From the Desk of Dan Radakovich
Dear Canes Community,
A busy month of March has arrived as 11 of our teams are in action between winter and spring sports and spring football is officially underway!
Spring Football
The Canes hit Greentree this morning for their first of 15 spring practices. Our roster boasts a talented lineup of returning players as well as a promising group of early enrollees and transfers who get to practice with their new teammates for the first time. I know Mario Cristobal and his staff are excited to mentor and motivate the Canes over the next six weeks. We will soon be announcing our plans for this year’s spring game, which promises to be a unique event.
Our 2024 schedule features six home games at Hard Rock Stadium, including matchups with Florida State and Virginia Tech. Season tickets are available now. Call 1-800-GO-CANES or click here so you don’t miss any of the action!
Basketball Postseason
Our women’s basketball team concluded its regular season Sunday with a tough overtime loss to Georgia Tech. Katie Meier’s squad is 18-11 and now heads to Greensboro to face North Carolina in the second round of the ACC Tournament. Tipoff is 1:30 p.m. Thursday on ACC Network. Tune in to cheer on the Canes as they chase a conference crown!
Jim Larrañaga’s team has battled through a slew of injuries down the stretch but continues to compete. The Canes conclude their home schedule Wednesday night against Boston College. Tipoff is 7 p.m. on ESPNU. We hope to see you at Watsco Center! The ACC Men’s Tournament tips off next Tuesday, March 12, in Washington, D.C.
Opening Stretch at The Light
Our baseball team is 6-5 after a three-game series to fourth-ranked Florida this past weekend. The atmosphere at The Light was electric throughout the series with three sellout crowds. The Canes are still in the midst of a 15-game homestand with great action ahead, starting with Stonehill on Wednesday night and a three-game series against Virginia this coming weekend to open ACC play.
Tckets are on sale now. Call 1-800-GO-CANES or click here to secure your seats and we will see you at The Light throughout the spring!
Olympic Sports Update
Edgar Campre (heptathlon), Russell Robinson (triple jump) and Kennedy Sauder (high jump) all earned bids to the 2024 NCAA Indoor Track and Field National Championships, which start Thursday in Boston. Edgar and Kennedy each won gold in their respective events at ACC Championships, while Russell earned a silver medal. Good luck to our three student-athletes in Boston!
Two of our men’s divers earned medals at the ACC Swimming & Diving Championships as Brodie Scapens won gold in the one-meter and Mohamed Farouk took silver in the platform and bronze in the 3-meter. Next up for Brodie and Farouk is NCAA Zone qualifying Sunday in Athens, Ga. Our swimming team improved by 65 points at the ACC meet over last year and now awaits individual qualification results for the NCAA Championships.
Our golf team finished ninth in a stacked field at the Gator Invitational this past weekend. Sara Byrne, the reigning ACC Player of the Month, shot 66 in the first round, her 10th sub-70 round of the season. Our women’s tennis team (3-3) is ranked 22nd in the country and returns to the court Sunday to host Florida State at 12 p.m. Our men’s tennis team (8-5) takes a break from conference play to host Penn Thursday at 2 p.m.
ACC Honors
Last week the ACC recognized 51 student-athletes for the 2024 Weaver-James-Corrigan-Swofford Postgraduate Scholarship Award, Jim & Pat Thacker Scholarship Award and 2024 ACC Excellence Award list (formerly called honorary scholarship nominees).
For Miami, Benjamin Chestnutt (baseball) and Isabella Pfennig (women’s tennis) were 2024 Weaver-James-Corrigan-Swofford Award recipients, while Russell Robinson (men’s track and field) and Sara Byrne (golf) were 2024 ACC Excellence Award recipients. Congratulations to Benjamin, Isabella, Russell and Sara for this incredible honor!
Servant Mentality
Our student-athletes have always been committed to serving their South Florida community so it was no surprise they distinguished themselves once again in the 2023 NCAA Community Service Challenge. Miami finished second nationally among Division I institutions, garnering 100 percent participation and 4,349 community service hours, resulting in an economic impact of $141,190. We previously captured the NCAA Community Service Challenge in 2018 and 2022. Thank you to our student-athletes and student-athlete development staff for their dedication to service!
UM Sports Hall of Fame & Museum Class of 2024
The UM Sports Hall of Fame & Museum announced that its 54th induction banquet will take place on Thursday, April 18 at Watsco Center. The Class of 2024 inductees include Kimberli Barrett (women’s track and field), Johan Donar (men’s tennis), Jose “Chemi” Gil (men’s diving), Meghan Saake-Knockey (women’s basketball), Shane Larkin (men’s basketball), Brandon Meriweather (football), Eric Winston (football), Chris Perez (baseball), former polo coach George Oliver and athletic administrator Rick Remmert.
The UM Sports Hall of Fame & Museum induction banquet is a memorable event that honors the incredible history of Miami Athletics. Click here for ticket information and we hope to see you there!
Canes Connection
Canes Connection is the Official NIL Collective of Miami Athletics and continues to develop partnerships to benefit student-athletes with the goal of helping Miami build the most impactful NIL program in college athletics.
Canes Connection also helps Canes fans, alumni, and corporate partners support student-athletes, and as a benefit of that support, Canes Connection members receive exclusive access to a wide variety of benefits including direct interaction and engagement with student-athletes. There are six membership plans to choose from. Click here to learn more about Canes Connection.
Our Canes Community remains stronger than ever thanks to your generosity. Go Canes!
– Dan Radakovich
