DON KIRBY FRIDAY RESULTS (PDF) | HUSKY CLASSIC RESULTS (PDF) | PHOTO GALLERY
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M.– Seven Lobos finished in the top 10 in their respective events on the first night of competition at the Don Kirby Collegiate Elite Invitational held at the Albuquerque Convention Center.
Of those seven, three finished in the top five, with the highest finisher being Ada’ora Chigbo in the high jump. Her clearance of 5-9.25 (1.76m), which she made on the second attempt at that height, helped her finish runner-up in the 14-person event. The sophomore easily cleared the first two bars on the day before recording her first miss at 1.76m.
On the track, senior Jared Garcia ran 8:28.16 (8:15.65 converted) in the 3000-meter run to place third. The success on the track continued for the Lobos later on as Jay Griffin IV produced another fast time in the 200-meter dash, running 21.12 (21.19 converted) to win his heat, finishing fourth overall but third among collegiate runners. It is the third race this season that Griffin has run in the 21.10-21.20 range and has finished among the top of the finishers.
In the men’s high jump, Brent Dionisio tied his season-best height with 6-9.50 (2.07m) to finish eighth. The senior cleared his first two bars on the second attempts at each height before clearing 2.07m on the first attempt. It would be the final bar he would clear in the competition.
Also finishing eighth and tying his season best was Tanner Battikha in the long jump. His mark of 24-1.00 (7.34m) on his fourth attempt matched the result he produced last weekend at the New Mexico Classic, which also set a personal best for the junior.
Running 10:18.90 (10:03.66 converted) in the 3000-meter run, sophomore Sophie Eckel finished ninth in the event.
Joining Chigbo in the high jump top 10 was Shannon Fritz, who cleared a height of 5-5.75 (1.67m) finish tied for 10th. Her height however did mark a season best for the junior by 2.50″.
While UNM had several top results, two Lobos had season bests of their own that although didn’t result in top finishes, showed progress.
Akeisha Ayanniyi jumped a season-best 16-7.75 (5.07m) on her first jump in the long jump to improve of her season’s top mark by 4.75″.
Elsewhere, Sarah Smyth ran 25.88 (25.95 converted) in the 200-meter to record a season best for the freshman.
The Don Kirby resumes tomorrow at 9:30 a.m. MT with the women’s shot put. The track events begin shortly after at 10 a.m. with the qualifying round of the 60-meter hurdles.
Due to inclement weather in the area, the Husky Classic held at the University of Washington, was consolidated into one day.
The change in plans didn’t hinder the Lobos as the women produced three of the top times in school history in the 3000-meters. Ednah Kurgat was the top finisher for UNM, running 8:59.78 for a sixth-place finish. Finishing behind Kurgat in the section was Hannah Nuttall, who raced a time of 9:07.64 and finished ninth. Crossing the line at the Dempsey Indoor track was Adva Cohen at 9:08.40 to finish 11th in the event. Kurgat’s result placed her 0.01 behind second-best all-time , which belongs to current Lobo runner Weini Kelati. Nuttall’s time places her ninth all-time in program history and Cohen’s finish would place her 10th.
Kurgat’s time is also the sixth-fastest time run in the NCAA this season, with Nuttall and Cohen running the 14th– and 16th– best time this season, respectively. Furthermore, in the Mountain West, Kurgat, Nuttall and Cohen ranks second, third and fourth, respectively.
Oregon’s Jessica Hull currently holds the top spot in the event with an 8:53.91 that she ran on Saturday at the Husky Classic. The top six times in the country were ran at the Husky Classic on Saturday.
Emily Martin ran the 5,000-meter run in 16:25.41 while Kieran Casey completed the mile in 4:41.25.
While the Lobos may be finished at the Husky Classic, UNM still has one runner to watch for on Saturday in Kelati. Kelati is set to run the 3,000-meter at the Millrose Games in New York, with a scheduled start time of 2:30 p.m. MT. The event will be broadcast live on NBC.