The University of Miami women’s tennis team won 4-0 against the Florida Atlantic Owls on Saturday afternoon at the Neil Schiff Tennis Center.
With the victory, the Hurricanes (3-1) stay undefeated at home.
UM kicked off their day by securing the doubles point. Maria Vargas and Daria Volosova dominated FAU (3-3) duo, Panna Bartha and Katrin Pavkova with a 6-1 win. Raquel Gonzalez and Dominika Podhajecka then secured the point by winning 6-4 over Lara Smejkal and Malwina Rowinska. When play was stopped, Sebastianna Scilipoti and Sofia Rocchetti were down 4-5 to Malika Amirgaliyeva and Alexia Patru.
Heading on to singles, Podhajecka got the first point, defeating Amirgaliyeva in a 6-3, 6-3 win. No. 73 Gonzalez was next, claiming victory in front of the fans on court one, besting Bartha 6-4, 6-2. Finally, it would be Rocchetti who would get the clincher, as she would get the 6-2, 7-6 (7-4) win over Smejkal.
When play was halted, Plosnik was winning a close one with Rowinska, as she was up 6-4, 6-7. No. 97 Aely Arai had the edge over Pavkova, in a 7-6 (7-4), 2-3 match. Finally, Volosova had victory within her grasp as she was only a game away from a win, leading Patru, 6-4, 6-5.
The University of Miami faces a $50,000 fine from the ACC after fans stormed the court following the Hurricanes 77-74 upset victory over the No.11 North Carolina Tar Heels on Tuesday, Feb. 10.
Immediately after the final buzzer, fans flooded the court, surrounding players, officials, coaches and staff.
The ACC issued the fine in accordance with its event security policy, marking Miami’s first violation of the league’s court storming rule.
The policy is intended to protect the well-being and safety of fans, officials, coaches and student-athletes.
UM, now 19-5 overall, were celebrating its first win over a ranked opponent this season under first-year head coach Jai Lucas.
And while he didn’t endorse the court storming, Lucas heaped praise onto the 7,355 fans in attendance Tuesday night.
“I just want to thank the fans who showed up for us, especially the students,” Lucas said postgame. “This is what I envisioned this building being, and what we have to make it moving forward.”
Lucas has led a turnaround campaign, guiding the Hurricanes from the bottom of the ACC standings last season into NCAA tournament contenders.
With a trademark win on the board, Lucas is now tasked with keeping the momentum going for Miami as the Canes hit the road to face another ACC foe in NC State this Saturday, Feb. 15 at 4:00 p.m. EST.
With the ACC Swim & Dive Championships coming Feb. 15 – 21, the Canes will be arriving in Atlanta primed to score well.
Its path to points — and potentially the podium — is already well-defined.
Diving is the program’s anchor
On the boards, the Hurricanes have been nothing short of dominant. Alongside Chiara Pellacani, recent transfer Margo O’Meara has formed a reliable one-two punch in both springboard events, routinely sweeping or finishing directly behind Pellacani to maximize points.
On the men’s side, Mohamed Farouk and Jake Passmore have added valuable depth to the scoreboard, highlighted by a decisive 32–6 diving victory on Senior Day against Notre Dame. Freshman Matteo Santoro has been a welcomed addition, entering the collegiate ranks as a co–World Champion in the mixed 3-meter synchronized event alongside Miami teammate Pellacani.
With over half of Miami’s divers holding Olympic experience — and all having competed internationally — UM remains statistically stacked against ACC rivals once the meet turns to the boards.
Chiara Pellacani, a national champion in Miami’s ranks
The reigning NCAA Women’s 1-meter diving champion, Pellacani is one of the top female divers on the collegiate circuit.
She headlines Miami’s postseason push after another decorated season that included being named European Aquatic Awards’ Women’s Diving Athlete of the Year. A two-time Olympian, Pellacani has consistently delivered high-difficulty, high-reward performances that anchor Miami’s scoring across meets.
Butterfly and backstroke could be Miami’s strongest weapons
Freshman Phoebe Mayo has emerged as a key contributor in the butterfly events, while senior Sarah Sensenbrenner provides veteran stability in the backstroke. Sophomore Ashlyn Massey has consistently delivered top finishes across both disciplines, keeping Miami firmly in scoring position.
Senior Evelyn Meggesto recently made history, breaking into the All-Time Top 10 in the 200m butterfly.
These aren’t one-off swims — they’re repeatable scorers, which matters in a championship format where consistency often outweighs flash.
