Sept. 4, 2007
Complete Release In PDF Format
UPCOMING
The University of New Mexico cross country season gets underway on Saturday, Sept. 8 as the Lobos welcome six collegiate teams and 18 high school squads to the UNM North Golf Course for one of the biggest meets in the state each year – the Lobo Invitational. The event is one of at least eight meets on the UNM schedule this year and will be the first for new head coach Joe Franklin, the 2004 NCAA Cross Country Coach of the Year.
Saturday’s action begins with a Community 5K Fun Run at 8 a.m., followed by varsity high school races at 8:45 and the collegiate competition beginning at 9:45. The morning concludes with JV and C team high school boys and girls from 10:45-12:15.
SCOUTING THE COLLEGIATE FIELD
Regional power UTEP leads the visiting teams as the Miners look to defend their 2006 Lobo Invitational title on the men’s side. UTEP is picked to win both the Conference USA men’s and women’s titles and return a pair of All-Americans this year in senior Stephen Samoei and junior Patrick Mutai as well as C-USA’s Newcomer of the Year Nicodemus Ng’etich. Samoei and Mutai captured Lobo Invitational individual titles in 2006 and 2005, respectively.
Rio Grande rival New Mexico State rounds out the Division I field.
Confirmed Collegiate Teams (9): Diné College, CU-Colorado Springs, Eastern New Mexico University, El Paso CC, Gateway CC, New Mexico, New Mexico Highlands University, New Mexico State, Western New Mexico University, UTEP
Confirmed High School Teams (34): Albuquerque Academy, Albuquerque HS, Belen HS, Cheyenne Mountain HS, Cibola HS, El Dorado HS, Eldorado HS, Gallup Catholic HS, Gallup HS, Highland HS, Hope Christian HS, Jemez Valley HS, La Cueva HS, Los Alamos HS, Manzano HS, Moriarty HS, Navajo Pine HS, Pecos HS, Penasco Independent School District, Pojoaque HS, Rio Grande HS, Rio Rancho HS, Robertson HS, Sandia HS, Sandia Prep HS, Santa Fe Indian HS, St. Michael’s HS, St. Pius X HS, Thoreau HS, Valley HS, Volcano Vista HS, Walatowa High Charter School, West Mesa HS, Zuni HS.
MEET INFORMATION/RESULTS
Collegiate and varsity high school results will be available online at www.golobos.com approximately one hour following the conclusion of the meet.
SCHEDULE:
8:00 a.m. – Community Fun Run (5,000m)
8:45 a.m. – Varsity Boys (5,000m)
9:15 a.m. – Varsity Girls (5,000m)
9:45 a.m. – Collegiate Men (8,000m)
10:15 a.m. – Collegiate Women (6,000m)
10:45 a.m. – Junior Varsity Boys (5,000m)
11:15 a.m. – Junior Varsity Girls (5,000m)
11:45 a.m. – C Team Girls
12:15 p.m. – C Team Boys
DIRECTIONS:
(the golf course is located near the corner of Yale Blvd. and Tucker Rd. on the UNM North Campus)
(from I-25 north) Take Lomas exit and head east, towards the mountains, on Lomas Blvd. Turn left on Yale Blvd. and continue north before turning right on Tucker Rd. The golf course clubhouse and parking lot will be on the left.
(from I-25 south) Take Lomas exit and turn left, heading east on Lomas Blvd. Turn left on Yale Blvd. and continue north before turning right on Tucker Rd. The golf course clubhouse and parking lot will be on the left.
(from I-40) Exit I-25 south then take Lomas exit and head east, towards the mountains, on Lomas Blvd. Turn left on Yale Blvd. and continue north before turning right on Tucker Rd. The golf course clubhouse and parking lot will be on the left.
LOBO INVITATIONAL HISTORY
This season marks the eighth running of the UNM Lobo Invitational. After a six-year absence, former head coach Matt Henry brought NCAA cross country competition back to Albuquerque with the 2000 Lobo Invitational. In 2002, the meet was expanded to include six high school races and in 2004, a 5K community fun run was added to open the day.
Each year, thousands of distance running fans have flocked to UNM’s North Campus to watch the competition on one of the most spectator-friendly cross country courses in the nation.
Six different teams have won the men’s title, including the host Lobos in 2002 and `04. New Mexico’s score of 21 points in 2002 is a meet record. Shadrack Kiptoo-Biwott is the only UNM runner to win the individual race (2004), while Air Force’s Ben Payne broke the tape in 2001 and `02. Payne’s time of 24:01 in `02 is the North Course record.
The women’s race has also seen six different team champions with Air Force taking back-to-back titles in 2001 and `02. Western State college set the meet record with a score of 21 points in the inaugural Lobo Invite in 2001. New Mexico has had two individual winners in Sarah Gonzales (2001) and Jacquelyne Gallegos (2005). Gallegos set the course record with her time of 21:37 in 2005.
