ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — The University of New Mexico’s track and field team started its title defense quickly behind two scoring finishes in the women’s pentathlon to open the 2015 Mountain West Indoor Track & Field Championships.
Samantha Bowe and Kyra Mohns both scored for the Lobo women on the first day of the three-day championships at the Albuquerque Convention Center, while Daniel Lam is in contention to score in the men’s heptathlon.
Bowe scored 3,884 points to capture runner-up honors and eight team points for the Lobos, while Mohns tallied 3,681 points to earn fifth place and four team points. Casey Dowling (3,440 points) placed 10th for the New Mexico women, who lead the field after the opening day.
Lam, who is four events through the seven-event heptathlon, sits in fourth place.
Bowe claimed the best finish by a female athlete in the conference pentathlon since 2010 with three top-two event finishes. She notched a victory in the shot put (mark of 38 feet, 2 ¼ inches) and second-place finishes in the 60-meter hurdles (8.62 seconds) and the long jump (19-4 ¾).
She was also tied Mohns for fourth in the high jump (5-5 ¼) and placed 11th in the 800 (2:35.26).
Mohns nabbed her fifth-place finish via her fourth-place tie in high jump and strong finishes in the 800 (fourth place, 2:26.72) and shot put (fifth, 35-1 ¼). The freshman was also eighth in both the 60 hurdles (9.04) and the long jump (17-7 ½).
Dowling took 10th, placing fourth in the 60 hurdles (8.97), sixth in the high jump (5-4 ¼) and third in the long jump (18-8). She was also 13th in the 800 (2:40.79) and 14th in the shot put (27-11 ½).
Lam finished day one of the heptathlon with 2,856 points, with the bulk coming from his performances in the long jump (third place, 22-7 ¾) and shot put (third, 41-3). He placed eighth in the 60 dash (7.37) and tied for seventh in the high jump (6 ¾).
Freshman Andris Sturans is in 10th place for the Lobo men, carding a total of 2,492 points. He placed fifth in the 60 (7.26), eighth in the long jump (20-3) and tied for ninth in the high jump (5-11 ½).
Colorado State’s Hunter Price leads the heptathlon with 3,183 points, ahead of teammates Justin Green (3,098 points) and Josh Cogdill (3,070).
The second day of the MW Championships starts at 11 a.m. MT with the conclusion of the men’s heptathlon. Field events start at 12:30 p.m. with the women’s weight throw, while track events commence at 1:30 p.m. with the qualifying round of the women’s mile.