Melanie Schultz runs with the boys.

Women’s cross-country has suddenly taken notice of the junior, who went from being a nameless face in a sea of runners to the lead of the pack in the Gator Invitational last week. Schultz brought home a second place finish, opening the eyes of the coaches that stood by watching and wondering where her speed came from.

Her training is intense: a daily routine of working out, running and eating based on a strict diet, but this girl has it down to a science. All Schultz’s sacrifices have given her an opportunity to excel in her sport beyond what she could have dreamed of as a sophomore in high school, when she first began her career as a runner.

“When I finished high school, I thought I was done,” Schultz said. “I never expected to run at a collegiate level. It took a long time to get my body in the shape it needed to be in so I was able to run quickly.”

Now, Schultz is one of the top female runners at UM and believed by Head Coach Mike Ward to have the potential to be the best runner the university has ever had on the women’s cross-country team.

Schultz’s efforts and talent have earned her the right to train with the male squad, which has a more rigorous workout routine.

“Melanie’s work ethic is amazing whether she’s running or not,” Ward said. “She has the ability to handle a great deal of responsibilities at once. I am excited about what she is going to achieve this year as a result of her hard work.”

Schultz’s personal goal for the season is to be able to qualify at the Regionals for the NCAA Championships. As for the team as a whole, she wants to see them work together to improve their times rather than focus on competing well against the other schools.

“This school has given me the opportunity to get where I am, which is something I wouldn’t have been able to do anywhere else,” Schultz said.

This ‘Cane has aspirations of running marathons after her college career is over.

“I’d really love to be able to get my time to where I can race in the Olympic trials someday,” Schultz said.

Schultz said that having a successful year depends on consistent training.

“You have to do the work during the summer,” she said. “The season doesn’t start in August; it starts in June with the training. If you don’t work hard then, you can’t expect to improve dramatically during the season.”

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

It’s been a strange start to the season for the women’s volleyball team, as it has had two hurricanes ruin two prospective tournaments. First, Hurricane Frances put a stop to what was supposed to be, oddly enough, the Hurricane Invitational held at the Knight Sports Complex, and then Hurricane Ivan forced the ‘Canes to change their travel plans as they headed to Southern Methodist University in Dallas instead of Louisiana State University. Either way, Head Coach Nicole Lantagne Welch believes the tournaments helped the team.

“They were great for us, because I feel that we learned a lot about ourselves,” Lantagne Welch said. “We also were able to get better each time out as we were able to make some improvements.”

The Hurricanes are now 4-3 after taking two of three matches at the SMU tournament last weekend. The weekend before, they traveled to Los Angeles to take part in the Loyola-Marymount tournament, where they were able to salvage the last match against Cincinnati.

Lantagne Welch said she believes the team could be better if it weren’t for Hurricane Frances.

“We hoped to be a little bit better at this point,” Lantagne Welch said. “It hurt to lose that one tournament to the hurricane because we lost a lot of early matches because of it.”

One bright spot so far this season has been the play of red shirt freshman Ciara Michel. Last week against SMU, Michel went 11-for-14 with only one error in the Hurricanes’ 3-0 win. The 6’4″ Miami native also accounted for 13 of Miami’s 77 points on the day.

“Ciara’s doing a great job for us, considering she’s only a freshman,” Lantagne Welch said. “When we can get her going offensively, it really helps the rest of our team be very effective.”

The Hurricanes will finally conclude the tournament swing and begin ACC play this week. Next up on the schedule is Florida State, not a bad match-up for their inaugural match in the ACC. The match takes place tonight at 7 p.m. at the Knight Sports Complex. The Seminoles are off to a good start, as they have a 7-3 record through their first 10 matches. Lantagne Welch feels the Hurricanes will show up to play tonight.

“It’s a huge rivalry between Florida State and us obviously so we will definitely be motivated,” Lantagne Welch said. “They have a lot of players back from last year, so we will know a little bit of what to expect, but we need to worry more about our side of the court and our play. If we handle the ball well then we have a great shot at winning.”

Tonight’s match is the first of many ACC matches this year. Besides a couple of matches against local teams like FAU and South Florida, Miami will be facing one of the best women’s volleyball conferences in the nation from here on out.

