Although success is nothing new to Joe Franklin, the 2015-16 season for the University of New Mexico cross country/track & field program
was undoubtedly one of the most successful campaigns for the Lobo coach from Greencastle, Indiana.
Franklin, who is now in his 10th year coaching the UNM cross country and track & field program, led the New Mexico women’s cross country to its first NCAA title last November in Louisville, Kentucky. Behind five All-Americans – the most by one team at a single championship since 2009 – Franklin’s harriers stormed to the best team score (49 points) at the NCAA Championships since 1982.
The Lobos’ championship is the second NCAA title in University of New Mexico history, joining the New Mexico skiing’s NCAA title in 2004.
Long deemed the prohibitive favorite after assembling a talented squad of runners that included Female Athlete of the Year Courtney Frerichs, Franklin’s Lobos lived up to their reputation as the nation’s No. 1 team.
New Mexico ran through the 31-team field at E.P. ‘Tom’ Sawyer State Park in Louisville, posting an 80-point victory over runner-up Colorado. The Lobos’ margin of victory is the fifth-largest in NCAA history and the best since 2004.
Franklin also led UNM women’s cross country to its eighth-straight NCAA berth, the eighth-longest active streak in the NCAA,
and to its eighth-straight Mountain West title, tying the longest streak in conference history.
He was named the 2015 USTFCCCA National Women’s Coach of the Year, supplementing his coach of the year honors at the regional and conference level.
Franklin’s success extended on the track, as he coached Sophie Connor and Calli Thackery to All-American honors during indoors and Frerichs and Alice Wright to All-American honors during outdoors.
New Mexico placed a program-best 15th at the 2016 NCAA Outdoor Track & Field Championships.
Frerichs set the NCAA record in the 3,000-meter steeplechase en route to winning the NCAA title in the event. She also went on to the compete in the steeplechase for the United States at the 2016 Summer Olympics.