Final Results | Final Team Scores
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — The University of New Mexico track & field team tallied strong performances at the 2016 Mountain West Indoor Track & Field Championships as both the men and the women placed fourth overall at the meet.
Although the Lobos’ streak of conference titles ended at three for the men and two for the women, New Mexico held its own — even exceeding expectation in some cases — during the three-day meet at the Albuquerque Convention Center.
“We had some really good performances,” New Mexico head coach Joe Franklin said. “It was a really good track meet across the board.”
A number of those great performances came at the individual level, as Allan Hamilton earned Men’s Outstanding Performer honors and four Lobos claimed individual titles.
Overall, the New Mexico men totaled 101 points in the championship, while the Lobo women combined to tally 65 points. The Colorado State women and the Air Force men won their respective titles.
“The league keeps getting deeper and deeper,” Franklin said, “so we have to get better.”
The Lobo men, despite finishing fourth, performed strongly during the meet, which saw Air Force edge Utah State and de facto pre-meet favorite Colorado State in the closest finish in conference history.
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| Ridge Jones |
The men were powered by incredible balance, as they scored in all but two events in which they competed. Both Hamilton and Ridge Jones successfully defending their titles from 2015, as Hamilton captured the long jump crown and Jones the 60-meter dash crown.
“The men from a point total exceeded our expectations,” Franklin said. “They did a really good job all across the board.”
Hamilton leaped 25 feet, 3 ½ inches (7.71 meters) for his second straight long jump title, while also placing second in the triple jump (50-10 ¾ [15.51m]) and fifth in the 60 (6.84 seconds). He claimed the Lobos’ first outstanding performer award since 2011.
Jones won the men’s 60 with a time of 6.69 seconds and also scored in the 200 (21.81 seconds). He is the first MW athlete to win back-to-back 60-meter titles since 2008 and 2009.
“It feels great, it feels real great,” Jones said. “This year hasn’t been going as good as it should’ve been for me, but I managed to pull it off.”
The rest of the men’s 60 also pulled off a superb showing, as Carlos Wiggins (sixth place, time of 6.87) and Scott Bajere (seventh, 6.90) combined with Jones and Hamilton for four scoring times.
Additionally, Elmar Engholm posted a runner-up finish in the 800, running a career best of 1:50.03, while also scoring in the mile (seventh, 4:16.86).
“That’s the first time he’s doubled well,” Franklin said. “… He’s arrived as a distance runner and we need that.”
Mark Haywood in the 400 (sixth, PR of 48.00), Dan Milechman in the 5000 (seventh, 14:58.03) and Adam Cotton in the 800 (eighth, 2:06.69) also scored individually on the track.
The relays also scored, as the 4×400 meter relay team of Cheyne Dorsey, Chris Kline, Isaac Gonzales and Haywood placed third (3:13.50) and the distance medley relay team of Adam Monroe, Gonzales, David Banwell-Clode and Chris Graham placed sixth (10:20.97).
The field events were also exceptionally productive for the Lobo men, as virtually every athlete entered in a field even scored points.
Along with Hamilton’s triple-score effort, Yannick Roggatz, Samuel Trigg and Daniel Lam all scored in multi events.
Roggatz was second in the long jump (25 ½ [7.63m]) and sixth in the high jump (6-8 ¾ [2.05m]), while Trigg was third in the triple jump (50-4 ¾ [15.36m]) and fifth in the long jump (23-2 ½ [7.07m]). Lam added a runner-up finish in the pentathlon (5,241 points) and an eighth-place finish in the pole vault (15-1 ½ [4.61m]).
Also scoring in the field events were Beau Clafton (sixth, 4945 points) in the heptathlon and Jason Atencio (sixth, personal record of 15-9 ¼ [4.81]) and John Harari (seventh, 15-5 ½ [4.71m]) in the pole vault.
On the women’s side, Sophie Connor and Jannell Hadnot both posted individual championships, as Connor just edged teammate Calli Thackery for the mile crown and Hadnot soared by the competition in the triple jump.
Connor finished with a time of 4:45.76 to Thackery’s 4:45.79 as the two crossed the line in a dead heat. Both are likely headed to the NCAA Indoor Championships next week in the mile and 3000, respectively.
“It’s great to get faster and get those points,” Connor said. “I think it’s great when you get competition from someone that you train with everyday”
Mackenzie Everett also scored in the mile (eighth, 5:01.67), while Connor was fifth in the 800 (2:10.00) and Thackery took fourth in the 3000 (9:43.36).
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| Jannell Hadnot |
Hadnot secured her first MW indoor title with a leap of 42-2 (12.85m), adding to her outdoor title from last year. The NCAA’s 12th-ranked triple jumper and UNM record holder, Hadnot is also in contention for an NCAA bid.
“It was great,” Hadnot said. “I’m really excited for nationals. All I really wanted to do was come out here and jump really well, I did that and I won for the second time.”
Holly Van Grinsven also contributed a handful of points for the women, taking third in the 60 hurdles (8.36), fourth in the 400 (54.42) and helping the 4×400 team that also included Zoe Howell, Haley Sanner and Larimar Rodriguez to third (3:43.07).
The women’s DMR, which is also in position for an NCAA berth, relied on some different athletes at this meet, as Everett, Rodriguez, Howell and Emily Hosker-Thornhill combined to finish sixth (11:46.50).
Rounding out the Lobos’ scoring efforts were Kyra Mohns in the pentathlon (sixth, 3617 points); Casey Dowling in the long jump (seventh, 18-4 ¼ [5.59m]); Katherine Whiting in the pole vault (12-5 ½ [3.08m]); and Heleene Tambet in the 5000 (eighth, 17:31.35).
Overall, the Air Force men won with a total of 142 points, barely topping Utah State (second, 141 points) and Colorado State (third, 138). New Mexico (101 points), Wyoming (70), and Boise State (64) rounded out the team standings.
Colorado State took the women’s title with 115 points, followed by San Diego State (second, 105), Boise State (third, 71.5), UNM (fourth, 65), Wyoming (fifth, 59), UNLV (sixth, 56), Nevada (seventh, 52), Fresno State (eighth, 49), Utah State (ninth, 33), Air Force (10th, 30.50) and San José State (11th, 27).
New Mexico’s indoor season has concluded for most of the team, with a number of Lobos eyeing the NCAA Championships in Birmingham, Ala., on March 11-12.