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Mountain West Indoor ChampionshipsAs February wends into its final week, the first instances of ultimate competition dawn in the Duke City.
It’s now championship season.
The University of New Mexico track & field team is aiming for strong team performances as it hosts the Mountain West Indoor Track & Field Championships for the fourth straight year this Thursday through Saturday at the Albuquerque Convention Center.
The Lobos, sporting the NCAA’s 11th-ranked women’s team, have the talent and the elite athletes to win events and score points, but they’ll have to contend against a conference that’s replete with strong teams and competitors.
“Our general expectations are to come out and compete hard,” UNM head coach Joe Franklin said. “From a conference standpoint, we’re trying to score as many points as possible while maximizing recovery time before nationals.”
With the championship season kicking off with the MW meet, the Lobos know that this is the time to fight for trophies — both of the conference and national variety.
The MW Championships represent the last chance for athletes across the nation to qualify for the NCAA Championships, which are March 9-10 in College Station, Texas.
“There are a couple of things that we are attempting to get done for the national championships, like qualifying the distance medley relays, that are very important,” Franklin said.
And the Lobos will get their chance to do that at the conference championships as they vie with a deep and dangerous league. As it’s been over the past few years, the parity in the league remains a key facet of the championships.
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| Tanner Battikha |
Although the Lobos own the conference’s only team listed in the national rankings, the Mountain West is well-represented in the regional rankings.
Colorado State (fourth), New Mexico (sixth), Wyoming (seventh) and Utah State (eighth) all rank in the top 10 of the women’s Mountain Region Rankings, with Air Force (third), CSU (fourth), UNM (eighth) and USU (ninth) sitting top 10 in the men’s version of the ranking.
Additionally, the San Diego State and Boise State women rank ninth and 10th, respectively, in a deep west region.
The Lobos will look to their top athletes to help lead this week, with a number of those athletes ranked among the best in the conference in their individual events.
“There are places where we’re going to score everywhere,” Franklin said. “We just have to see how many points we can get.”
For the women, the team’s vaunted distance crew will be tasked with leading the charge. That includes Ednah Kurgat, a Mid-Season Watch List member for The Bowerman, along with teammates Weini Kelati, Charlotte Prouse, Alondra Negron Texidor and Kieran Casey.
Natasha Bernal, Sophie Eckel, Kendall Kelly, Emily Martin and Elizabeth Reyes will also looked to for points in the distance races. In the sprints, Shalom Keller, Kyra Mohns, Steffi Jones, Elisabetta Mackin and Erynn Caldwell are racing.
The relays, including a DMR eyeing the NCAAs and a burgeoning 4×400 relay, can also chip in critical points.
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| Sarah McKeever |
Out in the field events, Mohns will be competing in the heptathlon, with Ada’ora Chigbo taking aim in the high jump. Sarah McKeever (pole vault), Shannon Fritz (high jump/pole vault) and Allison Mady (shot put) will also be in action.
On the men’s side, the sprints and middle-distance races will be key, with a number of conference leaders toeing the line for the Lobos.
Josh Kerr, like Kurgat a Mid-Season Watch List member for The Bowerman, paces the group in the middle distance and distance races.
Running alongside will be Ian Crowe-Wright, Michael Wilson, Kristian Uldbjerg Hansen, Jonny Glen, Linton Taylor, Jacob Simonsen, Jared Garcia, Iolo Hughes, Alexander Palm, Taylor Potter, and Chris Graham.
The men’s sprints will feature the conference’s top runner in the both the 200- and 400-meter dashes, Carlos Salcido, with Mark Haywood, Jay Griffin, Ben Parmoon, Isaac Gonzales and Bryan Cutler also looking to score.
The field events, especially the jumps, can also contribute significant points for UNM with Tanner Battikha (long jump), Daniel Lam (heptathlon/pole vault), Omarei Gregory (triple jump), Brent Dionisio (high jump), Jason Atencio (pole vault), Miles Brinson (long jump) and Alejandro Goldston (long jump).
Multi-event athletes Beau Clafton and Camillo Dunninger can also score in the heptathlon.
The meet starts Thursday with the pentathlon and heptathlon, and continues Friday with the conclusion of the men’s heptathlon at 10 a.m. Field events start Friday at 12:30 p.m. with track events scheduled for 1:30 p.m.
Saturday’s activities start at 10 a.m. in the field and at noon on the track, with the awards ceremony slated for about 3 p.m.
Tickets for Friday and Saturday of the MW Championships are $8 adults and $4 for youth. Admission is free on Thursday. Tickets can be purchased ar UNMTickets.com or in person at the main entrance of the Convention Center.
Live results will be located at RecordTiming.com, and daily recaps will be posted at GoLobos.com.
Fans can follow @UNMLoboXCTF on Twitter and Instagram to keep track of the Lobos!