NEW ORLEANS — The University of New Mexico men’s cross country and track & field program stands in 10th place in the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association’s John McDonnell Program of the Year award standings for the 2014-15 academic year.
Led by head coach Joe Franklin, the Lobos have combined to gain 48 points in the in-progress report — which accounts for the 2014 NCAA Cross Country Championships and 2015 NCAA Indoor Track & Field Championships — and are in position to notch their sixth-consecutive recognition for the award.
At the 2015 NCAA Indoor Track & Field Championships last weekend, the Lobos registered a 31st-place finish behind sixth-place finishes by Adam Bitchell (3,000-meter run) and Allan Hamilton (long jump).
Both earned All-American status from the USTFCCCA, and via their performances, New Mexico has scored at the NCAA indoor meet for the seventh year in a row.
At the 2014 NCAA Cross Country Championships, Jake Shelley paced the Lobos with a 50th-place finish, while Elmar Engholm (78th place), Todd Wakefield (93rd), Ross Matheson (119th) and Dan Studley (131st) also scored.
The Lobos recorded their sixth-straight scoring finish at the NCAA cross country meet.
The only championship left to determine the final standing for the Program of the Year award is the NCAA Outdoor Track & Field Championships, which will be held June 10-13, in Eugene, Ore.
The Lobos also finished in the final standing for the award the past five years, dating back to 2010. Last year, New Mexico placed a program-high-tying 11th, with a 11th-place finish in cross country, a 45th-place finish in indoor track and a 44th-place finish in outdoor track.
In 2013, New Mexico finished the season ranked a program-best 13th in the standings, while in 2012, the Lobos took 11th. 2011 saw New Mexico take 14th overall, and the Lobos also placed 11th in 2010.
New Mexico is one of only two schools to with the chance to finish in the final standings each of the last six years, along with Texas. Oregon and Florida State are the only other schools to have a chance to earn the honor for a sixth time in non-sequential years.
Presented annually since 2009, the NCAA Division I Program of the Year Award recognizes the most outstanding cross country and track & field programs in Division I based on the institution’s performance through the academic year. Final standings are predicated on the institution’s combined finishes at the NCAA Division I Championships in cross country, indoor track & field, and outdoor track & field.
To be eligible for the award, teams must qualify for all three NCAA Championships. Scores for award are calculated from the team’s each finish at those championships (i.e., first place earns one point, second place two points, 31st place 31 points, etc.). The team with the lowest total score for all three championships receives the award.
23 men’s teams have scored at the first two 2014-15 championships. Oregon is leading through two with seven combined points, while Oklahoma State (22.5 points) and Wisconsin (29.5) round out the top three.
The New Mexico women’s cross country and track & field program is also ranked in the intermediate standings of the award, as they are ranked 13th.
The Lobos will return to action this weekend when a small group of athletes open the outdoor campaign at the Baldy Castillo Invitational in Tempe, Ariz.