MIAMI (March 18, 2017) – The FIU men's and women's track and field teams turned in solid performances this weekend in the season-opening Hurricane Invitational held March 17-18 at the University of Miami's Cobb Stadium.
The Panthers recorded 10 top-three finishes, highlighted by sophomore
Clarissa Cutliff, graduate student Tiffany Hernandez and senior
Chris Sullivan reaching the top of the podium, finishing first. Also included among FIU's top three finishers was
Gabrielle Rains breaking a 31-year-old Canadian national under-20 discus record.
Fresh off a Second-Team All-American performance at the NCAA Division I Indoor Championships in College Station, Texas, on March 10, Cutliff started off her outdoor campaign on the right foot, finishing first in the high jump with a mark of 1.80m.
Hernandez joined Cutliff atop the podium taking first in the javelin with a throw of 44.93m, while
Brittany Corbett placed third in the event with a toss of 39.10m, setting a new personal record.
Rains, a freshman from Sherwood Park, Alberta, took second in the discus with a throw of 53.10m. That mark set a new Canadian under-20 record surpassing the previous distance of 52.52m set by Michelle Brotherton on May 29, 1986.
Sophomore
Terrisa Russell got things started on Friday with a second-place finish in the hammer throw, recording a throw of 53.81. Her mark was a personal best and was the top collegiate finish of the meet in the event. It is also sixth all-time in school history. She followed that up on Saturday with a third-place finish in the shot put with a throw of 13.39m, her best throw of her outdoor career.
On the men's side, Sullivan paced the way for the Panthers with a first-place finish in the high jump with a height of 2.10, tying the school record. Teammate, sophomore
Christian Williams, set a new personal record with a height of 2.05m good enough for third.
Williams also took third in the triple jump with a distance of 13.78m.
Junior Chris Prophete rounded out the Panthers' top three finishers taking second in the 400m hurdles with a time of 53.45.
Following this weekend, the Panthers will return to Coral Gables next week for the Hurricane Collegiate Invitational on Saturday, March 25.
Fans are encouraged to follow the team on Facebook (Facebook.com/FIUTrackXC) for all the latest FIU Track and Cross Country news.
Follow all of FIU's 18 athletic teams on Twitter (@FIUAthletics), Facebook (Facebook.com/FIUSports), YouTube (FIUPanthers), and Instagram (FIUathletics).
#####
About FIU Athletics: FIU Athletics is home to more than 400 student-athletes in 18 different sports. Athletic events are played in seven different venues on FIU's campuses (Modesto A. Maidique and Biscayne Bay), including FIU Arena and Ocean Bank Field at FIU Stadium.
About FIU: Florida International University is recognized as a Carnegie engaged university. It is a public research university with colleges and schools that offers more than 180 bachelor's, master's and doctoral programs in fields such as engineering, international relations, architecture, law and medicine. As one of South Florida's anchor institutions, FIU contributes $9.8 billion each year to the local economy. FIU is Worlds Ahead in finding solutions to the most challenging problems of our time. FIU emphasizes research as a major component of its mission. FIU has awarded over 200,000 degrees and enrolls more than 56,000 students in two campuses and three centers including FIU Downtown on Brickell, FIU@I-75, and the Miami Beach Urban Studios. FIU also supports artistic and cultural engagement through its three museums: the Patricia & Phillip Frost Art Museum, the Wolfsonian-FIU, and the Jewish Museum of Florida-FIU. FIU is a member of Conference USA and has over 400 student-athletes participating in 18 sports. For more information about FIU, visit http://www.fiu.edu/.