LOBO INVITATIONAL PAST RESULTS
MEN
YEAR TEAM WINNER INDIVIDUAL WINNER
2000 Western State (22 pts.) Brandon Leslie, Adams State (24:34)
2001* Air Force (26 pts.) Ben Payne, Air Force (24:20)
2002 New Mexico (21 pts.) Ben Payne, Air Force (24:01)
2003 Colorado State (35 pts.) Will Banks, Western State (24:45)
2004 New Mexico (35 pts.) Shadrack Kiptoo-Biwott, UNM (24:44)
2005 Adams State (44 pts.) Patrick Mutai, UTEP (24:28)
2006 UTEP (29 pts.) Stephen Samoei, UTEP (24:47)
WOMENYEAR TEAM WINNER INDIVIDUAL WINNER
2000 Western State (21 pts.) Jennifer Michel, unattached (21:38)
2001* Air Force (30 pts.) Sarah Gonzales, UNM (22:25)
2002 Air Force (39 pts.) Rachel Cuellar, NMSU (22:04)
2003 Colorado State (36 pts.) Adriana Pirtea, UTEP (22:10)
2004 Texas Tech (26 pts.) Irene Kimaiyo, Texas Tech (22:01)
2005 Adams State (30 pts.) Jacquelyne Gallegos, UNM (21:37)
2006 Texas A&M (35 pts.) Merideth Snow, Texas A&M (22:00)
*2001 meet was held at the Paradise Hills Golf Course in West Albuquerque.
2007 CROSS COUNTRY OUTLOOK
A Q & A With New Head Coach Joe Franklin
The 2007 season is off and running for the University of New Mexico cross country team. UNM returns a host of veteran talent on both the men’s and women’s teams as well as a fresh new face to lead the pack. This will also be the start of a new era for the program as head coach Joe Franklin begins his Lobo career. Franklin comes to New Mexico by way of Butler University where he was the 2004 NCAA Cross Country Coach of the Year. This fall Franklin hopes to increase the competition for his runners and as well as show off his number one training tool – the beautiful and challenging running trails in the city of Albuquerque.
Franklin sat down before the cross country season and shared his thoughts about the 2007 Lobos and his plans for the future of the UNM program.
Talk about your decision to come to New Mexico and what attracted you to the cross-country program specifically?
“I feel like New Mexico can set the standard for cross country and be one of the top programs in the country. It’s a unique setting that is a little more well known outside the United States as an international training destination for endurance athletics. It’s our job to make it known within the United States.”
Why do you think so many runners love to train here in Albuquerque?
“Well first of all you have the University of New Mexico, which has virtually every major possible. Then you have the foothills and the river and the mountains and hundreds of miles of various running terrain. It’s unique that you can drive 10 minutes and you can be out in the country with unbelievable running trails.”
What are you goals for this year and for the future of Lobo cross country?
“The goal is to place first in the Mountain West and then to make it to the national championships in cross country. Realistically, we could be top three in the Mountain West this year on both the men’s and the women’s sides. In the future we want to make this into a situation where we our program is nationally recognized. Right now you talk about teams like Colorado, Stanford, Oregon – we want to add New Mexico to that list.”
What is the state of the program as you take over?
“Coach (Matt) Henry has left a great foundation. We have an All-American returning in (senior) Jeremy Johnson. We also have (senior) Leslie Luna who can run with the top women in the country. It starts with believing that you can make the national championship meet, believing that you can compete in the Mountain West. That’s something our coaching staff is going to do. We are very competitive, we want to win, we want to do it right, we want to have great student athletes and we want a lot of people to see our backs.”
As a new coach there is always an adjustment period. You have only had a short time to get acquainted with Albuquerque and your runners. How are you adjusting?
“Well it’s not as hot as everyone says. I feel very comfortable. The environment is different, much different to what we are used to, but different doesn’t mean bad. It’s been exciting, it’s fun and I’m getting used to green chili.”
It looks like you are already taking UNM cross country places where it’s never been before. Talk about the scheduling process and about some of the new competition the teams will face.
“We have developed a schedule that we think will give the men and the women the best opportunity to make the national championship. The selection criteria for the at-large bids to the national championships is 100 percent objective. You have to know the process and our staff does. All we can do is provide the opportunity to give the men’s and the women’s teams the best shot at the best competition out there.”
The competition in the Mountain West and the NCAA Mountain Region is among the best in the nation. Talk about the level of competition and some of the teams you are eager to face.
“We have UTEP coming to our home meet again and they are a standard power. UTEP was probably the best team in the country to get left home last year. The Mountain West is a tough conference. BYU is a perennial top-10 team in cross country in both men and women. Then you have Colorado and I don’t know if they haven’t been on the NCAA podium in the last five years. So you have three teams that are very powerful, but I’m excited about it. I am by no mean scared.”
2006 SEASON REVIEW
The University of New Mexico cross country program enjoyed another outstanding season in 2006 in what proved to be the team’s seventh and final year under head coach Matt Henry and associate head coach Mark Henry. The twin brother tandem announced their retirment in February of 2007 after taking over at their alma mater in the summer of 2000.
The UNM women continued their resurgence in 2006, finishing third in the Mountain West Conference and seventh in a field of 17 at the NCAA Mountain Region Championships in Albuquerque. Senior Timmie Murphy became the seventh Lobo woman to qualify for the NCAA Championships as an individual after placing fifth at the Mountain Regional meet – the highest by a UNM woman since 1988.
Murphy also earned first team all-MWC honors, while junior teammate Leslie Luna was a second team all-MWC runner and rookie Vanessa Ortiz became the first Lobo to earn MWC Women’s Freshman of the Year honors. Both Murphy and Ortiz were named to the all-NCAA Mountain Region team for the second straight year.
The New Mexico men, meanwhile, received a breakthrough season from senior Juan Ortega and big spark from the return of junior Jeremy Johnson en route to a strong 2006 campaign. Both Ortega and Johnson earned first team all-MWC honors as the Lobos moved up to fourth at the conference championship meet. Ortega went on to earn all-Mountain Region honors as the UNM men placed 11th in a 15-team field.