“The ACC is a very strong conference from top to bottom, as it is much different from what we saw in the Big East,” Lantagne Welch said. “We’ll be tested more frequently night in and night out as we can’t afford to have an off night against these teams.”

Douglas Kroll can be contacted at d.kroll@umiami.ed

Women’s tennis

The University of Miami women’s tennis team concluded its first tournament of the fall season by winning two of five singles matches and two doubles matches at the Gator Fall Classic in Gainesville, Fla., Sunday afternoon.

In a rematch from 2004’s NCAA Singles Championship round of 16, senior Megan Bradley, who is ranked No. 2 in the nation, defeated Florida’s Jennifer Magley, 7-5, 6-3. Bradley earned a 6-2, 7-5 win against Magley in NCAAs.

Sophomore Emily Mowery topped Florida’s Alex Liles 6-3, 4-6, 1-0 (10-8).

The Hurricanes’ duo of Bradley and freshman Juliette Mavroleon overcame FSU’s Roxanne Clarke-Mihaela Moldovan pairing, 8-3, while Junior Melissa Applebaum and freshman Caren Seenauth defeated Lindsay Deason and Tapiwa Marobela from FSU 8-6.

The Hurricanes went 9-6 in singles and earned an even 4-4 record in doubles action.

Miami returns to action Oct. 5-6 when it travels to Los Angeles, Calif., where it will play to qualify for the All-American Championships that will take place Oct. 7-10.

Women’s soccer

The women’s soccer team used a trio of goals in the second period by senior Anik Huffman, junior Lindsey Yach and senior Britney Butcher to down in-state rival Jacksonville, 3-1 Tuesday afternoon in Jacksonville, Fla., claiming its second win in as many matches.

Playing in their third game in six days, the Hurricanes (2-4-0) overpowered the Dolphins (1-5-1), recording 20 shots by 14 different players on the afternoon, including a season-best 10 on goal, while holding JU to just nine shots in the match.

The first period opened as the two schools fought for more than nine minutes before the first shot was taken when the Hurricanes’ Sheuneen Ta missed wide from the right side of the net at the 9:48 mark.

Miami and Jacksonville traded five more shots each throughout the remainder of the half as the first period closed with the match scoreless.

The Hurricanes came out strong in the second period when, following a blocked shot attempt by Yach in the 48th minute, Jyene Mack and Lauren Berardicurti found Huffman, who netted a goal from inside the box at the 50:40 mark to score her first of the season giving Miami a 1-0 lead.

Yach would connect nearly 22 minutes later, adding to the Miami in the 73rd minute with her second goal of the season on a penalty kick.

Miami’s third and final goal followed shortly as Butcher lobbed a shot off the crossbar and right post to score her first goal of the season in the 76th minute.

The Dolphins lone goal of the night came in 79th minute on a penalty kick by Jess Newport past UM keeper Alex Alford.

THURSDAY SEPTEMBER 16
10:12 a.m. 5821 San Amaro Dr.
Burglary/Vehicle
2:37 p.m. 5665 Ponce de Leon
Simple Assault
6:36 p.m. 1300 Memorial Dr.
Theft

FRIDAY SEPTEMBER 17
3:50 a.m. 1239 Dickinson Dr.
Assault
6:35 p.m. 1239 Dickinson Dr.
Theft
7:20 p.m. 1241 Dickinson Dr.
Theft

SATURDAY SEPTEMBER 18
7:34 p.m. 1211 Dickinson Dr.
Theft
MONDAY SEPTEMBER 20
10:51 a.m. 1306 Stanford Dr.
Fraud
12:15 p.m. 1310 Campo Sano Dr.
Theft
1:02 p.m. 1312 Miller Dr.
Stolen Vehicle
8:12 p.m. 1300 Memorial Dr.
Theft
8:26 p.m. 1550 Brescia Ave. Attempted Burglary

TUESDAY SEPTEMBER 21
11:50 a.m. 1101 Stanford Dr. Burglary
6:31 p.m. 5501 San Amaro Dr.
Theft

Most University of Miami athletes have a full plate to handle. UM volleyball player Elizabeth Tyson, and her boyfriend, football player Chris Myers, are no exception.

While most students are concerned about their workload, the couple’s refreshing attitude toward its obligations may makes one want to think twice. Tyson not only shoulders the academic responsibilities of being a Miami student, but is also quite focused on her significant role in the volleyball team’s lineup.

