Swimming and Diving

Sophomore Martyna Krawczyk took first place in both the 100 and 200-yard breaststroke for the University of Miami swimming team in a narrow loss to South Carolina on Saturday afternoon in Columbia, S.C.

Despite having one of their best all-around performances of the year, the Hurricanes could not overcome the Gamecocks who took eight of 14 events to win 142.5 to 119.5.

Krawczyk touched in with a season-best 2:19.21 in the 200-yard breaststroke and finished the 200-yard breaststroke with a time of 1:07.15.

Junior Katalin Ferenczi also turned in two first place finishes for the Hurricanes, taking the 200-yard IM with a time of 2:09.02 while finishing first in the 200-yard backstroke at 2:04.55.

Miami also received solid performances from freshmen Nancy Gajos and Tara Erwin. Gajos topped the 200-yard butterfly with a time of 2:05.18 while Erwin recorded a time of 10:25.12 to take first in the 1000-yard freestyle.

The Hurricanes will return to action on Jan. 31, traveling to Boca Raton, Fla. to take on in-state rival Florida Atlantic beginning at 1 p.m.

Cross Country

Miami freshman Tabia Charles won the triple jump for the second consecutive meet with a leap of 13.06 meters to lead the 13th-ranked Hurricanes at the Leonard Hilton Memorial in Houston, Texas.

Last weekend Charles broke her own Canadian Junior record and automatically qualified for the NCAA Indoor Championships with winning mark of 13.53 meters at the Florida Intercollegiate in Gainesville, Florida.

On Friday Charles led a Hurricane sweep of the top five spots in the triple jump. Senior All-American and the defending East Regional Outdoor Champion Kitoya Carter finished second with an NCAA provisional qualifying mark of 12.80 meters. Freshman Brenda Faluade also provisionally qualified finishing third with a jump of 12.73 meters.Rounding out the top five were freshman Amy Seward who took fourth and junior Chinela Davis who placed fifth.

Other highlights included junior Amber Williams who finished first in the Section 1 finals of the 60-meter hurdles in at a time of 8.72 seconds, senior Adrienne Moss who took second in the shot put with a toss of 14.70 meters (48-02.75), and the 4×400-meter relay which finished second with a time of 3:47.90.

Miami returns to action on February 1 at the Gator Invitational in Gainesville, Florida.

Men’s Basketball

University of Miami sophomore forward Leonard Harden III has decided to leave the team and will not rejoin the Hurricanes this season, Head Coach Perry Clark announced Friday.

Harden, who was granted a release from the University, is now eligible to transfer to another school. Harden (6’9″, 255) played in 11 games this season averaging 2.3 points and 1.1 rebounds in 5.8 minutes per contest.

The success of the men’s basketball team this year can be attributed primarily to the emergence of Robert Hite.

Hite, a sophomore guard, leads the team in scoring, averaging 17 points a game. He is also the only Hurricane to score in double figures in every single game this season.

This is a drastic improvement from last season, when Hite, as a freshman, showed some promise, but did not produce nearly as much, averaging just over seven points per game, placing him third on the Hurricanes in scoring. A huge difference in Hite’s game is that he is playing with more confidence and taking advantage of extra practice in the off-season.

“I’m more confident this year with my game,” Hite said. “I worked hard in the off-season to get better, so I didn’t want all that hard work to go to waste.”

Hite averaged over 19 points a game at Winton Woods High School and earned first team All-State honors as well as the 2002 Associated Press Ohio Player of the Year Award. It was in high school that Hite realized that he had a future in basketball.

“When I started on the varsity team in high school as a freshman, I realized I could get into it,” Hite said. “I also ran track which helped with my speed and flexibility.”

Hite’s goal coming into this season was to improve upon last year and help the Hurricanes win games. He has far exceeded his goal already and still has several games left to play.

“My goal was to produce more and help my team. We were missing James Jones so someone had to step up for him, and I have tried to do that,” Hite said.

The success of Hite comes as no surprise to his coach, Perry Clark, who knew that Hite had unlimited potential when he recruited him two years ago from Ohio.

