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The seven runners who competed in the NCAA Cross Country Championships two weeks ago are all set to run in Boston this weekend.

Preview: Lobos kick off indoor season at 2 meets this weekend

by Evan O'Kelly

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. – Kicking off the 2022-23 indoor season with a pair of meets this weekend, the New Mexico track and field teams are set to jump into action on the road.

The Lobos will send a group of distance runners to the Boston University Sharon Colyear-Danville Season Opener in Massachusetts, with another group of athletes attending the Air Force Holiday Open in Colorado.

New Mexico Track & Field Weekend Schedule

Friday, December 2 – Air Force Holiday Open – Cadet Field House – Colorado Springs, Colorado

Live Resultshttps://bit.ly/3Fj11yc

Meet Informationhttps://bit.ly/3VJlbXy

Saturday, December 3 – Sharon Colyear-Danville Season Opener – Track & Tennis Center – Boston, Massachusetts

Watch Livehttps://www.flotrack.org/watch

Live Resultshttps://lancertiming.com/

Meet Schedulehttps://goterriers.com/documents/2022/11/29/BU_Season_Opener_Final_Schedule.pdf


Air Force Entries
Name Event 1 College Best Event 2 College Best
Rebecca Grieve 60 Meters N/A
Mikyla Harkley Triple Jump 40’ 11.5”
Emily Ho 60 Meter Hurdles 10.39 High Jump 5’ 5.75”
Lilee Kaasch Triple Jump N/A
Alyssa Magallanez High Jump 5’ 6”
Kora Pettengill 60 Meter Hurdles N/A Long Jump N/A
Victoria Plummer 60 Meter Hurdles 9.14 High Jump 5′ 7″
Mckenna Watson 60 Meters N/A
Victor Akhalu 60 Meters 6.74
Gal Arad 60 Meters 6.88
Lokesh Sathyanathan Long Jump N/A
Aidan Quinn Triple Jump 51’ 7.25”
Darryl Thomas Triple Jump 45’ 0.25”

LOBO COMPETITION TIMES
Time (Mountain) Event Competitors
2:30 p.m. Women’s Long Jump Pettengill
2:30 p.m. Women’s Triple Jump Harkley, Kaasch
3 p.m. Men’s Long Jump Sathyanathan
3 p.m. Men’s Triple Jump Quinn, Thomas
3 p.m. Women’s High Jump Magallanez, Ho, Plummer
4:55 p.m. Sprints (60H, 60) Ho, Pettengill, Plummer; Grieve, Watson, Akhalu, Arad

WHAT TO WATCH FOR

-Among UNM’s eight women competing on Friday, four are true freshmen who will be making their collegiate debut. While none have established collegiate bests, none are strangers to high-level competition with multiple state titles and national competitions under their belts.

-Two returners set their PR in Friday’s events in their final meet of the 2022 indoor season. Victoria Plummer in the 60-meter hurdles and Victor Akhalu in the 60-meters both set their best at last year’s Mountain West Championships.

-Two-time reigning Mountain West triple jump champion Aidan Quinn will kick off his senior campaign.

-Darryl Thomas established his PR in the triple jump the last time he competed – at last year’s MW Outdoor Championships.


GRIEVE TO MAKE ANTICIPATED DEBUT: One of the more decorated freshmen entering the program this year, Rebecca Grieve is set to make her debut in a Lobo uniform. It won’t be a lengthy debut – Grieve figures to spend less than 10 seconds competing as she is entered in the 60-meter dash. Hailing from Edinburgh, Scotland, Grieve has a gold medal in the 60-meters at the Scottish School Championships where she ran a time of 7.75 seconds. For this week, it is the most relevant among a plethora of hardware she acquired. At the time of her graduation, she was also her school’s record holder in the 100-meters, 200-meters, 300-meters, 400-meters, and long jump.

HARKLEY BACK AFTER SOUND FRESHMAN CAMPAIGN: After making her collegiate debut in 2021-22, Mikyla Harkley will return to the track looking to build off a sound set of performances. Her best mark in the triple jump – which she’ll be competing in on Friday – was 40’ 11.5” which she posted at the Mountain West Championships for a fifth-place finish.

RETURNERS EAGER TO GET BACK ON THE TRACK: Among UNM’s other returners competing on Friday are Emily Ho, Alyssa Magallanez, and Victoria Plummer. Ho is set for the 60-meter hurdles as well as the high jump at the outset of her third collegiate campaign in the cherry and silver. Ho’s top collegiate high jump mark of 5’ 5.75” came last season at the Dr. MLK Jr. Collegiate Invitational on Jan. 22. Her best-ever 60-meter hurdle time of 10.39 seconds was achieved at the New Mexico Collegiate Classic last year as part of her pentathlon. High jump specialist Alyssa Magallanez will look to get her junior season started on the right foot, entering an event where she holds a personal-best mark of 5’ 6” set on March 6, 2021. Victoria Plummer will look to pick up where she left off at the end of last year’s indoor season, as she established a PR in the 60-meter hurdles with a time of 9.14 seconds at the Mountain West Championships. She will also compete in the high jump Friday, where she holds a PR mark of 5’ 7” set on April 22, 2021.

