Small Pack of Lobos Heads to Triton Invitational
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Triton Invitational
The University of New Mexico track & field team continues its outdoor season this weekend at the Triton Invitational as the Lobos send a small group of athletes to register some strong marks and fast times.
With the postseason just over a month away, a pack of a dozen Lobos are eyeing progress as they head to La Jolla, California, for the Saturday meet at the Triton Track & Field Stadium on the campus of UC San Diego.
Although the athletes competing this weekend posted solid marks last Saturday at the Don Kirby Tailwind Open in Albuquerque, continued improvement is critical over the course of the season.
The Triton Invitational provides some of that crucial competition experience, which can pay dividends heading into the postseason that starts in mid-May with the Mountain West Championships.
Right after the conference meet, the top 48 athletes in each event in the NCAA’s West Region advance to the NCAA West Preliminary Championship. From there, athletes can qualify to the NCAA Outdoor Championships in June.
Looking to make their way up the NCAA leaderboard are some of New Mexico top sprinters.
On the men’s side, Carlos Salcido leads the charge as he’ll team up with Beau Clafton, Alejandro Goldston and Jay Griffin IV to run the 4×100 meter relay.
Already the top-ranked 4×100 squad in the Mountain West, that quartet has the opportunity to sharpen its craft en route to the NCAA West Prelims.
Salcido is also entered in the 4×400 along with Mark Haywood, Isaac Gonzales and Clafton.
All of those athletes are also entered in various individual events with the goals of earning those key improvements that only competitive races can provide.
For the women, Kyra Mohns takes aim in the 100- and 400-meter hurdles, while Steffi Jones and Larimar Rodriguez race in the 800. Emily Martin and Kendall Kelly are also slated to compete in the 1500, with Ada’ora Chigbo entered in the high jump.
Like the men, that group of women is tasked with making progress this weekend. Although the region rankings are due for revisions throughout the season, hitting intermediate goals this weekend is the key for this group of Lobos.
New Mexico opens at 12:15 p.m. MT on Saturday, with the team’s final events of the meet slated for 6:40 p.m. MT. Check GoLobos.com after the meet Saturday for a full recap.
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