“Robert Hite is capable of having big games,” Clark said. “He works hard and is a good shooter. We brought him here to do these things and it’s great to see him playing well.”

With Hite playing well, and freshman Guillermo Diaz producing, the ‘Canes have three legitimate scoring options, with Darius Rice still being the go-to guy. How the team’s leading scorer next season when Rice graduates. As for this year, Hite will only make Rice’s job easier.

“Hite will help Darius get good looks,” Clark said. “Now we have some other people that can score besides Darius.”

The best part about Hite’s breakout season is that he is only a sophomore, which means he will keep improving. By the time Hite is ready to graduate from the University of Miami, he could be one of the top players in college basketball.

“The strength of my game is that I can shoot and put the ball on the floor, so the defense doesn’t know what to expect,” Hite said. “I’m a hard worker, and I don’t give up easily, so when things get tough, I just work harder and keep going.”

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

In a close match the men’s tennis team held off the No. 38 Southern Methodist Mustangs 4-3 to open its season with a victory.

In first doubles action, Colin Purcell and Tim Krebs defeated Gwinyai Chingoka and Paul McNaughton of SMU by a score of 8-6. It was a closely contested match, but the Hurricanes were able to pull away thanks to their advantage in power.

Krebs played well with Purcell, but after the match the sophomore admitted that he prefers singles competition.

“I like singles better because I don’t have to share the ball,” Krebs said jokingly. “It’s all me; I get all the credit whether I win or lose.”

Krebs did get to enjoy some individual glory when he defeated Peter Oredesson 6-4, 6-2.

Krebs’ victory was one of the few easy wins of the afternoon for the ‘Canes. In other singles action, freshman Josh Cohen defeated Gwinyai Chingoka 6-0, 6-0 in his first match as a Hurricane.

Cohen overcame some early nerves and was pleased with his overall performance after the match.

“I played almost excellent,” Cohen said. “I was nervous but not excessively nervous because that would be bad for my game. I always expect to win because otherwise there is no reason to play.”

The second singles match lasted three sets, as Eric Hechtman defeated Paul McNaughton 6-7, 6-2, 6-2. Hechtman overcame back problems during the match, and the Hurricanes were not even sure he would be able to compete against the Mustangs.

“Eric Hechtman played unbelievably,” Assistant Coach Ari Widlansky said. “Even with his injury he still worked hard and came out with a win.”

The other doubles victory for the ‘Canes featured Cohen and Jeremiah Fuller topping Aliaksandr Skrypko and Federico Murgier 8-6. It marked the first time Cohen and Fuller played together.

The Hurricanes suffered one of their three losses in second doubles, as John Hoyes II and P.J. Passalacqua were defeated by Henrik Soderberg and Oredesson by a score of 8-1. Passalacqua is new to the Hurricanes as well, and he came up short in his first doubles match.

No. 3 singles Hoyes II lost to Soderberg in three sets 6-4, 4-6, 2-6. Towards the end of the match Soderberg gained some consistency, making some difficult shots in closing out the match.

No. 4 singles Purcell lost to Skrypko 6-1, 6-3. Purcell did not play as well as he did in doubles with Krebs, with fatigue being a possible factor in his performance.

No. 6 singles Fuller lost to Murgier by a score of 6-4, 2-6, 6-1. It was one of the better matches on the afternoon.

The Hurricanes return to action on Friday against Florida Atlantic. Widlansky feels that the ‘Canes have a long way to go before they reach their potential.

“These beginning matches are good for conditional training so they can be better mentally and physically. They can definitely expect to do well the rest of the season.”

Whitney Brown can be contacted at awhitneyb423@hotmail.com

I am about to give you an important sports fact that most people on this campus do not even realize. The women’s basketball team is 16-1.

That was not a typographical error. The women’s basketball team is 16-1, yet no one seems to care. Their attendance is still low, and they aren’t even getting any credit nationally.

