2014 NCAA Mountain Regional Championships— Albuquerque, N.M.
When/Where: Friday, UNM North Golf Course
Women: 12 p.m. MT — six kilometers
Men: 1 p.m. MT — 10 kilometers
Results: GoLobos.com, NCAA.com
The road to the national championships started in South Bend, Ind., took turns in Madison, Wis., and Fresno, Calif., and now goes through Albuquerque.
All season long, the road has been leading here.
The University of New Mexico’s nationally ranked cross country teams are hosting the NCAA Mountain Regional Championship at the UNM North Golf Course this Friday as they look to secure their spots at the NCAA Championships on Nov. 22.
The Lobos have likely clinched bids to the NCAA Championships with their championship-worthy credentials from the regular-season, but they can still secure automatic bids when the No. 9 women compete at noon MT and the No. 13 men at 1 p.m. MT.
“The expectation is to make the national championships,” New Mexico head coach Joe Franklin said. “To do what you need to do to make the national championship.”
And while the expectation is to compete in two weeks at the NCAA finals in Terre Haute, Ind., the Lobos won’t have to scramble to punch their tickets.
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| Jake Shelley |
As a team, New Mexico has taken the right path all season.
Both the men and women collected a number of résumé-building wins at the Notre Dame Invitational in South Bend and the Wisconsin adidas Invitational in Madison, and added a sweep of the Mountain West Championships in Fresno on Halloween.
Their rankings, while not a perfect indicator of potential success, have been sterling all year. The Lobo women lead the USTFCCCA Mountain Region rankings, while the men are tabbed third.
And, if both teams can finish within a slot or two of those ranks this weekend, then both are all but in.
The top two teams at the nine regional meets automatically advance to the NCAA Championships. After that, the NCAA will chose at-large teams based their wins over other teams and their ‘A’ squads to fill out the 31-team roster.
Since the Mountain Region—especially the men’s field—is particularly deep, the Lobos are in the position to control their own destiny and make a sixth straight NCAA appearance for the women and fifth consecutive for the men.
And while top finishes are goals, Franklin and his harriers are focused on doing what they need to do and not doing too much.
“It’s important to make steps toward Terre Haute,” Franklin said. “To make sure you run hard, run well, don’t lay it all out on the line and make sure you have a gear left.”
For the women, they’ll take their steps on the road to the NCAAs behind a talented cast of runners that has shined throughout the season.
Running as a team, the women are keyed by incredible parity among their scorers. At the MW Championships, UNM’s placed all five scorers in the top 10 and registered its shortest team spread in five years.
Leading the charge are three women that have paced the Lobos all year, with Alice Wright, Calli Thackery and Charlotte Arter.
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| Alice Wright |
Wright, a redshirt freshman, was UNM’s top finisher at the conference meet, while Thackery has flourished in her second year as a Lobo. Arter, who won the Notre Dame Invite in early October, is the veteran presence in the group and earned All-American status in 2013.
Also looking to contribute for the women will be Nicola Hood, Emily Reese, Anna Burton and Heleene Tambet.
The women’s race largely shapes up to be a duel between New Mexico and the Mountain Region’s second-ranked team, Colorado.
But Franklin noted that BYU (No. 3 in the region), Northern Arizona (No. 4) and Wyoming (No. 5) are viable competition.
On the men’s side, however, the competition is almost the headline.
Prohibitive NCAA favorite and top-ranked Colorado rolls into Albuquerque having received every single first-place vote possible in the national polls this year. Behind the Buffaloes is the 10th-ranked team in the nation, Northern Arizona.
Add in No. 15 BYU, No. 29 Air Force and a Colorado State team that was ranked up until this last poll, and the region is packed tight.
Looking to counter this array of top-notch teams, however, is another tightly packed group. The Lobo men—featuring Jake Shelley, Alex Cornwell, Ross Matheson, Matt Bergin and Dan Studley—posted a ridiculous eight-second team spread at the MW Championships.
“I’m looking for a very small spread one through seven,” Franklin said. “We could have one through five in 10 seconds or left, one through six in 15 seconds. That’s what I’m looking for.”
A group that seems to rotate scoring positions from meet to meet, the New Mexico men have displayed incredible balance as a team. Cornwell led UNM to start the year, while Shelley took the honor at the conference meet.
And with Elmar Engholm and Donovan Torres rounding out the Lobos’ pack, a small spread is certainly obtainable.
Nonetheless, Franklin knows the most important thing is just advancing, regardless of this weekend’s finish.
Since Franklin’s first year in 2007, the Lobo men and women have placed outside of the top five at the regional championships only once (women finishing sixth in 2007), and swept the regional crowns in 2010.
Last year, the women placed second overall, while the men finished third. Both teams made the national championships, with the men earning an at-large bid.
The No. 9 women will compete at noon MT, and the No. 13 men at 1 p.m. MT. Check back Friday evening on GoLobos.com for meet results and a New Mexico recap.