Although one of the larger institutions in the state of Florida with over 40,000 students, Florida International University has always been one of the smaller college track & field and cross country programs. As we get ready to enter the 2013 track & field season, FIU is starting to make some big strides in the right direction to better help promote and successfully establish their program as a competitive team with strong student-athletes. This year starting with a great recruiting class, along with a new coaching hire, FIU hopes to be in contention for the Sun-Belt Conference Championship this season for both indoor and outdoor track & field seasons.
Head Coach Eric Campbell says...
"Our number one goal here at FIU is to create a championship atmosphere. We want our student-athletes to be winners in the classroom, winners on the track, and winners in the community. We had an outstanding season last year and after adding some significant talent to our roster my coaching staff and I are extremely excited about what our athletes can accomplish in 2013."
Some FIU Track & Field Highlights from 2012:
* Women's 4x100 ran 44.56. Qualified for NCAA Outdoor Nationals.
- Marissa McElveen, Lakeisha Kelley, Carla Mills, T'Keyah Dumoy (three out of the four will be returning this year)
* Marissa McElveen qualified for the NCAA Indoor Championship in long jump (6.25m/ 20'6")
* Benia Gregiore qualified for the NCAA Indoor Championship in the weight throw (20.77/ 68'1")
* Lakeisha Kelley 400m dash indoor and outdoor Sunbelt Conference Champion
The h
iring of Coach Mike Ward:
One of the first major changes occuring to the program for the past 2012 cross country season was the hiring of Mike Ward as their new distance coach. Coach Ward has been active in the coaching community for over 25 years and is best known for being affiliated with the University of Miami Men's Track & Field and Cross Country program for sixteen years, eleven of which he was the Head Coach. After leaving UM a couple of years ago, Coach Ward continued doing work in the running community as he spent time doing personal training and working with individuals before beginning his new coaching stint with the FIU program. Coach Ward says that he's 'excited about the new opportunities that the upcoming season has to offer' and he's 'glad to be joining the FIU coaching staff as the program starts to move forward'.
FIU Track & Field Assistant Coaching Staff: Ryan Heberling- Throws Coach, David Chandler- Pole Vault Coach
Notable Men Recruits for 2012-13:
Brandon O'Connor- transfer from FSU; Miami Southridge HS: 400m & 200m State Champion. 200m- 20.63 400m- 45.51
Brandon Ballard- Bartram Trail HS: 4x400m State Champion, 800m 5th at State
Erick Knott- Colonial HS: Pole Vault 3rd at State
Marcus Ghent- Miami Northwestern HS: Long Jump 4th at State, Triple Jump 3rd at State, 4x400m 4th at State
Micheal Samuels- Miami Southridge HS: Triple Jump 3rd at State, High Jump 12th at State
Jason Torres- South Dade HS: High Jump 7th at State
Rene Maurice- Miami Northwestern HS: Triple Jump 12th at State
Brandon Perriman- Miami Jackson HS: 800m 3rd at State
Manuel Garcia- Christopher Columbus HS: 3200m 5th at State
Charlie Williams-Harris- Miami Booker T. Washington HS: 1600m 8th at State, 800m 9th at State
Daniel Puentes- South Broward HS: Distance
Alex Del Rosario- Miami Killian HS: Sprints
William Robinson- Lake Mary HS: Mid-Distance
Notable Women Recruits for 2012-13:
Anna Heinzman-Lecanto HS: Pole Vault State Champion
Miriam Pierre- Santaluces HS: Shot Put State Champion
Tiffany Hernandez- Vancouver, Canada: Javelin- Ranked 1st for juniors in British Columbia, 7th for juniors in Canada
Oriel Anu- Colonial HS: 100h 3rd at State, 300h State Finalist
Alysha Lewis- Miami Killian HS: Discus 4th at State, Shot Put 15th at State
Lauren Gonzalez- John A. Ferguson HS: XC 4th at State, 3200m 4th at State, Foot Locker South- Senior Race Champion
Nicole Chang- Sarasota HS: Pole Vault 9th at State
Phillicia Fluellen- Palm Bay HS: 100m & 200m State Qulifier
Maya Balfour- Our Lady of Lourdes Academy: Sprints
Chelsea Gobourne-Sarasota Riverview HS: Hurdles & Discus
Alexis "Lexi" Shields- Decatur HS (GA): Hurdles & Triple Jump
Nicole Fowler- McArthur HS: Sprints
The future of FIU athletics:
Starting in the 2013-14 school year, Florida International University will be moving from the Sun Belt Conference to Conference USA for all of its athletic programs. What this means for the track & field program is a brand new, state-of-the-art, track & field / soccer complex which is scheduled to break ground this upcoming summer. The new stadium will be located where the current soccer facility is and is set-up to be a complete competition facility with viewer-friendly stadium seating in hopes of being a conference host in the years to come.
FIU Track & Field and Cross Country Meet & Greet:
The FIU Track & Field and Cross Country coaching staff is inviting all high school coaches and high school upperclassmen (juniors and seniors) to a meet and greet at FIU. The event takes place Sunday, December 9th at FIU's SIPA (School of International and Public Affairs) Building (Room 125) from 5:00pm to 7:00pm.
For more information contact: Nika Cleary, Coordinator of Track & Field Operations at 305-348-0303 or e-mail her at: clearyn@fiu.edu.
FIU Links: FIU Athletics, Meet & Greet Information, Men's Track & Field and Cross Country, Women's Track & Field and Cross Country