Distance is quietly reliable — and potentially lethal
Senior Kate Sommerstad and freshman Sophie Lenze don’t always headline meets, but they consistently place high and set the tone early — particularly in the 1,000-meter freestyle. Their ability to control tempo and stay composed in longer events gives Miami a steady stream of points before the meet ever reaches its most chaotic stages.
That reliability matters at ACCs, where early-session distance races can dictate momentum and force other teams to chase from behind. While distance rarely produces the loudest moments of a championship, it often determines which teams remain in contention. Miami’s roster depth in these events keeps the Hurricanes firmly in the conversation.
At ACCs, titles aren’t won in a single race — they’re built across sessions, events and noticeable margins. Miami doesn’t need everything to go perfectly in Atlanta. It just needs to do what it has done all season: stack points early, stay steady late and let depth do the talking.
The Hurricanes don’t need surprises to contend at the ACC Swim & Dive Championships. They just need to be themselves — and let the math work out for itself.
Photo Credit: @CanesSwimDive via X // University of Miami divers Chiara Pellacani and Matteo Santoro celebrate being the 2025 mixed synchro World Champions during the World Aquatics Championships in Singapore on July 30, 2025.
You know it’s February at the University of Miami when men in matching crimson shirts start interrupting your classes with classic love songs.
Beta Tau, UM’s chapter of Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia Men’s Music Fraternity, celebrates Valentine’s Day with their annual “Singing Valentines” tradition.
“Singing Valentines” is the chapter’s biggest fundraiser event of the year. Fraternity brothers tabled in the first week of February, and students were able to secure a serenade for the following week for $10. As demand increased, they added a third day of tabling following early deliveries, charging $13 per performance on their final days.
The brothers of Beta Tau have been delivering “Singing Valentines” for more than forty years. Customers can choose from several fan-favorite love songs, including Bruno Mars’ “Just the Way You Are,” the Backstreet Boys’ “I Want It That Way” and Stevie Wonder’s “Isn’t She Lovely,” among others.
“I’ve always thought of these singing valentines as thoughtful gifts,” said Phi Mu Alpha Vice President Adam Abdelkhaelek. “Obviously, they’re a little embarrassing because of the fact [that] you’re being sung to in the middle of class. But the act of receiving a singing valentine shows that someone — whether that be your friend, partner or even your parent — cares about you.”
Though the event’s main function is to raise money for the chapter, several brothers agree “Singing Valentines” have found a new purpose: to make their peers smile.
“Especially with so much polarization and conflict right now, we want to continue to spread the love throughout campus,” said Phi Mu Alpha Historian and Service Chair Milo Greenspon. “This tradition has helped bring a lot of joy throughout campus over the years, and it has solidified our identity on campus to the rest of the student body.”
Past on-campus presence, UM’s Phi Mu Alpha chapter has made their mark on social media. Their acapella rendition of Whitney Houston’s “I Will Always Love You” earned more than half a million views on Instagram.
Following their recent uptick in notoriety, Phi Mu Alpha recently announced that they would additionally be taking formal bookings for “Birthday Grams” — so if you missed out on sending your special someone a song for Valentine’s Day, don’t fret. Just wait until their birthday, and you’ll have a renewed opportunity to have fraternity brothers call them a P.Y.T.
The University of Miami baseball team held an open press conference where head coach J.D. Arteaga, pitching coach Laz Gutierrez, hitting coach Chris Dominguez, third-baseman Daniel Cuvet, catcher Alex Sosa, and pitcher AJ Ciscar spoke to journalists and fans.
Miami walked off the field in Louisville last June one run short of Omaha, and the message at media day was simple.
The Hurricanes will not fall short again.
The 2026 season opens Friday night against Lehigh at Alex Rodriguez Park at Mark Light Field, and Arteaga enters his third season as head coach with a lineup he believes can carry the program back to the College World Series.
The Canes return the core of an offense that helped them reach their first super regional since 2016, but they also lost a pile of innings on the mound.
J.D. Arteaga did not sugarcoat what the standard is in Coral Gables.
“We could win 45 games, but if we’re not in Omaha, it’s not a great season,” Arteaga said.
He called the offense the clear strength, then pointed to the biggest unknown heading into opening weekend.
“Offense is definitely the strength,” Arteaga said. “The big question mark is the pitching, more because of the amount of innings that we lost. We lost the entire bullpen and we lost two out of our four starters.”
That pitching reset falls heavily on Laz Gutierrez, the program’s associate head coach and pitching coach. Gutierrez kept coming back to one thing with his Friday starter: strike-throwing. He said AJ Ciscar has lived in the zone through fall work, bullpens and live reps.
