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NCAA West Preliminary RoundHeading to Texas, New Mexico head coach Joe Franklin knows what his Lobos are about to face.
“It is survival mode.”
As the best of the west descends on Austin, the goal is just survive and advance. If the Lobos can do that, they’ll get to fight for national titles.
The University of New Mexico track & field team is aiming for the national championships as it sends 10 individuals to the 2017 NCAA Division I Men’s and Women’s Outdoor Track and Field West Preliminary Championships competition this week.
The Lobos are eyeing top-12 finishes in their respective events during the three-day meet at Mike A. Myers Stadium in Austin, which would advance a competitor to next month’s NCAA Championships in Eugene, Oregon.
“The expectation this week is to go in and see if we can get four or five people to the national championships and continue adding to the tradition that we have,” Franklin said.
The Lobos’ tradition during this phase of the season is a proud one.
Since the NCAA reconfigured its preliminary rounds into two regions in 2010, New Mexico has qualified at least 10 athletes to the West Prelims every season.
It’s a stretch of accomplishment that is difficult to overlook, as the top 48 athletes and top 24 relay teams in the NCAA West Region qualify to the West Prelims. All things considered, these 10 Lobos are among about 1,600 athletes vying for a limited number of bids to the NCAA finals.
“The 10 athletes have a very positive mindset,” Franklin said. “It’s going to be a great competition. We have kids that can make the semifinals and some that can advance onto the finals in Eugene.”
Six of the 10 New Mexico athletes are making a return to the West Prelims, including a trio of reigning Mountain West champs.
For the men, Josh Kerr is the No. 1 seed in the meet in the 1,500-meter run, owning a seed time of 3 minutes, 35.99 seconds that ranks sixth in NCAA history.
He won both the 800 and 1500 at the MW Championships earlier in May and has won 10 races in his last six meets, including the NCAA title in the mile run in March.
“The heats look good and he’s in a great spot,” Franklin said of Kerr. “The whole goal is to win races. Just advance on first.”
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Also looking to advance on for second straight year is the women’s duo of Alice Wright and Jannell Hadnot.
Wright, the 2016 NCAA runner up in the 10,000, is entered in her speciality and enters competition as the No. 2 seed in the event. Her seed time of 32:29.28 doubles as the UNM record.
“Alice is in the best fitness she’s been in in her life, knock on wood,” Franklin said. “She’s in a very good spot.”
Wright, who is making her third straight West Prelims appearance, is looking to become the first New Mexico athlete to make the NCAA Championships in the same event in three straight years since Katie Coronado (javelin, 2007-09).
Hadnot is also returning the West Prelims after winning the triple jump at the meet last season. In her final of four appearances, the senior from Oakland is seeded 10th in the triple jump with a season best of 43 feet, 5 inches.
In the men’s triple jump, Sam Trigg is also back for a repeat showing. Going into this week’s meet, the senior from England owns a personal-record mark of 52-10 ¾ that has him seeded 11th.
“Jannell and Sam both have very good shots at making the national championships,” Franklin said.
Additionally, the Lobos will look to their two steeplechasers after both qualified to the meet last season.
For the men, two-time MW silver medalist Graham Thomas is seeded 25th in the 3000-meter steeplechase with a time of 8:54.29. His personal record of 8:48.07 ranks sixth in UNM history in the steeplechase.
Natasha Bernal is also competing for the women in the steeple, where she seeded 20th with a personal-record time of 10:15.90. She ranks third in New Mexico history in the event.
Four Lobos are making their first-ever appearance at the West Prelims.
On the men’s side, that includes Tanner Battikha, who is seeded 34th in the long jump with a lifetime best of 24-9 ¾, and Emil Danielsson, who is seeded 34th in the 1500 with a time of 3:46.08.
The women’s newcomers are junior Kieran Casey, a two-time All-American while at the University of Indianapolis, and freshman Sophie Eckel. Casey is seeded 41st in the 1500 with a time of 4:25.23, while Eckel is seed 26th in the 5000 with a time of 16:08.09.
The meet kicks off for the Lobos on Thursday at 3:30 p.m. MT with the men’s long jump and 4:30 p.m. MT with the women’s 1500. The meet will continue through Friday and Saturday. Check back each day for a quick recap on the Lobos’ action and again on Saturday for a full recap.
Fans can follow the Lobos on Twitter (@lobo_track) and Instagram (@lobo_xc_tf) for information and updates on the team!