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NCAA ChampionshipsFor nine straight Novembers, the Lobos have qualified to the NCAA Championships. Last year they won it all, and this year they head back looking to make it two straight.
The sixth-ranked New Mexico women’s cross country team heads to the NCAA Championships looking to make it back onto the podium when it runs Saturday at LaVern Gibson Championship Cross Country Course in Terre Haute, Indiana.
The Lobos, who have placed top 10 at every national championship since 2009, aren’t the favorites to win it like the did last year, but they do have the athletes to contend for another top-10 finish and perhaps even more.
“The goals have never changed,” New Mexico head coach Joe Franklin said. “It’s aways to go into the season and be top 10. Last year, we only talked about winning a national championships one time and that was after the Wisconsin meet. This year, it’s about making sure you get to the line healthy.”
The women have been ranked in the top 12 all season, and have finished in the top four at every meet they’ve run at, including back-to-back fourth-place finishes at the prestigious Joe Piane Notre Dame Invitational and the Nuttycombe Wisconsin Invitational.
New Mexico also won its ninth-straight Mountain West title in October, a streak that has coincided with their run at the national championships.
However, if the Lobos wants to become the first team since Villanova (2009 and 2010) to repeat as national championships, they’ll have to contend with some very talented teams.
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No. 1 Colorado ran through the NCAA Mountain Region Championships, topping New Mexico in the meet. No. 2 North Carolina State and No. 3 Providence are also teams with title aspirations, with No. 4 Stanford and No. 5 Michigan also in the conversation.
But, it’s a pretty vague conversation heading into the meet, with a number of teams in contention for a podium finish.
“Colorado right now is very, very good,” Franklin said. “Hands down, the best in the country. But after that, it’s kind of wide open. … When you get in that four-to-eight range, literally anybody on any given day has a shot.”
With so many teams capable of vying for the team title, the Lobos can counter with their own talented roster, which includes one runner eyeing the individual title.
Alice Wright, the 2016 Mountain West and NCAA Mountain Regional champ, looks to make it a clean sweep in the postseason as she guns for the NCAA title.
The USTFCCCA Mountain Region Female Athlete of the Year, Wright is a definite challenger for the individual crown. A two-time All-American on the grass, Wright was the fifth-place finisher from a year ago — making her the top returner from last year’s championship.
“I’d being lying if i said I wouldn’t love to win,” Wright said. “I’m going to go in and try to win, but I’m sure every other athlete in the race is going to do the same. … I just want to go into that race and give it my best. And if I come away feeling I’ve given everything I’ve got, then I can’t be disappointed.”
The Lobos can also rely on Calli Thackery for a strong run. Another candidate to claim a repeat All-American plaudit, Thackery was 15th in 2015 and hasn’t finished outside of the top 11 at any meet this season.
Together, Wright and Thackery have provided New Mexico strong runs at every meet. At the MW Championships, the tandem finished 1-2 to guide UNM.
“Alice had done an incredible job and Calli has been right on her heels all year,” Franklin said. “When you talked about elite individuals in the country, Calli and Alice are right in that discussion along with Erin Finn, Anna Rohrer and Brenna Peloquin.”
Michigan’s Finn, Notre Dame’s Rohrer and Boise State’s Peloquin are formidable runners, but the Lobos’ duo are right with them.
Additionally, the Lobos can turn to a solid group of runners for more scoring runs.
Natasha Bernal, Sophie Connor and Alex Buck all scored at the Mountain Regional and will be looked on to provide solid performances. Although the Lobos have two proven low sticks, any bid for a podium finish depends on how the Lobos’ depth performs.
“Alex Buck, Natasha Bernal, Sophie Connor, Kendall Kelly, they all keep getting a little better, a little better each week,” Franklin said. “And that’s what you need. When you go to the national championship, if just you do what you’ve done all year, you’re going to be OK.”
Kelly (a scorer at the MW Championships), Kathryn Fluehr, Kieran Casey and Kyoko Koyama can also contribute, although the Lobos can, by rule, only compete seven runners at the meet.
The final seven-runner lineup for the Lobos won’t be decided until later in the week, but whatever group Franklin and his staff pick, they’ll be ready to challenge for another national title.
The women run at 9 a.m. MT, and the meet will be streamed exclusively on FloTrack.com with live results at RecordTiming.com. Check back Saturday afternoon on GoLobos.com for meet results and a New Mexico recap.