Syracuse men, Miami women defend titles as Notre Dame plays host to three-day event
SOUTH BEND, Ind. (theACC.com) – The University of Notre Dame will serve as host for the 2017 Atlantic Coast Conference Indoor Track and Field Championships, which will be held this Thursday (Feb. 23) through Saturday (Feb. 25) at Loftus Sport Center.
The Syracuse men and Miami women enter as defending champions after their strong showings at last year’s event in Boston. Virginia men’s miler Henry Wynne, the defending NCAA and ACC indoor champion, is set to compete this week, and Cavalier thrower Filip Mihaljevic, the defending NCAA champion in the outdoor shot put, joins a number of talented field performers.
Virginia enters this week’s meet holding the No. 15 spot in the latest USTFCCCA computer rankings, while Virginia Tech is No. 21 and Syracuse No. 25. Miami is ranked 15th on the women’s side.
Other headliners include Miami women’s sprinter Shakima Wimbley and Virginia Tech pole vaulter Deakin Volz, who each set ACC records during the regular season.
The reigning ACC Women’s Indoor Track Most Outstanding Performer, Wimbley’s ACC-record 400m time of 51.28 seconds this season ranks first in the NCAA. The senior posted the then-world-leading time at the Rod McCravy Memorial Invitational in late January. Wimbley’s 200m time of 23.19 seconds at the Meyo Invitational ranks 12th nationally.
Volz placed first in last weekend’s Virginia Tech Challenge with an ACC-record and lifetime-best vault of 5.66 meters (18-6.75), also setting a new school record. The Bloomington, Indiana, native ranks No. 2 nationally heading into the ACC finals. A total of 20 ACC student-athletes currently rank among the nation’s top 20 in their respective events.
In addition to ACC team and individual titles, conference student-athletes will seek to enhance their rankings heading into the 2017 NCAA Indoor Championships, scheduled for March 10-11 at the Gillam Indoor Track in College Station, Texas.
There is no charge for admission.
ACC Network Extra will live stream action the final two days, with former Olympic decathlon gold medalist Dan O’Brien serving as color analyst, reprising the role he first filled at the 2015 ACC Outdoor Championships. He will be joined by veteran ESPN play-by-play announcer Shawn Kenney. Coverage will air from 3:30 p.m. through 7:30 p.m. on Friday, February 24, and from noon until the meet’s conclusion (approximately 4 p.m.) on Saturday, February 25.
A by-the-numbers look at the 2017 ACC Indoor Track and Field Championships:
1 – Notre Dame’s Loftus Sports Center is playing host to the ACC Indoor Track and Field Championships for the first time.
3 – Miami’s Amy Deem leads all active coaches in ACC Women’s Indoor Track and Field Indoor Championships with threee, the most recent coming last season.
8 – Florida State’s Bob Braman leads all active coaches with eight ACC Men’s Indoor Track and Field team Championship titles, all of which have come since 2004. Virginia Tech’s Dave Cianelli picked up his third in 2015 and is second on the active list.
12 – Clemson leads all current ACC schools with 12 Men’s Indoor Track and Field Championship titles. Florida State is next with 10.
15 – North Carolina leads all schools with 15 ACC Women’s Indoor Track and Field Championship team titles. Clemson is next with six.
18-6.75 – Virginia Tech’s Deakin Volz set a new ACC and school standard in the men’s pole vault by clearing 5.66 meters (18 feet, 6.75 inches) during the final week of the regular season. The attempt broke teammate Torben Laidig’s conference and school record set a year earlier.
31 – The 2017 ACC Women’s Indoor Track and Field Championship will be the 31st in league history. The first ACC Women’s Championship was held in 1987 at Johnson City, Tennessee.
51.28 –Miami’s Shakima Wimbley established an ACC and school record with her time of 51.28 seconds in the women’s 400 meters earlier in the season. The time led the world at the time it was set and continues to sit atop the NCAA leaderboard heading into this week’s competition.
58 – The 2017 ACC Men’s Indoor Track and Field Championship will be the 58th in the league’s 63-year history. No indoor championship was held between 1981 and 1986.
Please go to the links below to follow the ACC Indoor Track and Field Championships on-line:
Championships Page
Live Results
Links to each day’s livestream: