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NCAA Mountain Region ChampionshipsLike most postseason events across any number of athletic disciplines, the motto for this week’s regional meet is to survive and advance.
If the Lobos can make it through this week, then they’ll get to compete at the national championships.
The University of New Mexico cross country team is aiming to secure some spots at the NCAA Championships as it heads to Logan, Utah, to compete at the NCAA Mountain Region Championships on Friday.
After winning a 10th-straight Mountain West title two weeks ago, the second-ranked Lobo women are eyeing a 10th-consecutive berth at the national championships, while the Lobo men are also seeking a bid when they run at the Steve & Dona Reeder Cross Country Course.
The NCAA Championships are November 18 at E.P. ‘Tom’ Sawyer State Park in Louisville, Kentucky.
“Our goal on the women’s side is to get through [the regional championships] as easy possible,” head coach Joe Franklin said. “On the men’s, we don’t have that option. The men have to go and go all out. … The women are in good position to make the national championship. The men, quite honestly, just need to beat Utah State. You beat Utah State, you have a chance.”
As the women have likely locked up a bid for nationals via their strong regular-season performances and a win at the MW Championships, the goal at regionals is just to make it through in one piece.
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| Ednah Kurgat |
With such a quick turnaround from the regional meet and the national championships, doing enough to advance without expending too much energy is the optimal goal.
The women have that routine down pat, meeting the qualification criteria of a top-two finish with seven straight such finishes at regionals.
The top two teams at the nine regional meets automatically advance to the NCAA Championships. After that, the NCAA will chose at-large teams based their wins over other teams and their ‘A’ squads to fill out the 31-team roster.
Ednah Kurgat will look to lead New Mexico in Logan as she seeks a fourth win this season. Having won every race she’s run this season, Kurgat will again be tasked with guiding the women over their six-kilometer race.
Weini Kelati and Charlotte Prouse will also be counted on for strong runs after finishing 2-3 at the MW Championships. That duo has scored for New Mexico at the last two meets and were instrumental in the Lobos’ 10th-straight MW title two weeks ago.
Sophie Eckel, Kieran Casey, Alondra Negrón Texidor and Alex Buck are also slated to run for the women and help provide scoring runs.
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| Josh Kerr |
With standout Alice Wright resting this week in anticipation for the NCAA Championships, one of those four runners will need to step up. At differents points this season, they’ve all contributed, with Casey, Negron and Eckel all scoring.
As it’s been recently, the women’s race is shaping up to be a battle between No. 1 Colorado and the No. 2 Lobos. No. 15 Utah State, No. 18 BYU and No. 29 Northern Arizona are also in the mix.
However, while the Lobo women are in a good spot, the Lobo men will need to do some work to improve their credentials.
The UNM men have put together some solid performances, including a fifth-place finish at a deep MW Championship, but they’ll need their best team run yet to make a case for nationals.
“The men have gotten better each weekend,” Franklin said. “They’re not hitting on all cylinders yet, so hopefully this upcoming weekend we’ll be able to do that.”
In such a deep region — seven of the top 25 teams in the nation hail from the Mountain Region — New Mexico will need to beat at least one ranked team over the 10-kilometer course to be in contention for an at-large berth.
But, the Lobos have the runners who can power such a performance, including Josh Kerr and Alexander Palm, who have spearheaded New Mexico’s efforts this season.
Kerr, a First-Team All-Mountain West honoree, was seventh at the MW Championships, while Palm has shown well in some big, nationally competitive meets.
Additionally, Linton Taylor has come on strongly as of late, placing third on the team at the MW meet. Jared Garcia and Jonny Glen have also chipped in scoring runs this season, with Jacob Simonsen and Tyler Valdez gunning for productive finishes.
The women will compete at 11 a.m. MT, followed by the men at 12 p.m. MT. Check back Friday evening on GoLobos.com for meet results and a New Mexico recap.
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