As a matter of fact, it took the team’s victory over a one-loss Dayton team to even get it ranked in the Top 25. The team was 12-0 and debuted in the polls at No. 25 a few weeks ago, while a 9-3 Penn State team was No. 10. Now, I’m not the type of person who buys into the theory that Miami is hated, but the women’s hoops rankings make me wonder if there is any validity to our complaints. The Hurricanes currently sit at No. 18 in the polls as of Sunday, and will probably jump up a few spots when the new poll is released this week, but even that seems shockingly low for a one-loss team that is tied with UConn for the Big East lead. It makes me think that if it were any other school, they would be in the Top 10.

Anyone who has actually taken the time to watch this team play, and I know most people haven’t, (judging by the size of the student sections at the game) realizes that this Miami team is very good, and is a contender not only in the Big East conference, but in the NCAA Tournament as well. Head Coach Ferne Labati has her team playing at a high level, and they deserve to be commended.

So let me be one of the first people to officially announce that I am excited about the women’s basketball team. I am proud of the team and the job it does representing women’s sports at this school. This team deserves to be recognized for the kind of season it is having. These types of seasons may come around once every 10 years if we are lucky.

A record of 16-1 is far beyond good; it’s remarkable. The only thing more amazing is the lack of attention one of the best teams in the nation has been getting. If you don’t believe this, participate in the following exercise. Name the team’s starting five players, or even any five players on the team. Most people cannot even name three players, and have no idea who Tamara James, Yalonda McCormick, Shaquana Wilkins, Chanivia Broussard, and Melissa Knight are.

Of course, the season is not over yet. This team may not continue the pace that it has set, but even if it doesn’t, it will definitely be a successful season. It will be in the Big East title hunt and a force to be reckoned with once March Madness rolls around. However, I think that if this team finishes what it started, and completes the dream season with a national championship, there won’t be any parades. There won’t be a huge campus party for it, there won’t be any fireworks, there will probably be a small celebration ceremony attended by a couple hundred people.

I know that most people will think this is just some writer rambling on about women’s basketball, but don’t say I didn’t try to warn you. When you miss out on one of the best University of Miami basketball seasons ever, don’t say that no one warned you. I don’t want to hear that you were unaware of what the Lady ‘Canes were doing or that you didn’t have time to watch them play. I’m taking the time to tell you now, this team is worth watching, and if you are a sports fan and fail to jump on the bandwagon soon, then you are going to miss out on something special.

Unfortunately, most people probably won’t take my advice. They will continue to be oblivious to this team until they get in the NCAA Tournament, and even then, the majority of people probably still won’t do much but glance at the scoreboard, if they even do that.

I guess I can understand the lack of enthusiasm over the Lady ‘Canes though. I mean, why care about the successful women’s basketball team when you can root for a quality NBA juggernaut like the Miami Heat?

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

The women’s basketball team (16-1) has kept its explosive start alive, landing in the Top 20 in both major polls. But with the heart of the Big East conference schedule ahead, staying focused is the team’s top priority.

The ‘Canes grabbed the No. 18 spot in both the ESPN/USA Today Coaches Poll and the Associated Press Poll as of last week after defeating Boston College, Georgetown, and Pittsburgh in their last three games.

“This team really expected to do well,” Head Coach Ferne Labati said. “We said if you talk the talk you’ve got to walk the walk.”

The walk has been smooth thus far, with leading-scorer Tamara James seventh in scoring in the conference. Shaquana Wilkins is fifth overall in rebounding, while Chanivia Broussard is third in field goal percentage. Yalonda McCormick is second in assists and leads the conference in steals.

Labati believes that McCormick’s performance has been a blend of hard work by the staff, players, and McCormick herself. Her evolution into the player she is right now has been a learning experience for all.

“When she was in high school, we felt she had unbelievable potential,” Labati said. “When she came here her freshman year she had gained quite a bit of weight, so. . . it was just an adjustment that she had to make. There was a lot of effort put into trying to get her to see the light about what college ball was like.”

Now in her junior year, McCormick has met expectations of the kind of player that Labati and the rest of the coaching staff hoped she could be.

“This year she’s playing the way we thought she’d be capable of playing,” Labati said.

“She’s much more mature and she [also] really came around this year in the classroom.”

