ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. – As with most things, getting off to a good start is key to a good overall performance. After Saturday, Jannell Hadnot and the Lobos would agree.
Hadnot won the women’s triple jump and a number of Lobos posted solid marks as the University of New Mexico track & field team opened its 2016 indoor campaign at the Cherry & Silver Invitational
The Lobos, competing for the first time this year and for the first time of the newly resurfaced track at the Albuquerque Convention Center, received strong showings across the board as most athletes continue to gear up for five meets in the next six weeks.
“It’s really good to have a good first meet because you’re just trying to get all of the jitters out of the way,” Hadnot said. “So it was nice to come and have a good mark.”
Hadnot soared 41 feet, 8 inches (12.72 meters) in the women’s triple jump, easily outdistancing the competition for her first triple jump win indoors since the Lobo Open last January 24.
Her victory highlighted a strong weekend for New Mexico, as the Lobos notched 12 top-10 finishes in their first meet.
“We haven’t been going very long,” New Mexico head coach Joe Franklin said. “This is our first meet. A lot of teams have had a couple of meets. … As a whole, it was very positive.”
Allan Hamilton contributed one of those positives, placing second in the men’s long jump on Friday with a mark of 24-9 (7.55m). He was just ahead of Yannick Roggatz, who tied for fifth with a distance of 24-2 (7.38m).
“Allan Hamilton and Yannick Roggatz long jumped well,” Franklin said.
Amaris Blount added a seventh-place finish in the women’s weight throw, posting a mark of 54-4 (16.58m) that ranks third in New Mexico history.
On the track, the Lobos captured a handful of top-10 finishes, including Holly Van Grinsven advancing through a difficult field en route to seventh in the women’s 60-meter hurdles.
Van Grinsven clocked a time of 8.54 second in the finals of the hurdles, claiming seventh and finishing as the second-best collegian.
Additionally, Zoe Howell took fourth place in the women’s 600-meter run with a time of 1:34.02, while Kendall Kelly claimed 10th in the women’s mile with a time of 5:23.05.
For the men, Elmar Engholm tallied a fourth-place time of 1:53.84 in the 800, and Mark Haywood posted a seventh-place time of 48.58 in the 400. Friday saw Tyler Valdez place eighth in the 3000 with a time of 8:58.86.
The Lobos’ 4×400 meter relay teams also shined, as the women’s team of Larimar Rodriguez, Howell, Haley Sanner and Van Grinsven finished fourth in 3:48.88 and the men’s team of Cheyne Dorsey, Chris Kline, Mustafa Mudada and Haywood finished fifth in 3:16.44.
New Mexico returns to action next week as they host the New Mexico Team Invitational next Saturday. The Lobos will welcome Air Force, California, Colorado State, Kansas State, Nebraska, Texas Tech, TCU and Utah State to the Convention Center for a team-score meet.
“We’re super excited for next weekend,” Franklin said. “Next weekend is going to be a lot of fun.”
And it will be doubly fun to the Lobos after getting the year off to a strong start.