Safety Tip of the Week, from Director Christensen of Public Safety:

Safety in and about your vehicle

* Always keep your car doors locked with the windows closed.

* Try not to leave valuable items in plain view where they can be seen; lock them in the trunk.

* Keep your vehicles key in your hand when entering.

* Make sure that your spare tire and jack are in working order and always make sure that you have enough fuel in your vehicle.

* Never give strangers a ride, even if they claim to be students.

* If you think you’re being followed, drive to a well-lit populated area or to a police station and keep your cell phone charged, ready and activated.

* If your car breaks down stay with your car and call for assistance. Never accept a ride from a stranger.

WEDNESDAY JANUARY 26

12:31 a.m 1231 Dickinson Dr.

Simple Assault

12:22 p.m. 5100 Brunson Dr.

Theft/Vehicle

10:30 p.m. 5501 San Amaro Dr.

Theft

THURSDAY JANUARY 27

1:04 a.m. 111 Memorial Dr.

Vandalism

1:24 p.m. 1200 Walsh Ave.

Burglary/Vehicle

3:39 p.m. 5100 Brunson Dr.

Burglary/Vehicle

FRIDAY JANUARY 28

3:43 p.m. 1312 Miller Dr. Theft

SUNDAY JANUARY 30

2:30 p.m. 1330 Miller Dr.

Disorderly Intoxication

MONDAY JANUARY 31

9:27 a.m. 5500 San Amaro Dr.

Theft

10:03 a.m. 1231 Dickinson Dr.

Theft

11:03 a.m. 1245 Dauer Dr.

Vandalism

1:36 p.m. 1306 Stanford Dr. Theft

3:21 p.m. 5185 Ponce De Leon

Theft

Women’s Track & Field

The University of Miami women’s track and field team moved into a ninth-place tie with UCLA in the latest Trackwire 25 women’s indoor track and field rankings released Tuesday.

Miami has several student-athletes ranked among the national leaders in their respective events, including senior Amber Williams, who posted the nation’s top mark this season in winning the pentathlon at the Penn State National Open last weekend.

Other nationally ranked individuals include senior Wiande Moore, who ranks fifth in the 60-meters, junior Charlette Greggs, who ranks 12th in the 400-meters, junior Dominique Darden, who ranks ninth in the 60-meter hurdles, sophomore Tabia Charles, who ranks seventh in the long jump and eighth in the triple jump, sophomore Brenda Faluade, who ranks 15th in the long jump, and senior Kimberli Barrett, who ranks fifth in both the shot put and weight throw.

Miami returns to action Feb. 6 at the Gator Invitational in Gainesville, Fla.

After his 28-point, nine-assist performance, how far off is Anthony Harris from the best point guards in the conference? What does he still need to improve on?

There is no question that Anthony had a great game against Chris Paul. He played with a lot of poise and savvy. He has made great strides to get to where he is now. I think he needs to continue to be a better defender and rebounder from his position and continue to communicate more with his teammates.

Robert Hite has seemingly recovered from a rough two-game stretch against Duke and UNC. What did the coaching staff do to help him get through the brief slump? Did you guys leave him alone and let him shoot his way out of it, or did you try to work him harder on his shot?

Rob put in extra time with his shooting. We tried to not make a big deal out of it. Rob knew he needed to work on things from those two games. He knew he needed to be more aggressive and not settle for the three-point shot. He did that against Clemson and followed it up with a great game vs. Wake.

What does it feel like to hear your name on ESPN as one of the best first-year coaches in America? Did you ever expect to receive this kind of notoriety this early?

I don’t take anything for granted. I am very grateful for the opportunity I have here at Miami. I’ve been fortunate to be surrounded by great hardworking people that help to bring this type of notoriety.

Could you describe the type of emotions you felt leading up to the Wake Forest game? Was there any added significance coaching against a team you once were part of?

It was different because I was going back to a place where I had coached for five years. There were a lot of things that were the same and things that were different. It was good to see old friends from Winston Salem.

