STANFORD, Calif. — Looking to get back into the swing of things, two Lobo distance runners hit the track equivalent of a home run.
Alice Wright and Heleene Tambet both set new personal records in the 10,000-meter run as a small pack of New Mexico distance runners posted strong times at the Stanford Invitational Friday night.
Along with Wright’s and Tambet’s new PRs, Todd Wakefield and Amber Zimmerman both registered solid marks in the 1500 for the Lobos, who are opening their season this weekend both in Stanford and at the Don Kirby Tailwind Invitational in Albuquerque.
Although the championship season is over seven weeks away, the Lobos are beginning to start compiling their credentials for the postseason that starts in May.
The top 48 athletes in each championship event in the NCAA’s West Region advance to the NCAA West Preliminary Championship, which is the qualifying meet for the NCAA Outdoor Championships in June.
For Wright, the redshirt freshman from England clocked a quick time of 32 minutes, 56.33 seconds in the first section of the 10K to place 10th overall and fourth collegiately. Her time almost certainly guarantees her a spot at the NCAA West Prelims.
In her first-ever competitive 10,000, Wright moved to second all-time at New Mexico and third all-time in the Mountain West in the event.
Tambet also made a bid for the postseason, running a time of 34:32.68 to place 23rd overall in the second section of the 10,000. A new personal record, her time is just outside the top-10 at UNM, but puts her in contention for a berth at the NCAA preliminaries.
In the 1500s, Wakefield ran to a time of 3:47.64 that placed ninth in the second of seven sections, while Zimmerman clocked a time of 4:26.66 to place fourth in the fourth of eight sections.
The Lobos’ distance runners will compete again in the coming weeks, while the bulk of the team opens at the Don Kirby Tailwind Invitational later Saturday at the Great Friends of UNM Track Stadium in Albuquerque.