Ti’erra Brown claims second at NCAAs

In a year where potential championship talk was the norm for some squads, one member of the track and field team came through for the orange and green.

Rising senior Ti’erra Brown became the first UM athlete to win a USA National Track title for the program when she captured the 400-meter hurdles during the U.S. Outdoor Track & Field Championships in Iowa.

She won the race in 54.84 seconds, the second fastest time in her career.

“It was one of the greatest feelings coming away with the championship today,” Brown said after the event. “Coming out of the NCAAs, I was kind of down, but I knew it wasn’t the only race in the world. So I used that frustration to my advantage this weekend.”

Rising senior Tameka Jameson also competed in her first USA Championship, placing fifth with a time of 56.48 seconds.

“Personally, I’m grateful for the opportunity to compete in the championships, but I was not satisfied with my race,” Jameson said. “I can use this experience as a stepping stone for greater races in my near future.”

The track team began its indoor season at the Kentucky Invitational in Lexington, where Deandra Doyley and Corey Nelms led the Hurricanes to impressive wins. The indoor season was also highlighted by Devon Hill and Ashley Dukes coming away with their first conference titles.

During outdoor season, which began in mid-March at the Hurricane Invitational in Coral Gables, Jameson got off to a fast start, winning both the 200- and 400-meter dashes.

The outdoor season also included competitions in Gainesville, Clemson and Philadelphia, before ending in Atlanta.

On the men’s side, Nelms had what was arguably his best season as a senior.

In the National Quarterfinals, Nelms ran the 100-meter hurdles in 13.65 seconds, a school record. He was also a member of the 4×100 relay squad, alongside DeMarcus Van Dyke, Travis Benjamin and Brandon McGee, that broke another school relay record at 39.57 seconds.

Also making an impact during the season was the announcement that Ohio prep star Latwan Anderson had signed a Letter of Intent in March to join the squad.

The dual athlete was ranked 12th in the nation in the indoor 55-meter dash and played defensive back for the Glenville football team, where he was named Division I Second Team All-State.

Although several members of the squad are already looking forward to next season, that’s not to say that it won’t present a few challenges. Still, there is a lot of optimism for the squad.

“Having two Lady Hurricanes competing in the finals together shows the great depth within Miami’s hurdle program and definitely put us on people’s radar,” Jameson said.

Information for this article was compiled from hurricanesports.com.

Ernesto Suarez may be contacted at esuarez@themiamihurricane.com.