UNM Men’s 10K Squad still No. 1, Women’s 5K Enters at No. 13 in Latest USTFCCCA Rankings
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. – Heading into a weekend off before Mountain West Outdoor Championships May 9-11, New Mexico’s Men’s Track & Field squad clocked in among the Top 30 teams in the nation in the USTFCCCA’s National TFRI ranking for a third straight week, with the Lobo’s men’s 10,000m squad ranked No. 1 in the nation for the fifth-straight week and women’s 5,000m entering the rankings at No. 15.
The UNM men also held steady in this week’s regional and conference rankings, sitting at No. 8 in the Mountain Region and No. 4 in the Mountain West. On the women’s side, UNM remained in the Top 100 in the nation at No. 99 for the third week in a row, clocking in at No. 10 in the region and No. 5 in the conference.
UNM MEN’S TRACK & FIELD – WEEK 6 USTFCCCA RANKINGS
National Rank: No. 28
Mountain Region Rank: No. 8
Mountain West Conference Rank: No. 4
UNM WOMEN’S TRACK & FIELD – WEEK 6 USTFCCCA RANKINGS
National Rank: No. 99
Mountain Region Rank: No. 10
Mountain West Conference Rank: No. 5
In this week’s #EventSquad rankings, UNM cracked the Top 50 in the nation in five events on the men’s side (100m, 200m, 800m, 1500m, 10,000m) and four on the women’s side (1500m, 5,000m, Long Jump, Pole Vault) – the Lobos maintain their Top-10 rankings in the men’s 10K (No. 1) and women’s long jump (No. 6) from last week, with UNM’s women’s 5,000m squad entering the rankings for the first time this season at No. 13.
UNM MEN’S TRACK & FIELD – WEEK 6 USTFCCCA #EVENTSQUAD RANKINGS
Men’s 100m – No. 49
Men’s 1500m – No. 31
Men’s 200m – No. 45
Men’s 800m – No. 37
Men’s 10,000m – No. 1
UNM WOMEN’S TRACK & FIELD – WEEK 6 USTFCCCA #EVENTSQUAD RANKINGS
Women’s 1500m – No. 27
Women’s 5,000m – No. 13
Women’s Long Jump – No. 6
Women’s Pole Vault – No. 22
CONFERENCE OUTLOOK
A week out from conference championships, UNM has 22 marks that rank in podium position (Top 3) on the MW Outdoor Performance list — eight for women and 14 for men. Brodie Young (400m), Dylan Burrows (800m), Habtom Samuel (1500m; 5,000m; 10,000m), Mercy Kirarei (5,000m) and Nicola Jansen (10,000m) all enter MW Championships with the No.1-ranked times in their respective events.
THE ROAD TO NCAA CHAMPIONSHIPS
With just two weekends of competition left, the Lobos will turn their attention to the First Round of the NCAA postseason. University of Kentucky will host the East Preliminary in Lexington and Arkansas will host the West Preliminary in Fayetteville, with both set for May 22-25.
Participants for the 2024 NCAA Division I Men’s and Women’s Outdoor Track and Field Championships first rounds are determined by the NCAA Division I Men’s and Women’s Track and Field and Cross Country Committee. For each individual event contested at both of the NCAA Regional Preliminary Round sites, the Top 48 declared student-athletes and Top 24 relay squads in their respective regions will be accepted into the competition, with the Top 12 in each Prelim advancing to the NCAA Outdoor National Championships at Hayward Field in Eugene, Ore. June 5-8.
In total, 17 UNM athletes currently sit in a position to qualify for NCAA Regional action across 15 events between men and women.
Seven Lobo women currently rank among the Top 48 on the West Region Qualifying List in seven events, with four among the Top 25 – Nicola Jansen (10K; No. 6), Lauren Fowler (LJ; No. 18), Elizabeth White (LJ: No. 21), Sophia McDonnell (3K Steeple; No. 18) and Mercy Kirarei (5,000m; No. 20). Jansen, Fowler and Kirarei are currently qualifying in multiple events.
On the men’s side, 10 more Lobos sit in qualifying position in eight different events – Habtom Samuel leads the way with a No. 2 ranking in both the 10,000m (28:03.30) and 5,000m (13:13.34) and 18th in the 1500m (3:41.61), with Victor Akhalu (100m, No. 23), Brodie Young (400m; No. 18), Vincent Chirchir (5K; No. 8 + 10K; No. 15) and Evans Kiplagat (10K; No. 5) making it five Lobo men ranked in the Top 25 in the region. Fabian Biondina joined the list last Saturday with a 7.53m (24′ 8.5″) long jump at the Desert Heat Classic that ranks as No. 48 in the West Region.