Miami after spending the past four seasons as an assistant coach at Southwest Missouri State. Prior to his stint as an assistant, Freeman served as a volunteer goalkeeper coach in 1998.
While in Springfield (Mo.), Freeman also coached with the Springfield Premier Club and has been involved with various high school programs throughout his coaching career, including serving as the head coach at Parkview High School in 1999.
A native of Blue Springs, Mo., Freeman was an academic all-conference goalkeeper at SMS and a member of the 1997 team that made a jump into the national scene by earning a national ranking, while making SMS’s first ever NCAA Tournament appearance.
He holds both an undergraduate and master’s degree in Education from SMS, as well as an NSCAA Advanced National Diploma.
-Compiled by the sports information department.