Tyson said she is an emotional player who feeds off the passion of her teammates.

“Biz is a very important outside hitter,” Head Coach Nicole Lantagne Welch said. “She is the type of player who can bring so much to the court with her emotion.”

This season, Tyson hopes to bring experience and leadership to the squad. However, Tyson said she feels lucky to be a part of a talented team with superior coaching.

Tyson, and the rest of the team for that matter, also attain success on the court thanks to a significant work ethic.

“We practice everyday and our coaching does a great job preparing us for matches with scout charts as well as the scout team,” Tyson said.

It would seem obvious that Tyson would find herself facing a lack of time to spend on Myers. On top of this, one has to consider his own rigorous practice schedule that comes with being an integral part of the Hurricanes’ offensive line.

Despite their intense commitment to their respective sports, the two make the most out of their time together.

“We’re really good at time management and planning our schedules,” Tyson said. “We have the same major [political science], we try and take the same classes, and living together we see each other at night.”

Tyson does admit, though, that games can get in the way of having a life.

“Our teammates call us Mom and Dad, because we stay in and don’t get to go out and party too much,” she said. “But we enjoy hanging out, watching movies, and being able to relax.”

While both Tyson and Myers share uncommon work ethics and dedication, they also show support at each other’s games. The two constantly cheer each other on in an undeniable display of spirit.

“I know he gets excited at each of my matches, and when I watch him play, I become both excited and nervous,” Tyson said. “I think anxious is a good word for how I feel”.

Tonight, Tyson and the rest of the squad will face a stiff test against Florida State, a game she described as “huge,” coupled with the fact that it will be the Hurricanes’ first ACC match. As if that wasn’t imposing enough, Tyson faces another challenge: teaching Myers to play volleyball.

“I’m trying to teach him to play beach volleyball,” she said. “He’s not real light on his toes but he’s not bad.”

Michael Soto can be contacted at m.soto3@umiami.edu.

While the Hurricanes’ offense has struggled at times early on, the defense has been dominating, thanks in part to the defensive line, which has shown early on that it is one of the best units in the country.

The reason that the defensive line may be among the best in school history can be directly attributed to their depth. The Hurricanes rotate several different linemen in and out of the game, which keeps everyone fresh without much of a drop-off in talent. This is why Head Coach Larry Coker thinks the d-line has endless potential.

“We have depth there, a lot of guys can come in and play, so I definitely think the sky is the limit for those guys,” Coker said.

The defensive line’s dominance starts with ends Baraka Atkins and Thomas Carroll. They combined for nine tackles and two sacks in the first two games, but their contributions go beyond that. They have been in the opposition’s backfield constantly, disrupting the quarterback’s timing and forcing errant passes.

In addition, the Hurricanes have three very good defensive tackles that play considerable minutes. Orien Harris, Kareem Brown, and Santonio Thomas all have NFL potential. Each weighs right around the 300-pound mark and is essential to the run defense. They clog up the middle and find ways to rush the passer. They have combined for nine tackles and one and a half sacks so far, and the defense held the nation’s top rusher, Ryan Moats, to under 100 yards last week, which was in large part because of these men clogging up the middle.

If the defensive line depth ended there, it would already be a pretty impressive unit. However, the Hurricanes rotate even more guys into the fold. Sophomore defensive ends Bryan Pata and Javon Nanton both see time at the defensive end spot. They provide depth and talent at the end position, while not losing much in production.

Finally, red shirt freshman Teraz McCray, the team leader in sacks with two, and senior Alton Wright both got playing time. McCray had the best game of his UM career against Louisiana Tech, registering two sacks in route to a blowout victory.

If this defensive line is able to rotate eight or nine guys throughout the entire season, the unit will have a chance to be among the best in Hurricanes’ history. There are very few teams in football who have the ability to rotate players like the ‘Canes do.

“They have played awfully well, and that is probably an understatement,” Coker said. “As far as where they are headed, that’s up to us. They are headed in the right direction and if they don’t lose focus and stay hungry, the sky is the limit for these guys because they can be awfully good.”

If you don’t believe Coker, just ask Florida State.

Darren Grossman can be contacted at d.grossman@umiami.edu.