Feb. 23, 2003

SYRACUSE, NY - The University of Miami women's track and field team won five events and scored in nine others to run away with BIG EAST Indoor Track and Field Championship in Syracuse, NY.

Miami, which has won four of the last five BIG EAST Outdoor titles, recorded 157.50 points to capture its first BIG EAST Indoor title in dominating fashion. Notre Dame finished second with 120 points.

"I thought we had a lot of people step up for us today," said head coach Amy Deem, who was named BIG EAST Coach of the Year following the meet. "Kitoya (Carter) was outstanding and our young kids really ran well."

Leading the Hurricanes were sophomore All-American Lauryn Williams (Rochester, PA), freshman Charlette Greggs (Miami Northwestern) and junior All-American Kitoya Carter (Miami Northwestern).

Williams won the 60-meter title for the second consecutive season with a time of 7.31. Williams, who missed breaking the BIG EAST record by .01, led four Hurricane finishers in the top-6. Freshman India Ransom (Largo, MD) finished third with a time of 7.56 while senior Gina Harris, who won the BIG EAST long jump title on Saturday, took fourth (7.59). Sophomore Wiande Moore (Spring, TX) placed sixth (7.63).

Greggs, competing in her first BIG EAST Championship, led 1-2-3 Hurricane sweep in the 200-meters registering an NCAA qualifying time of 23.61. Williams, last seasons BIG EAST 200-meter champion, finished second (23.99) while freshman Dominique Darden (Harrisburg, PA) placed third (24.10).

"Charlette's performance was very impressive given this was her first BIG EAST meet and she had never run indoor track until this season," said Deem. "She has continued to improve every meet."

Carter captured her first BIG EAST individual title winning the 400-meters in a time of 54.77. With the victory Carter becomes the first Hurricane in school-history to win the BIG EAST 400-meter title. Also scoring in the 400-meters were senior All-Americans Jamillah Wade (Philadelphia, PA) and Sashanie Simpson (Miami, FL). Wade finished sixth (55.87) while Simpson placed eighth (56.90).

Simpson, Wade, Carter and Greggs later teamed up to with the 4x400-meter relay. The foursome recorded a BIG EAST record time of 3:38.32 in defeating second-place Seton Hall by more than four seconds.

In the shot put, junior Jennifer Penrose (Mesa, AZ) placed second with a school-record and NCAA provisional qualifying mark of 15.66 meters (51-04.50). Her toss broke her own school-record by over a foot. Also scoring in the shot put was junior Adrienne Moss (Miami Southridge) who finished fourth with a throw of 14.99 meters (49-02.25).

Miami had three women score in the 60-meter hurdles led by senior Sharianne Lawson (Palm Beach Lakes) who took second with a time of 8.40. Sophomore Amber Williams (Succasunna, NJ) placed fourth (8.59) with Darden taking fifth (8.61).

Amber Williams scored in four events over the weekend. Williams, who placed second in the pentathlon and sixth in the long jump on Saturday, also took eighth in the high jump on Sunday with a jump of 1.59 meters (5-02.50).

The Hurricanes received nine points in the 500-meters with senior All-American Saraque Whittaker (Ft. Lauderdale St. Thomas Aquinas) taking fifth (1:13.47) and junior Terria Madison (Columbus, GA) placing fifth (1:13.75).

Senior Patricia Pearson (Jacksonville, FL) placed second in the 800-meters with a time of 2:09.76, and ran the anchor leg of the 4x800-meter relay along with Madison, Whittaker and freshman Zully Marie Pascual, that placed seventh (9:07.39).