Lobos Cap Regular Season at Stanford and Texas Tech
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Saturday, May 5 • Lubbock, Texas
As the calendar turns to May, the Lobos are beginning to set their sights on the postseason.
But, before they can focus too much on championships, they have a couple of tests to pass.
The University of New Mexico track & field team is aiming to cap its regular season this week with some strong results as competes at the Payton Jordan Invitational on Thursday and the Masked Rider Open on Saturday.
Lobos are sending some distance standouts to Thursday’s meet in Stanford and the rest of the squad to Texas Tech on Saturday with the goal of gaining some final improvement in their final meets before the Mountain West Championship later in the month.
New Mexico has made steady progress throughout the outdoor campaign, and this week’s action can help facilitate more improvement.
Knowing that this is the team’s final chance to compete before traveling to Clovis, California, for the conference meet on May 9-12, some Lobos are looking for a final tuneup while others are still battling for postseason positioning.
Luckily for New Mexico, both meets are shaping up as prime spots to accomplish those goals.
The Masked Rider Open at Texas Tech’s Fuller Track and Field will provide UNM’s sprinters, hurdlers and field-event athletes a good opportunity to compete at in relatively low-key, low-pressure environment.
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| Alice Wright |
The Payton Jordan Invitational, on the other hand, is almost the exact opposite, as hundreds of world-class runners will converge on Stanford’s Cobb Track and Angell Field looking for fast times.
In either case, the Lobos will have their chances to make their necessary progress en route to the conference meet and beyond.
Right after the MW Championships, 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.
Leading the charge at the Payton Jordan Invite is Ednah Kurgat, the reigning NCAA individual cross country champ, who is set to make her outdoor debut in the 5000-meter run alongside Weini Kelati and Alice Wright.
Charlotte Prouse and Alondra Negrón Texidor are also eyeing improvement in the 3000 steeplechase, with Kieran Casey and Emily Martin racing the 1500.
For the men, Michael Wilson is entered in the 800, while Ian Crowe-Wright takes aim in the 1500.
Out in Lubbock, New Mexico’s sprinters will look to continue posting superb marks. Carlos Salcido leads a pack of Lobos in the 200 with Jay Griffin IV, Isaac Gonzales, Mark Haywood and Bryan Cutler also entered.
Griffin is also racing the 100 with Alejandro Goldston, while Ben Parmoon and Cutler race the 400.
The Lobos will also run a 4×100 meter relay and a 4×400 meter relay.
The women’s sprinters will be represented by Erynn Caldwell (100/200), Akeisha Ayanniyi (100) and Steffi Jones (400). Kyra Mohns is also entered in the 100 hurdles.
In the middle-distance and distance events, Kristian Uldbjerg Hansen, Jonny Glen, Taylor Potter, Chris Graham and Jared Garcia are running the men’s 1500, with Jacob Simonsen and Brandon Parrado in the men’s 5000.
Alex Buck, Elizabeth Weiler, Mackenzie Everett and Samantha Dicker are running in the women’s metric mile, as well.
Out in the field events, the men will compete most of their standouts, including Tanner Battikha in the long jump and triple jump, Brent Dionisio in the high jump, Malik Matthews-Gordon in the javelin and Jason Atencio in the pole vault.
Goldston, Miles Brinson and Omarei Gregory are also slated to compete in the long jump, while Beau Clafton is entered in the shot put and discus.
The women will also see their top field-event athletes in action, with Ada’ora Chigbo and Shannon Fritz in the high jump; Katherine Whiting and Fritz in the pole vault: Ayanniyi in the long jump; Allison Mady in the shot put and hammer throw; and Sara Reyes and Morgan Smith in the javelin.
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