“He throws the highest numbers of strikes,” Gutierrez said. “He’s at 74%, which is unheard of. Our aim is 64%, and he’s at 74%. It’s going to be even more refined and even more consistent.”
Gutierrez also described the bullpen build as the hardest part of the job, because practice never fully recreates the moment.
“It’s very difficult to replicate game situations,” Gutierrez said. “The seventh inning is different from the ninth inning, and you see how guys respond differently. It’s always a challenge, but you try to learn who can handle those high-leverage innings.”
Freshman right-handed pitcher Tate Derias pitches against Duke University on Sunday, April 13, 2025. Photo Credit: Staff Photographer Brian Mulvey
At the plate, Chris Dominguez is working with a group that brings back proven bats and adds transfers who fit the same profile. Dominguez is in his second season as Miami’s hitting coach. He said the staff has avoided making sweeping changes to Daniel Cuvet, because the production has been there since he arrived. Cuvet blasted 18 home runs and drove in 84 runs last season, then carried that momentum into the postseason run.
“We’re not making any major changes with him,” Dominguez said. “Every year you just try to get a little smarter, a little better in what you’re doing, and how you work. That’s how he goes about his business.”
Dominguez said the same patience applies to portal additions, even when fans want instant tweaks.
“They’ve had success where they’ve been,” Dominguez said. “It’s not fair for me from day one to try and change you. Let me get some games in and see how you do, and if we need to change something, then we will.”
Cuvet, a junior third baseman, is the star of the team. He hit an audacious .372 with an OPS of 1.158. He led the Canes in virtually every major stat category including homers, RBIs and batting average.
“I feel super comfortable and confident, especially in the team and everyone around me,” Cuvet said. “Having those guys around me allows me to be comfortable where I am, and showing the way for the rest of the guys is super cool.”
He also leaned into the depth Miami believes it has, and what that does for an opposing pitching plan.
“This is the most balanced offense we’ve had since I’ve been here,” Cuvet said. “There’s going to be a lot of guys besides me producing a lot for us, and guys can’t just pitch around you anymore.”
One of the new pieces in that lineup is Alex Sosa, a catcher who transferred in from NC State and brings experience handling a staff that is still sorting out roles. He hit 10 long bombs and recorded 40 RBIs on top of a .291 batting average.
“This team has a different motive,” Sosa said. “Super regional is cool, but they did it last year. They want more this year, and it’s cool to be a part of that.”
Sosa also kept circling back to the value of learning from Miami’s new catching coach, former major leaguer Jarrod Saltalamacchia, and how that can raise the floor for the entire staff.
“He knows what the guys at the top level want,” Sosa said. “He wants to see your chest like this, your body in this position, and the confidence that if the pitch is in the dirt, you’re going to block it. He’s mentored us through all that.”
AJ Ciscar, a sophomore right-hander from Weston, Florida, is the Friday night starter after a freshman season that earned national attention, and he talked like a guy who is comfortable wearing it.
“Opening weekend, we’re going in there making a statement,” Ciscar said. “We’ve got a new identity, new guys, new lineups, new weekend rotation, and we’re going to set the tone for our brand of baseball and keep playing that way.”
Later, Ciscar explained why his sinker has always been his calling card, tracing it back to a middle school injury that changed his arm slot.
“When I was in seventh grade, I broke my hand playing basketball,” Ciscar said. “I used to be way over the top, but throwing with the cast made my arm slot drop. I started throwing a two-seam, and kids would tell me it looked like a changeup, but it was hard. I didn’t know what was happening. It just became who I am.”
Miami has spent months talking about Omaha, but the first chance to show it comes in the opener. Arteaga said the goal is not to look good in February, it is to be standing in June fighting for national championship number five.
Lace up your best walking shoes and get those cameras ready, because the 62nd annual Coconut Grove Arts Festival kicks off on Feb. 14.
This outdoor festival is located south of downtown Miami along the streets of McFarlane Road, South Bayshore Drive and Pan American Drive, overlooking Biscayne Bay.
The event will run through President’s Day weekend for three full days, Feb. 14 – 16, from 10a.m. to 6p.m. on Saturday and Sunday, and until 5p.m. on Monday.
It will feature over 275 artists from around the world, who will display their crafts in individual booths where their art will be available for purchase.
These displays include art in over 15 mediums, ranging from paintings and charcoal drawings composed on canvas to handheld pieces in the form of glass, clay and wood. Live art demonstrations will also occur intermittently throughout the festival
Alongside many professionals, the festival also has an ‘Emerging Artists’ section that highlights up-and-coming artists participating in a two-year educational program funded by the event.
