Throwers Monroe & Johnson Headed to NCAAs
CORAL GABLES, Fla. – A pair of throwers will represent the Hurricanes at the 2014 NCAA Outdoor Championships.
After a strong showing at the NCAA East Preliminary, Lea Johnson and Amber Monroe earned the right to compete at the NCAA Outdoor Championships.
Johnson punched her ticket to the NCAA Outdoor Championships in the women’s hammer throw with a 12th place finish at the NCAA East Preliminary. The junior’s mark of 59.85m secured one of the 12 spots from the East region that advanced to nationals in Eugene, Oregon.
“Lea led us off great in the ACC Championship and she led us off again tonight,” Miami director of track and field Amy Deem said after Johnson’s performance. “I think that gives everybody confidence, because they know what they did after she won at ACCs. For her to advance and be the first one sets the tone for the rest of the weekend.”
Johnson qualified for her second NCAA Championships of the 2014 season. She represented the Hurricanes in the weight throw at the 2014 NCAA Indoor Championships.
“I was nervous coming in, but I am glad I was able to advance,” Johnson said. “I love hammer and making it in the weight throw was great. But hammer is the event that I really love so I am so glad I made it to nationals.”
The ACC champion in hammer throw, Johnson entered the NCAA postseason with a personal-best mark of 61.37m that ranked 10th in the East region and 21st in the country. Johnson will look to extend her personal-best mark on June 11 beginning at 4:30 p.m. ET.
While Johnson will look to improve off her ACC Championship-winning mark, Monroe will look to build off the momentum she started with a huge personal-best mark at the NCAA East Preliminary.
Heading into last week’s competition in Jacksonville, Monroe’s best mark on the season was 51.18m. The junior entered the postseason with the 23rd-best mark in the East region and the 65th-best mark in the country, but she shattered her season-best by over three meters.
Monroe advanced to the NCAA Outdoor Championships in women’s discus with a personal-best mark of 54.79m. The junior’s throw earned her seventh place at the NCAA East Preliminary and ranks second in UM history.
“Discus is something I struggled with for a while, but it’s always been my favorite. It feels good to PR and make it to Oregon. My freshman year I went, but didn’t do what I wanted. This year I want to keep going and keep PRing because I want to be one of the top girls.”
The junior returns to the NCAA Outdoor Championships for the second time in her career and first since 2012. Monroe is scheduled to compete on June 12 at 5 p.m. ET.
The Hurricanes will have student-athletes competing in the 100m, 400m, 800m, pole vault, high jump, discus, hammer throw and the 4x400m relay at the NCAA Division I Men’s and Women’s Outdoor Track and Field Championships held June 11-14 in Eugene, Oregon.
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