June 10, 2009
Head coach Joe Franklin and assistant coach Erin Howarth’s have established the University of New Mexico as one of the premier distance running programs in the nation. New Mexico qualified eight distance runners – five men, three women – to the 2009 NCAA Outdoor Championship meet, which is the fourth-most of any school in the country.
The Lobos’ distance crew (Lee Emanuel – 1,500m, Ashley Gibson – 1,500m, Rory Fraser – 5,000m, Jacob Kirwa – 5,000m, Nicky Archer – 10,000m, Mat Ashton – 10,000m, Chris Barnicle – 10,000m, and Michelle Corrigan – 10,000m) trails only Oregon (13 – 9 men, 4 women), Stanford (9 – 5 men, 4 women) and Arkansas (9 – 5 men, 4 women) among the top represented men’s and women’s programs at the NCAA Outdoor meet in the 1,500, 3K steeplechase, 5K, and 10K events.
Among the notable schools that trail New Mexico are Washington (7 – 2 men, 5 women), Colorado (5 – 3 men, 2 women), BYU (5 – 3 men, 2 women), Wisconsin (5 – 3 men, 2 women), Northern Arizona (4 – 2 men, 2 women), California (3 2 men, 1 woman), and Texas Tech (3 – 1 man, 2 women).