What do you think the women’s team needs to do to turn around a rough start in the ACC?

To be honest, I am worried about us competing in the ACC. I would like to congratulate Ferne on getting on her 300th win. That is a fantastic accomplishment.

Send your questions to Coach Haith by emailing e.kalis@umiami.edu.

The Hurricanes once again received a welcome to the ACC with the opening of baseball season, in which they are ranked second in the conference.

High expectations have been placed on the ‘Canes as they work through their schedule in hopes of ultimately ending up in Omaha for the College World Series. The team will play a number of road games that were not previously part of the schedule as a result of moving to the new conference. The squad will trek to Wake Forest, Virginia Tech, North Carolina, Virginia and Clemson. Last year, the team only traveled to Tallahassee to take on Florida State and Atlanta to play Georgia Tech.

“The most challenging part of this season and will be adjusting to the amount of traveling, which is part of joining the ACC,” said Head Coach Jim Morris.

Currently ranked fifth in national preseason polls, Miami has its eyes set on a national championship, which would be the fifth in ‘Canes history.

“Our goal each year is the same: to go to Omaha and win,” Morris said. “It’s something we have been able to accomplish in the past and we will be working toward that again. As part of the ACC we have a different avenue to our goal than ever before, but not necessarily more difficult.”

After losing five starters from the 2004 season to the Major League draft, the team will encounter a few changes in the lineup. A new first baseman, second baseman, third baseman, catcher and two outfielders are among the tentative adjustments.

Despite the uncertainty in defining roles for each player, talent is an unquestionable aspect of the Miami team. The versatility of several players, coupled with two All-American candidates in junior shortstop Ryan Braun and junior pitcher Cesar Carrillo, contributes to the X-factor that makes ‘Canes baseball successful each year.

“We’re all really close to each other and that is what makes us a team on and off the field,” he said.

The team has only five seniors to the roster, leaving room for underclassmen to prove their skill level on the field. Sophomores Jon Jay, Roger Tomas and Danny Gil have surpassed the expectations held for them. Jay returns with an impressive list of accolades from his freshman season, including a .368 batting average, six home runs, and 56 RBI. Tomas stepped in last season at shortstop after Braun became injured. He proved himself as a valuable asset to the team and was named to the 2004 College World Series All-Tournament team. Gil made his freshman debut last year as pitcher in the second half of the 2004 season and his potential continues to grow.

Morris enters his 12th year as the head coach, hoping to obtain his third national championship at Miami. His experience, knowledge of the game and understanding of the ACC provide the confidence required to lead the ‘Canes to victory.

“My coaching philosophy is simple, but effective: play hard and have fun,” Morris said.

Stacey Arnold can be contacted at s.arnold@umiami.edu.

It was a night of firsts for the University of Miami baseball team on Tuesday.

The Hurricanes won their first game of the 2005 season behind starter Cesar Carrillo and got significant contributions from two first-year players in a 7-0 victory over Florida International University in front of 3,197 people at Mark Light Field.

In the 108th meeting between the cross-town rivals, Carrillo, a pre-season All-American, made his first start of the season and first-year players Danny Valencia and Patrick Feeny put a stamp on their first career UM games.

Carrillo (1-0), a sophomore, was impressive early. He retired the first three batters in order throwing first pitch strikes to each.

“Cesar has great stuff and you expect him to win every time he goes out there,” Head Coach Jim Morris said. “I think we are 18-0 when he starts. I don’t want to say I’m a betting guy, but if I was, I’d probably bet on him.”

In the bottom half of the first, Paco Figueroa reached on a walk and moved to second when FIU starter Ammer Cabrera’s pick-off attempt got past first baseman Michael Lopez. Figueroa advanced to third on a Cabrera wild pitch and scored on Ryan Braun’s sacrifice fly giving the ‘Canes a 1-0 lead.

The score remained the same until the ‘Canes busted out for five runs in the bottom of the sixth. Figueroa led off the inning with a single to left. Braun followed and was hit by a pitch, advancing Figueroa to second. Left fielder John Jay laid down a sacrifice bunt to advance the runners to second and third with one out. After right fielder Brendan Katin was intentionally walked to load the bases, FIU replaced Cabrera with right-hander Frank Gonzalez.

