COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. — The University of New Mexico’s track and field team claimed a pair of conference honors Tuesday as Peter Callahan and Allan Hamilton earned recognition from the Mountain West for their performances for meets held April 10-11.
Callahan was selected as the Mountain West Men’s Track Athlete of the Week, while Hamilton earned MW Men’s Field Athlete of the Week. It’s the first-ever weekly MW award for both Callahan and Hamilton.
The pair helped lead the Lobos last Friday as UNM won the New Mexico Quadrangular in Albuquerque. The Lobos scored 193.5 points to top Air Force and Wyoming, with Callahan and Hamilton contributing 18 of those points.
Callahan, a senior from Evanston, Ill., by way of Princeton University, raced to an altitude-converted time of 1 minute, 48.14 seconds in the 800-meter run. Last year’s fourth-place finisher in the 1500 at the NCAA Championships, Callahan surged past teammate Alex Herring on the home straight for the win.
His time, which set a new personal record, ranks fourth in New Mexico history and fourth all-time in Mountain West history. He also leads the Mountain West and ranks 18th in the nation.
Hamilton, a junior out of Edinburgh, Scotland, leaped 24 feet, 9 ¼ inches in the long jump at the New Mexico Quadrangular. That mark was the best at the meet, ahead of Lobo teammate Yannick Roggatz by 11 centimeters.
Additionally, Hamilton ranks first in the Mountain West, and is tied for 17th in the NCAA and 9th in the NCAA West Region.
The duo combined for the second and third MW athlete-of-the-week honors that New Mexico has received outdoors in 2015. Last week, Logan Pflibsen earned MW men’s field athlete of the week.
Although the Mountain West expanded the number of men’s conference athletes of the week this year from one to two (both a track athlete and a field athlete), the Lobo men have tied the program record for earning such honors.
In 2007 and 2008, New Mexico claimed three honors all season.
New Mexico is back in action this week as it splits up to take on a three-meet road swing in California. The Lobos will compete at the Mt. SAC Relays, the Bryan Clay Invitational and the Beach Invitational Wednesday through Saturday.