EUGENE, Ore. — University of New Mexico track & field Josh Kerr placed 10th in the men’s 1,500-meter run on Friday as the Lobos closed out men’s portion of the 2016 NCAA Division I Outdoor Track and Field Championships.
Kerr, a freshman from Edinburgh, Scotland, clocked a time of 3 minutes, 50.00 seconds at Hayward Field in Eugene, just missing a top-eight finish that scores both team points and All-American honors at the championships.
Consequently, New Mexico will finish the NCAA Men’s Outdoor Championship, which was contested Wednesday and Friday, without a score for the first time since 2006.
The women’s championship, where the UNM women are currently tied with six other teams for eighth place, concludes Saturday.
Kerr’s race went out quickly, with the pack of 12 runners stringing out within the first 400 meters. Kerr, the only freshman in the field, came through the first 300 meters in ninth place, falling to 11th halfway through the race.
However, he rallied a position on the final lap, finishing 10th. Akron’s Clayton Murphy won in 3:36.38.
Kerr is just the fourth Lobo in program history to make the finals of the 1500, advancing after placing fifth in the semifinals on Wednesday.
New Mexico wraps up the meet tomorrow with the final day of the women’s championships. Five Lobos will compete, with triple jumpers Aasha Marler and Jannell Hadnot starting the day at 4:30 p.m. MT.
Sophie Connor (1500, 4:41 p.m. MT), Courtney Frerichs (3000 steeplechase, 4:54 p.m. MT) and Calli Thackery (5000, 6:25 p.m. MT) are also compete Saturday. All of the track events will be televised on ESPN, with field event coverage on ESPN3.