UTEP Invitational: Sat., April 30 | Kidd Field | El Paso, Texas
Payton Jordan Invitational: Sun., May 1 | Cobb Track & Angell Field | Stanford, Calif.
Meet Notes | UTEP: Heat Sheets | Schedule | Live Results
Payton Jordan: Heat Sheets | Schedule | Live Results
As the calendar turns to May, the New Mexico track & field team is beginning to set its sights on the postseason.
First up on the to-do list: a split-squad weekend that will give the Lobos tons of opportunities for progress.
New Mexico is taking on a pair of meets this weekend, heading to the UTEP Invitational on Saturday and the Payton Jordan Invitational on Sunday as it starts is run toward the rapidly approaching postseason.
With the Mountain West Championships on May 11-14, the Lobos are looking for some wins, fast times and, perhaps most importantly, improvement this weekend at Kidd Field in El Paso, Texas, and Cobb Track & Angell Field in Stanford, California.
 |
|
| Samantha Bowe | |
“This is the time of the year where you’re two weeks away from the conference championships, so you’ve got to starting getting into conference championship form,” head coach Joe Franklin said.
That championship form consists of athletes getting into “lifetime-best mode,” Franklin said, and both meets are shaping up as prime spots to make some gains.
The UTEP Invitational is a low-key affair, and it’s a meet where the Lobos have had success picking up experience in a relatively laid-back but competitive environment.
The Payton Jordan Invitational hosted by Stanford is almost the exact opposite, as hundreds of world-class runners will converge on the Bay Area looking for fast times during an Olympic year.
But for New Mexico, each meet provides different opportunities for different athletes.
The Lobos’ vertical jumpers and multi-event athletes, along with some track athletes and throwers, are heading to UTEP, while New Mexico’s top distance runners, jumpers and sprinters are traveling to Stanford.
The Payton Jordan Invitational is one of the top meets of 2016, and will feature some of the best distance races of the year.
For the Lobos, they’re looking to win events, since wins at this meet equal fast times and fast times equal NCAA qualification. That goal is prevalent for every athletes, but especially for the distance runners at this distance-heavy meet.
“I’m looking for people to win their events,” Franklin said. “If people have a shot to win their events, they’re going to do well. Some of the distance races are the best in the world, so just making sure you’re competitive and fighting all the way.”
The distance runners are also moving into their primary events as they eye the NCAAs.
Although some athletes have met the requisite top-48 ranking in the NCAA West region for making the national championships, they’ll be running their main events in a concerted push for the postseason.
On the women’s side, that means Courtney Frerichs will make her debut in the 3,000-meter steeplechase, along with Calli Thackery in the 5000 and Alice Wright in the 10000. For the men, Matt Bergin is running his first 5000 and Julian Florez his first 10000 of the season.
Some runners will continue to hone their craft, with Sophie Connor and Emily Hosker-Thornhill in the 1500 and Natasha Bernal in the steeplechase.
 |
|
| Carlos Salcido | |
The same idea applies to Elmar Engholm and Graham Thomas in the steeplechase and Josh Kerr and Adam Cotton in the 1500, as all four have already run nationally ranked times in their respective events.
But outside of the distance runners looking to stake their claim for the NCAAs, New Mexico is also sending a number of other athletes as more of its team makes the trip.
“We’ve not been to Stanford in other event areas before in recent time,” Franklin said. “So for them, they get to get on some runways that are very good and the competition is outstanding.”
Jumpers like Allan Hamilton, Yannick Roggatz and Sam Trigg for the men and Aasha Marler and Jannell Hadnot for the women will take aim in their specialities as they look to take advantage of some top-notch competition.
The sprinters and hurdlers will also being striving for some fast times. For the men, that includes Ridge Jones, Scott Bajere, Carlos Salcido, Mark Haywood, among others, while the women will look to Holly Van Grinsven, Haley Sanner, Zoe Howell and Larimar Rodriguez, among others.
At UTEP, New Mexico main goal will be progress and consistency as it looks to get into that championship form.
“A lot of the people going to UTEP are vying for making the travel team for the conference championships,” Franklin said. “And those that are already going to the conference championships, the goal is consistency — making sure they’re being consistent at doing what they do.”
Highlighting UNM’s contingent in El Paso are its multi-event athletes Samantha Bowe and Kyra Mohns for the women and Daniel Lam, Beau Clafton and Andris Sturans for the men.
Also of note at UTEP are the Lobo’s high jumpers, Markus Miller and Joe Kloeppel, and their pole vaulters, Katherine Whiting, Annie Stirling, Jason Atencio and John Harari. Throwers Amaris Blount and Allison Mady are also looking to make some improvement.
New Mexico will also see some of its sprinters — like Erynn Caldwell, Peri Moran and Faith Cobb — and some of its distance runners — like Lindsey Andrews and Ruth Haynes — compete on Saturday.
The Lobos open competition at UTEP on Saturday at 10 a.m. MT and will wrap up around 6:30 p.m. At Stanford, UNM is slated to start at noon MT, with the final events finishing near midnight MT.