Mountain West Outdoor Track & Field Championships — Clovis, Calif.
When: Wednesday-Saturday, May 11-14
Where: Veteran’s Memorial Stadium, Clovis, Calif.
Live Results: RecordTiming.com
Meet Notes | Heat Sheets | Schedule | Live Results | Championship Homepage
For the first time in a couple of years, the Lobos aren’t heading to the conference championships with a target on their back.
With everyone aiming at everyone, it’s hard to be the only team singled out.
The University of New Mexico track & field team is looking to emerge as one of the teams to beat as it aims for wins this week at the Mountain West Outdoor Track & Field Championships in Clovis, California.
The Lobos, still hot off some tremendous performances to close the regular-season, have the athletes and the pedigree to vie for a league title, but they will have to overcome a balanced Mountain West during the four-day meet at at Veteran’s Memorial Stadium.
Although the 12th-ranked New Mexico women and 55th-ranked New Mexico men lead the Mountain West in the most recent USTFCCCA national rankings, this week’s meet is up for grabs.
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| Graham Thomas | |
Both Lobo squads have some elite talent powering their rankings, but at the conference championships, depth and balance often are the deciding factors.
On the women’s side, No. 37 San Diego State and No. 63 UNLV are some of the other teams in the league that have both traits.
The men’s team picture also features multiple contenders, with No. 56 Air Force, No. 67 Utah State and No. 96 Colorado State battling with the Lobos.
But heading into the meet, there’s not a clear-cut frontrunner. Host Fresno State can also make a difference, and there’s no counting out the Colorado State women after they won the MW indoor title in Albuquerque in February.
But all of that is on-paper conjecture, and the Lobos still have a lot to say about how this meet is going to unfold.
The key for New Mexico is getting big points out of its big scorers. Currently, UNM leads the conference in six events on each side, and will need those event-leaders to live up to their billing.
On the women’s side, the vast majority of their scoring power comes from their distance crew, which features Courtney Frerichs, Sophie Connor, Calli Thackery and Alice Wright. That group, along with Natasha Bernal and Emily Hosker-Thornhill, will be leaned on heavily for points in events ranging from the 800-meter run to the 10000.
The Lobos will also look to their jumpers for key points, including Aasha Marler and Jannell Hadnot, the co-conference leaders in the triple jump. Both will be taking aim in the long jump and triple jump, Samantha Bowe joining in the long jump.
The sprints and hurdles can also produce some important points, with Holly Van Grinsven in the 100 hurdles and Haley Sanner in the 400. That duo will also run the 4×400 with Larimar Rodriguez and Hannah Riker-Urrutia.
Additionally, Samantha Woodman is entered in both the 200 and the 400 while Zoe Howell takes on the 800.
Bowe and Kyra Mohns can add points in the heptathlon, as can Annie Stirling and Katherine Whiting in the pole vault and Amaris Blount and Allison Mady in the throws.
On the men’s side, the Lobos have talent across the board, and will rely on their event leaders to score big points.
In the distance events, Josh Kerr will put his league-leading time in the 1500 to the test, as will Elmar Engholm in the 3000 steeplechase and Dan Milechman in the 10000.
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| Alice Wright | |
Along with those three, Adam Cotton, Graham Thomas, Matt Bergin, Zac Castillo and Julian Florez will also take on the distance events.
New Mexico also has a pair of conference leaders in the horizontal jumps, with Allan Hamilton (long jump) and Sam Trigg (triple jump). That tandem will take on both jumps (with Hamilton aiming to defend his sweep from 2015), while Yannick Roggatz competes in the long jump.
Daniel Lam is the final conference leader, as he leads in the decathlon. He’ll take on the two-day, 10-event spectacle with Beau Clafton.
Both will also compete in some additional individual events, with Clafton looking to defend his 2015 title in the javelin.
Elsewhere, the Lobos have some talent in the sprints, including the school record holders in the 4×100 relay. Hamilton, will team up with Scott Bajere (also in the 100), Ridge Jones (100, 200) and Carlos Salcido (200) to run the 4×100.
UNM will also look for points from quartermilers Mark Haywood, Isaac Gonzales and Chris Kline in the 400 and Cheyne Dorsey in the 400 hurdles.
Rounding out the Lobos’ travel squad are a few more key sources of points with high jumpers Markus Miller and Joe Kloeppel, pole vaulters Jason Atencio and John Harari and javelin thrower Nik Aston.
The meet starts Wednesday with the women’s heptathlon at 5 p.m. MT, and continues Thursday with the completion of the multi-events.
Friday’s activities start at 4:30 p.m. MT in the field and at 5:30 p.m. MT on the track. On Saturday, events start at 4:30 p.m. MT with the awards ceremony scheduled for 10 p.m. MT.
Live results are located at RecordTiming.com, and daily recaps will be posted at GoLobos.com.