For many of these amateur craftsmen, this is their first opportunity to showcase their work for the public.
In addition to the wide variety of art displays, the festival also provides food and drinks from various, diverse restaurants and vendors and oftentimes presents live cooking demonstrations from seasoned local chefs.
Live music, animal shows and dance parties targeted towards a younger audience round out the festival’s offerings, making it a fun-filled day for the whole family.Tickets can be purchased in person at the event or in advance online here.
On Feb. 11, the For U ticket, running for student body president, vice president and treasurer, pled liable to a minor infraction of campaigning before permitted and served a two-day ban on campaigning.
With election season comes extensive campaigning from competing tickets. This year, the University of Miami has two tickets hoping to be elected.
One is the UNITED campaign, led by presidential candidate Jaell-Ann (JJ) Auguste, vice presidential candidate Alex Barrowclough and treasurer candidate Grace Wheeling. The other is the For U campaign, led by presidential candidate Fernando Sepulveda Sagaseta, vice presidential candidate Aaron Gonzales and treasurer candidate Dylan Hall.
As stated in the Supreme Court Trial Court Opinion, Sepulveda Sagaseta and Hall attended a National Pan-Hellenic Council meeting on Feb. 5, sparking discussion about whether this meeting violated campaign rules.
According to the official documentation from Trial Court, complaints argued that Sepulveda Sagaseta’s attendance at the meeting violated Chapter IV, Title 5, Section 3, Clauses 1 and 6 of the Election Codes. These clauses outline that tickets may only start campaigning on the official date listed in the Elections Calendar, and that “campaigning at student organizations meetings, including Greek Life … is permitted with the approval of the meeting organizer and the Elections Commission.”
The Student Government Supreme Court Trial Court Opinion on Feb. 9 discussing For U campaign violations. // Photo via the UM Student Government website.
At Trial Court, Sepulveda Sagaseta discussed that this “meeting was pursuant to his official duties as Student Government Chief of Staff,” but he acknowledged that Hall’s presence and the topics discussed could appear as a violation.
A source sent an anonymous tip to The Hurricane, claiming that Sepulveda Sagaseta discussed initiatives including “improving the relationship between Student Government and Greek Life, supporting NPCH through organizational plaques, suite upgrades, and SAFAC account access for each organization.”
While both parties are allowed to campaign at club and organization meetings around campus, they are limited to certain dates, as stated in the University of Miami Student Government Statutes.
“Over the first few days of campaigning, our team was accused of multiple violations. As part of the standard process, all allegations are reviewed by the Elections Commission, and only one was ultimately forwarded for further review,” Sepulveda Sagaseta said in a statement to The Hurricane.
Sagaseta stated that after speaking with their Student Government advisor, the team decided to accept the minor violation in order to continue campaigning on Thursday, Feb. 12.
“Since then, we have taken additional precautions and have been in close communication with election leadership to ensure full compliance with all campaign regulations,” he said.
According to the Student Government Statutes, in order for the Elections Commission to take action, the submission of a violation must “contain a complaint; have been filed against a current candidate, ticket, or referenda sponsor; be associated with at least one of the infractions outlined in Title 6, Section 1 of the Election codes and; contain accompanying evidence.”
Once this occurs, the Elections Commission reserves the right to establish some sort of penalty based on the type of infraction. The categories for an infraction include a Major Infraction, Minor Infraction or Automatic Disqualification.
A penalty is decided at the discretion of the Trial Court, assuming the Elections Commission has established an infraction occurred. All Trial Court decisions can be found in the University of Miami Student Government’s Public Records.
“The UNITED Ticket has consistently upheld a fair election,” UNITED said in a statement to The Hurricane. “These sanctions do not extend to the UNITED Ticket, and we have remained dedicated to the student body we seek to represent. Our ticket is committed to collaborating closely with all branches of student government to ensure that election violations are thoroughly investigated and appropriately addressed.”
Voting will take place from Monday, Feb. 16, until Wednesday, Feb. 18. Students will be able to vote through Engage for online voting, or in the UC Breezeway from 12:30-3:30 p.m. for in-person voting.
Katie Karlson contributed to the reporting of this article.
The University of Miami has announced a new mail pickup system for the students housed at University Village. This system will have packages delivered to lockers instead of the mailroom.
According to an email sent out by Housing and Residential Life, “You can pick up your package from the locker at any time of the day, as the lockers are self-service.”
When a package is received, it will be assigned a locker. Afterwards, students are emailed a pin to open their specific locker for that package.
Derby Peck, a senior student residing in University Village, hopes that this will solve current issues with the mailing system at University Village.
