EUGENE, Ore. – Alysha Newman earned Miami’s first points of the 2014 NCAA Outdoor Championships, placing seventh in the women’s pole vault. The lone Hurricane in action Friday, Newman stepped up in the biggest meet of the season and scored two points for Miami’s women’s team. The two points were the first points scored by a Miami student-athlete at the NCAA Championships since 2012. “Obviously to come here and be in the top eight is a great honor,” Miami director of track and field/cross country Amy Deem said. “I know she is disappointed because she wanted to vault a little bit better. It was a great competition and she competed well, but I know she wanted to do a little bit better.” Newman passed on the opening height of 3.90m and cleared 4.05m on her second attempt. The sophomore then vaulted over 4.15m on her first try and elected to pass on the next height of 4.20m with 12 student-athletes remaining in the competition. She was one of seven competitors remaining when the bar was raised to 4.25m, but was one of three women who were unable to clear that mark. Newman’s 2014 collegiate season ends with several noteworthy accomplishments. The Delaware, Ontario, native earned All-ACC honors after placing second at the conference meet with a mark of 4.20m and set the UM outdoor record when she cleared 4.41m at the Georgia Tech Invitational. Newman was also an All-ACC selection indoors and earned first team All-America honors when she tied for fifth with a school-record mark of 4.35m.
