As a significant opening meet of the season, the 2015 Hurricane Invitational is taken seriously by the University of Miami’s track and field team, and understandably so. It is the opportunity for track stars to shine and inch closer to their ACC goals.
This year, the men’s track and field team took Cobb Stadium by storm, reaching rankings among the best in the program.
The two-day meet had a bold beginning Friday when Carlos Mangum took over the top rank in the men’s hammer throw. The sophomore opened the season with a personal best and a new school record with a throw of 61.74m.
Sophomore Gian Piero Ragonesi placed fifth in the men’s hammer throw with 46.45m and placed first in the men’s discuss with a mark of 52.57m. He won the men’s shot put with a personal best of 17.46m, ranking second in UM history.
Redshirt freshman Daniel Polinski looked at the invitational as an opportunity to set new records.
“[To] get some good opening marks out and a personal best, definitely,” he said of his goals for the meet. “Improve every time I throw. I’m pretty amped up; it’s the first home meet. It’s fun to just be at home and go against other people.”
Polinski ranked second in the men’s discus with a throw of 47.80m. He ranked fourth in the men’s shot put and fourth in UM history with a throw of 16.39m.
Christian Cook, Anthony Wolliston, Robert Grant and Henri Delauze took third place in the men’s 4x400m team relay. Third ranking was also awarded to their fellow Canes Joseph Ryan, Ibrahim Dodo, Zach Garland and Douglas Dourado, who also finished with 3:20.75.
Others in relay, Cook, Grant, Wolliston and Jaalen Jones, earned first place in the men’s 4x100m with a time of 40.83 seconds.
Garland, a freshman runner, ranked sixth in the men’s 800m run with a personal best time of 1:56.32. Dourado, Sean Grossman and Julien Primel finished in the top 10 of the men’s 1500m race in seventh, eighth and tenth place.
In jumping, junior John-Patrick Patrick won the men’s long jump with a mark of 7.67m.
Kevin Marsh and AJ Ricketts competed in the 5000m race, placing 22nd and 24th.
The Hurricanes will next compete in the Florida State Relays on Friday and Saturday.