“The old mail system was not efficient because we could only get our packages from 3-9 p.m. on weekdays and 6-9 p.m. on weekends,” Peck said. “Giving us only a three hour time slot on the weekends is unrealistic.”
While the lockers are readily available at any point for students, the 24/7 system is only for a limited time.
There is a 72-hour time limit on a locker kiosk in order to make room for the cycle of packages. If after three days of being notified a student has yet to collect their mail from the locker, it will be transferred to the standard mailing room.
Additionally, Housing and Residential Life notes new hours for the University Village mailing room.
“All items logged into the mailroom are available for pickup Monday-Friday, 6:00-9:00 p.m. and Saturday-Sunday, 7:00-9:00 p.m.,” the email reads. Mail can then be picked up from the mailroom in the next 14 days before being returned to the sender.
Peck and others are optimistic that the ability to get packages at any time could be a good change for the mailing system.
The University of Miami men’s tennis team won 4-3 against the South Florida Bulls on Tuesday afternoon at the Neil Schiff Tennis Center.
With the victory, the Hurricanes (6-3) gain their sixth win at home on the season as well as increase their home winning streak to 19, which goes back to Jan. 13, 2025.
UM started off their day by securing the doubles point. The pair of Spanish seniors, Antonio Prat and Nacho Serra Sanchez, got the opening 6-2 win against James Newton and Max Mroz. The Canes then clinched the doubles point when Rafael Segado and Jules Garot defeated Stepan Mruzek and Timeo Gaillard, 6-4. When play was halted, Miami was leading in a tough court one matchup with Mehdi Sadaoui and Jakub Kroslak leading 6-5 over Hugo Car and Ettore Danesi.
Moving on to singles, No. 95 Prat opened things with the ranked win on court one over No. 119 Car, 6-1, 6-4. Garot then put the Canes within a point of victory with a 6-2, 6-3 win over Gaillard. However, USF did not go without a fight as they notched wins from Mruzek over Kroslak, 0-6, 7-5, 6-3, followed by a 6-4, 6-4 win from Danesi over Sadaoui.
The comeback by the Bulls (1-6) would be stopped short as Segado clinched the match on court five, defeating Newton in a back-and-forth second set for the 6-1, 7-6 (5) win. After the clinching victory, No. 112 Elijah Cham bested Serra Sanchez in two hard-fought sets, winning 5-7, 5-7.
The Hurricanes will be back on Saturday, Feb. 21, at 12:00 p.m. to host FGCU (1-6) at the Neil Schiff Tennis Center.
Some huge video game news has the University of Miami’s competitive esports team buzzing.
Five new heroes, a new focus on annual story arcs, and a “Hello Kitty” collaboration were among the transformative changes announced by videogame developer Blizzard at its 2026 Overwatch Spotlight on Feb. 4.
“But our key focus this year is how we can evolve what it means to play an Overwatch game,” Aaron Keller, Overwatch’s Game Director, said at the Overwatch Spotlight event “There are so many things coming to Overwatch this year we can’t even fit it into this Spotlight.”
With the first season of this new chapter for Overwatch released on Feb. 10, Blizzard’s plans will change the fabric of Overwatch and force the ’Canes to adjust their strategy for the Spring 2026 collegiate esports season. A few of them are excited to play the new heroes.
“I feel like it’s Blizzard’s message to the community that it’s ready to go all in on Overwatch,” said Anthony Crespo, one of two team captains for UM’s eSports team. “There are a lot of exciting heroes and changes that will refresh the game over the coming months, and a roadmap of future content to keep everyone interested.”
Crespo and his co-captain, Randy Advincula, will, however, assess how this will affect their season.
The new heroes will be locked behind the PlayVS College League’s two-week rule, which prevents new heroes from being playable until two weeks after official release.
“We’re going to have two weeks to plan strategies for our teams, but it’s going to be crazy,” Crespo said. “With new heroes, perk changes, map changes, and most likely some balance changes, it’s going to be chaos.”
While the delay in hero releases will give the ’Canes time to prepare, they will have to adjust quickly to other changes to the game. Perks, or in-game upgrades to heroes, and maps are all being updated in the new update.
Subroles, labels given to certain heroes to denote their purposes and which come with an extra ability, are also a new addition to Overwatch that the ‘Canes will have to consider.
There will be two games played before the end of the two-week period for UM eSports.
“New heroes and subroles are a lot, and it’ll give an advantage to those who can adapt and learn quickly, something Overwatch has been missing for a while,” Advincula said. “We will have to keep in mind to test new stuff in our scrims while still practicing old strategies in the meantime.”
