|
||||||||||||||||
The recipe for success at Wisconsin is pretty simple for New Mexico head coach Joe Franklin.
“The expectation is to find your teammates, let other people do the work and work very hard the last 1,000 meters,” Franklin said. “… If we do those things, the result with be very positive.”
The University of New Mexico cross country program is heading to the exceptionally competitive Nuttycombe Wisconsin Invitational Presented by Under Armour this Friday in Madison, Wis., as it looks to improve its credentials for the national championships.
The Lobos, with their 11th-ranked women’s team and a young men’s squad, are aiming to pick up wins against other teams so they can build résumés worthy of the NCAA Championships that will be held November 19 in Terre Haute, Ind.
“I think going in we’re really excited,” UNM sophomore Natasha Bernal said. “We have Notre Dame under our belt and I think that was a good starting point for us. So we’re prepared to go in a just show the NCAA what New Mexico is. We’re ready.”
After the women took fourth at the Joe Piane Notre Dame Invitational two weeks ago, the Lobos started off their pursuit of a second consecutive NCAA team title strongly.
Although the women dropped slightly in the poll and the youthful men struggled in their first major team competition, both showed flashes of potential that portend future success.
This week’s elite meet at Thomas Zimmer Championship Cross Country Course gives Franklin’s harriers a chance to further improve their postseason prospects.
31 teams make the NCAA Championships — two automatic bids from nine regions plus 13 at-large teams — so securing wins against other teams at Wisconsin will go a long way toward NCAA bids.
However, the Lobos will have to contend with a stacked field. Although this meet is entering its eighth year, Wisconsin is easily one of the top invitationals outside of the NCAA Championships.
18 women’s teams and 18 men’s teams ranked in the USTFCCCA National Coaches’ Poll will be making their case for the NCAAs Friday.
Along with the 11th-ranked Lobo women, No. 1 Providence, No. 3 NC State, No. 4 Washington, No. 6 Michigan State and No. 10 Boise State will be racing in the women’s six-kilometer races.
In the men’s eight-kilometer race, No. 1 Northern Arizona, No. 3 BYU, No. 7 Portland and No. 11 Stanford, among others, will be competing.
For the Lobo women, it will be their two frontrunners leading the charge.
Reigning Mountain West Women’s Athlete of the Week Alice Wright and Calli Thackery finished in the top five at Notre Dame, and the duo will again be looked to for top finishes in Madison.
“Not only do you have Alice, but Calli is not far behind her,” Franklin said. “That’s a great team led by two very good runners at 1-2.”
New Mexico can also look to Sophie Connor, their third scorer at Notre Dame, along with Bernal and true freshman Alex Buck, both of whom scored two weeks ago. There’s also additional depth with Kathryn Fluehr, Kendall Kelly, Kyoko Koyama and Kieran Casey.
The biggest goal for UNM this week is decreasing its team spread between their top finisher and their final scorer. Last year, the Lobos never had a team spread above a minute, but last time out at Notre Dame, they posted a spread just over a minute.
“The goal is for that gap to get smaller,” Franklin said. “The best teams in the country have very small gaps between 1 and 7 and 1 and 5 like us last year. And that’s one of the things we’re going to work on this weekend is closing this gap down.”
On the men’s side, the goals are similar, but with such a young lineup, the growing pains are real.
At Notre Dame, the men placed 23rd overall. The men’s team spread was 1 minutes, 19 seconds, and while it was a number of the runners’ first taste of NCAA competition, the gaps must decrease for UNM to have success.
“We have a lot of work to do,” Franklin said. “They’re very young. They gaps have got to close. We will be better than what we were two weeks ago at Notre Dame.”
The Lobos will receive some welcome reinforcements in the form of seniors Graham Thomas and Adam Cotton.
Thomas, the men’s most experienced veteran, was out at Notre Dame due to illness, but he’ll be looked on for a low finish. He scored for UNM at every meet last year, and has consistently improved as a Lobo.
New Mexico will also look to a strong follow up from Jacob Simonsen after he led the men at Notre Dame. Jesus Mendoza, Zac Castillo, Emil Danielsson, Jared Garcia and Alexander Palm will also be key this week.
The men will take the course first, running the men’s “B” race at 10:40 a.m. MT. The women will then toe the line for the women’s championship race at 11:30 a.m. MT. Check back Friday afternoon on GoLobos.com for meet results and a New Mexico recap.