Labati credits much of the team’s improvement to analysis of games and practices. The ‘Canes are now using a system that allows each player to watch her own highlights from multiple practices and/or games without having to watch or fast-forward through other teammates’ highlights. This system, along with the long hours of hard work put into practice itself, has made the team realize that success requires a maximum effort each time they go out onto the court.

“The coaches, the way they can analyze and break down the tapes and break down practices, keeps [the players] humble,” Labati said. “I think they know that we have a long way to go, we can’t look ahead. It’s all about the next game.”

With ten games remaining in the season, the team has no time to dwell on the past. On Wednesday, the ‘Canes face Notre Dame for the first time this season.

“We’ve really been focusing on one game at a time, so all our input right now is with Notre Dame,” Labati said.

The continued success of the program in its final season in the Big East will be up to the team and its coaches, and the glory of its run so far has resulted in the hunger to win more.

“I’ve always said that if you can have a really good point guard and a good center, you’re going to be in a position to win a lot of games and we’ve always had some kind of inside presence,” Labati said. “It’s been a collective effort of the players, coaches, and support staff. Everybody has worked really hard to get where we are right now.”

Labati believes the ‘Canes are capable of anything, as long as they maintain the right state of mind.

“I think it’s your mindset and how you approach the game. Right now our mindset is on winning the game and on focusing on one thing, not multiple things. It’s just one game at a time and I want to keep it that way.”

The Hurricanes face the Irish tomorrow night at 7 p.m. in the Convocation Center.

Melissa Teich can be contacted at m.teich1@umiami.edu.

The Villanova Wildcats came to play on Sunday afternoon, outperforming the Hurricanes in almost every category in beating the ‘Canes 76-69 at the Convocation Center.

The key stat of the day was that Miami was out rebounded 43-38, including 31-11 on the defensive glass.

The ‘Canes came out shooting well in the first half, connecting on 48 percent of their shots, but in the second half, the shooting went south as they shot just 24 percent. They finished with their worst shooting game of the year at 33 percent.

Meanwhile, Villanova improved their field goal percentage to a lights-out 68 percent in the second half.

“When we only made 24 percent of our shots in the second half, it was amazing that we still had a shot in the game,” Head Coach Perry Clark said.

Darius Rice continued his slump as he shot 4-19 including 1-10 from three-point range and finished with 15 points. As a team, the ‘Canes were six for 25 from downtown including only one for 13 in the second half.

Robert Hite was Miami’s leading scorer with 21 points in 36 minutes, but he was only 1-7 from three-point range. Freshman Guillermo Diaz continued to shoot the ball well as he went five for 10 with 12 points and led the team in assists with four in 34 minutes.

Villanova didn’t seem to have trouble scoring baskets at any point in the game. At several points during the game their big men were scoring at ease in the paint.

“We were never really able to get them out of their comfort zone,” Clark said. “We didn’t stop their dribble drives, and that was really disappointing.”

Villanova held the lead for much of the first half until the ‘Canes took the lead 36-35 going into halftime. Hite was the first Miami scorer to reach double figures.

The second half was a different story, as the ‘Canes couldn’t buy a basket. The Wildcats took a 54-44 lead with 11 minutes left. Just as many thought the game was slipping away, Diaz and Hite had back-to-back three-point play opportunities, with Hite converting on the free throw. That cut the Wildcats’ lead to 56-51 and brought the Convocation Center crowd to their feet.

Villanova gave the ‘Canes many opportunities to make a successful comeback, with a steal and a five second violation in back-to-back possessions. The Wildcats finished with 23 turnovers compared to only eight for the Hurricanes.

The ‘Canes could never cut it to less than three points in the final two minutes, as their woeful shooting kept getting worse as the half went by. A barrage of free throws by the Wildcats finished off Miami, as the ‘Canes dug themselves into too deep of a hole to come back.

The strangest stat of the day was that the Hurricanes took 22 more shots than the Wildcats, but hit two shots less. Randy Foye led Villanova with 21 points as Allan Ray and Curtis Sumpter also scored in double figures.

The Hurricanes return to the court on Wednesday night, as they travel to South Bend to face Notre Dame.

Doug Kroll can be contacted at d.kroll@umiami.edu.