Gonzalez hit Tomas, scoring Figueroa from third and giving UM a 2-0 lead. Valencia, a UNC Greensboro transfer, followed with the first hit of his UM career, scoring Braun. After Alex Garabedian struck out, Morris brought in Feeny with the bases loaded and two out. Feeny, who was cut from the team last year, looped a single to center scoring two. Feeny’s first career hit gave the ‘Canes a 5-0 lead.

“It really helped to break the game open and I think we knocked them out of the game in that inning,” Feeny said. “It was big for me and a great experience, one I won’t forget.”

UM added its sixth run when Danny Figueroa, back after missing the entire 2004 season with shoulder and elbow injuries, singled to left.

Carrillo dominated FIU’s line-up for six strong innings, striking out six and giving up just two hits.

“I knew coming into Miami I was going to have a reputation to be undefeated,” Carrillo said. “I just want to go out there and show everyone I can pitch.”

After the game Morris said he was very pleased with his team’s effort.

“They have a good club,” he said, “and I thought we played well.”

Chris Hamilton can be contacted at c.hamilton2@umiami.edu.

On a night when Miami needed a victory, the Hurricanes (13-7, 4-5) came out flat. Virginia Tech (12-7, 5-3) came into the Convocation Center and picked up the victory 73-63, but the final score doesn’t reflect the type of basketball game it was. In a game that featured nine lead changes and three ties, the Hokies were able to convert on their final 14 of 17 possessions to steal a win away from Miami. Junior Robert Hite lead the ‘Canes with 17 points, but sophomore Anthony Harris only had eight a game after scoring a career-high 28 against Wake Forest.

Zabian Dowdell led four Hokies in double digits with 23, including a couple of three pointers late in the game that crushed the Hurricanes’ comeback.

Miami led for much of the first half and took a 30-29 lead into halftime. Sophomore Guillermo Diaz struggled mightily from the field, as he only connected on 3-of-12 shots in the first frame and finished the game with 15 points.

In the second half, Virginia Tech slowed things down and lulled Miami to sleep at times. The Hokies took the lead 53-50 on a three pointer by Jamon Gordon with 7:06 to play and never looked back. With just under three minutes to play and trailing by five, Hite missed his second free throw, but Gary Hamilton grabbed the offensive rebound and Diaz made a lay-up to cut the lead to three. Sensing Miami needed a stop, the crowd of 5,375 rose to its feet and the Hokies threw the ball away.

But in the final two minutes, Miami would have two turnovers that would cost it the ballgame, as Harris and Will Frisby each threw cross-court passes that were stolen and converted into easy lay-ups by Virginia Tech. Head Coach Frank Haith said the loss boiled down to one thing.

“They had more energy out there tonight than we did,” Haith said. “Anytime we’re playing a team at home and don’t have more energy than they do, that’s really disappointing to see.”

After winning several close games at home this season, Miami couldn’t execute down the stretch as it had all year long. The main problem was not being able to extend the lead and put the Hokies away. Miami has now lost four of its last five games, losing a game it desperately needed, after defeating the Hokies the last six times they played. Hite knows his team lost a tough one tonight.

“We let this one slip away, but we have to rebound and steal one against Maryland,” Hite said.

The Hurricanes now have to face another ranked opponent when Maryland comes to Coral Gables on Saturday at 3 p.m. The Terrapins are ranked No. 21 in the country, yet they lost to Clemson on Monday night.

The Hurricanes allowed the Hokies to shoot 61 percent from the field in the second half, even though they contested shots all night long. Haith knows his team needs to get over this loss in a hurry.

“We have to rally the troops, stay together, and steal one on Saturday,” Haith said. “Maryland got a big win on the road against Duke last week, but then stubbed their toe against Clemson, so we need to steal one like they did.”

Douglas C. Kroll can be reached at d.kroll@umiami.edu