NEBRASKA STATE CHAMP KAASCH ENTERED IN TRIPLE: Among UNM’s other first-time competitors on Friday will be Omaha, Neb., native Lilee Kaasch who is set to compete in the triple jump. The multi-sport athlete at Millard South High School set her school record in the event with a leap of 39’ 7” and was a two-time Nebraska state champion.

PETTENGILL SET FOR 2 EVENTS: The stage is set for true freshman Kora Pettengill, who will compete in the 60-meter hurdles as well as the long jump on Friday. The Milwaukee, Wis., native was a star in the multi-events throughout her prep career, where she finished ninth overall in the pentathlon at the New Balance Indoor Nationals as a senior in 2022.

WATSON SET FOR 60: True freshman Mckenna Watson will round out the field of competitors for the Lobo women, as she’ll toe the line in the 60-meters on Friday. The 2022 Arizona state champion in the 200-meters will look to get her collegiate career off on the right foot after a successful career at Pinnacle High School.

MW CHAMP QUINN BACK IN ACTION: Two-time Mountain West triple jump champion Aidan Quinn is back for his final collegiate season with the Lobos, and will compete in his specialty on Friday. Quinn won the 2019 MW title in the triple jump and then defended it in 2020 with another championship-winning leap. Quinn’s personal best came almost one year ago to the day, when he posted a mark of 51’ 7.25” at this very Air Force meet on Dec. 3, 2021. He was the runner-up at last year’s Mountain West Championships.

THOMAS TO JUMP WITH QUINN: Another seasoned veteran for the Lobos, Darryl Thomas will compete alongside Quinn in the triple jump on Friday. Thomas holds a collegiate best of 45’ 0.25” in the event, which he established at the Mountain West Outdoor Championships in his final meet of the 2022 spring season.

AKHALU LOOKS TO BUILD OFF STRONG FINISH IN 2022: The last 60-meter race that Viktor Akhalu completed was a good one, as he won his preliminary heat at the Mountain West Championships with a personal-best time of 6.74 seconds. The second-year Lobo will look to build where he left off, after a fourth-place finish in the 200-meters at the Mountain West Championships and running a leg on the Lobos’ 4×400-meter championship-winning squad last spring.

ARAD FIGURES TO FIT IN: The Lobos will have their eye on newcomer Gal Arad, who will be making his UNM debut after transferring from Drake University. The last collegiate meet Arad participated in yielded his best-ever 60-meter time, as he ran a mark of 6.88 seconds at last year’s Iowa State Classic. He will run alongside Akhalu in the event on Friday.

SATHYANATHAN SET FOR DEBUT: Another newcomer to the Lobo lineup this year is Lokesh Sathyanathan, who will be competing in the long jump on Friday. A native of Bangalore, India, Sathyanathan enjoyed success competing at Al Ameen College near his home town.


Colyear-Danville Season Opener Entries
Name Race College Best
Gracelyn Larkin 5,000 Meters 15:29.93
Amelia Mazza-Downie 5,000 Meters 15:37.46
Emma Heckel 5,000 Meters 15:41.07
Ali Upshaw 5,000 Meters 15:54.82
Samree Dishon 5,000 Meters 15:54.83
Abigail Goldstein* 3,000 Meters 9:17.59
Sarah Eckel 3,000 Meters 9:26.10
Elise Thorner 3,000 Meters 9:28.19
Maisie Grice 3,000 Meters 9:29.85
Samantha Valentine 3,000 Meters 9:33.16
Stefanie Parsons 3,000 Meters 9:41.92
Semira Mebrahtu Firezghi 3,000 Meters 10:02.69
Jonathan Carmin 5,000 Meters 14:01.07

*Goldstein competing as an unattached runner.


LOBO COMPETITION TIMES
Time (Mountain) Race Competitors
12:13 p.m. Women’s 3,000-Meters Eckel, Firezghi, Grice, Parsons, Thorner, Valentine
2:30 p.m. Women’s 5,000-Meters Dishon, Heckel, Larkin, Mazza-Downie, Upshaw
4 p.m. Men’s 5,000-Meters Carmin

WHAT TO WATCH FOR

-UNM’s distance crew is coming off a runner-up finish at the NCAA Championships, with all seven who raced in the national championships set to toe the line on Saturday in Boston.
-Six Lobos have experience competing in the Colyear-Danville Opener in the past.


LARKIN, MAZZA-DOWNIE, HECKEL SET FOR ELITE RACE: After leading the Lobos at the NCAA Cross Country Championships, veterans Gracelyn Larkin, