Swimming and Diving
University of Miami junior Miguel Velazquez finished third with a score of 533.55 and freshman Derek Starks finished fifth with a score of 498.75 to earn All-America honors in the 10-meter platform at the NCAA Swimming and Diving Championships in East Meadow, N.Y.
Velazquez has now earned All-America honors in all three diving events this year’s NCAA Championships. He finished fourth in the 1-meter on Thursday and fourth in the 3-meter on Friday to earn All-America honors in both events.
The All-America honor is the first for Starks who earlier this season was named the Big East Most Outstanding Diver following victories in the 3-meter and platform at the Big East Championships.
On a sad note, former Miami swimmer Matt Gribble, 41, passed away Sunday, March 21 as the result of a fatal automobile accident near The Falls.
Considered one of the most decorated athletes to ever swim for the Hurricanes, Gribble, a native of Miami, was a two-time NCAA Champion (1982, 1983) and four-time All-American (1981, 1982, 1983, 1984) in the 100-meter butterfly while at UM and set four school records including the school mark in the 100-butterfly that still stands today. He was inducted into the University of Miami Hall of Fame in 1997.
A two-time Olympian, Gribble was a member of the 1980 U.S. Olympic Team, which did not compete due to an American boycott in Moscow, and a member of the 1984 U.S. Olympic Team. He won the 1982 World Championship in the 100-meter butterfly and held the world record in the 100-buttefly until 1984. He was also a member of the 1982 World Championships gold medal 400-meter medley relay team.
Track and Field
The University of Miami women’s 4×100-meter relay finished first with an NCAA Regional qualifying time of 44.33 seconds to highlight the final day of competition at the 61st Annual Coca-Cola Florida Relays in Gainesville, Fla.
The relay of sophomore All-American Dominique Darden, junior Chinela Davis, junior All-American Lauryn Williams and junior Wiande Moore improves to 2-0 this season.
The 4×400-meter relay of senior All-America Kitoya Carter, Darden, freshman Ginou Etienne, and sophomore All-American Charlette Greggs also qualified for the NCAA Regional Championships finishing third with at time 3:34.57.
On the men’s side, freshman Thomas Berry finished 20th in the 1,500-meters with a time of 4:04.85 to highlight the final day of competition at the Raleigh Relays in Raleigh, N.C.
Freshman Zachery Castiglione, also competing in the 1,500-meters, finished 47th with a time of 4:13.03.
The Miami men’s track and field team returns to action April 2-3 at the South Florida Invitational in Tampa, Fla.