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Don Kirby InvitationalIt may have been raining earlier in the week, but the Lobos are hoping for a bright start to the outdoor season.
The University of New Mexico track & field team opens up its outdoor campaign at the Don Kirby Tailwind Invitational on Saturday as its sprinters, jumpers and throwers compete in the team’s only home outdoor meet of the year.
The Lobos, who are also sending a couple of distance runners to the Stanford Invitational on Friday, are looking to gauge where they are as a team when they take the track at the Great Friends of UNM Track & Field Stadium.
“Just put on spikes, put on a uniform and get back into it again after the indoor season and the NCAA Championships and spring break,” New Mexico coach Joe Franklin said of the team’s expectations for the meet.
Most of the Lobos haven’t seen action since the Mountain West Indoor Championships in late February, so this short, one-day meet gives the athletes a chance to get back into gear.
And while the Don Kirby is the first meet for almost all of the team — some throwers competed last weekend at UTEP — beginning to build early momentum in March and April is key for strong performances in May and June.
“It’s back into a building phase,” Franklin said. “It’s early in the year, so we’re building. You have to have some base work and get back to the basics, so we’re doing that for about five weeks and then we get into the championships season.”
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| Sam Trigg |
The postseason starts in mid-May with the Mountain West Championships, and good outdoor debuts this weekend can pay dividends later in the season once the Lobos approach the NCAAs.
The top 48 athletes in each event in the NCAA’s West Region advance to the NCAA West Preliminary Championship in late May, which is the qualifying meet for the NCAA Outdoor Championships in June.
New Mexico’s sprinters are competing in force this weekend, while a handful of the Lobos’ distance runners, jumpers and throwers are also in action.
In the sprints, the New Mexico will see Mark Haywood lead a group of runners in the 400-meter run, including Isaac Gonzales, Gavin Sleeter, Kristian Uldbjerg Hansen and Adam Monroe. Mustafa Mudada and Cheyne Dorsey will also open up in the 400 hurdles.
Additionally, Alejandro Goldston, Tanner Battikha and Carlos Salcido will run in the short sprints. Together, the UNM men will also run a 4×100 meter relay team and a pair of 4×400 relays.
For the women, Hannah Riker-Urrutia, Larimar Rodriguez, Akeisha Ayanniyi, Erynn Caldwell and Peri Moran are taking aim in the sprints, with Kyra Mohns running the 400 hurdles.
The middle-distance and distance events will feature a number of Lobos getting some early-season action.
On the men’s side, it will be Taylor Potter in the 800; Chris Graham and Alexander Palm in the 1500; and Tyler Valdez and Jared Garcia in the 3000. On the women’s side, Mackenzie Everett, Reiley Kelly, Samantha Dicker and Kyoko Koyama will run the 1500, with Ruth Haynes and Dicker in the 3K.
Out in the field events, Sam Trigg makes his 2017 debut in the triple jump and long jump after redshirting indoors. He’ll be joined by Battikha and Goldston in the long jump.
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| Hannah Riker-Urrutia |
Jason Atencio, Nathan Burnett, John Harari and Ryan Chase will all compete in the pole vault after strong indoor campaigns, while Caleb Meyer-Hagen will compete in the high jump.
Javelin throwers Nik Aston and Malik Matthews-Gordon round out the Lobo men’s contingent.
Shannon Fritz (high jump, pole vault) and Ayanniyi (long jump) lead the women’s field eventers. Amaris Blount, Allison Mady and Mohns are also entered in the shot put, with Mohns and Morgan Smith slated to compete in the javelin.
The meet starts at 10 a.m. with the women’s javelin throw and men’s shot put, while track events kick off at 11:30 a.m. with the men’s 4×100 relay. Live results for the Don Kirby Tailwind can be found at LiveRunningResults.com. Also, check back at GoLobos.com Saturday night for a recap and results of the weekend’s results.
TWO TO STANFORD: Two Lobos, Natasha Bernal and Sarah Laverty are heading to California to take part in the Stanford Invitational in Stanford, California. Since Stanford’s home meets have historically produced some of the best distance races every year, UNM is sending two runners to the Bay Area to get an early-season taste of elite running.
Bernal made the NCAA West Preliminary Round last season in the 3,000-meter steeplechase, and set her personal record of 10:19.54 at the Payton Jordan Invite at Stanford last May. She’ll run the steeple again on Friday.
Laverty is making her New Mexico debut, and is entered in the 10,000-meter run. She is an accomplished cross country and road racer from Scotland.
Fans can follow the Lobos on Twitter (@lobo_track) and Instagram (@lobo_xc_tf) for information and updates on the team!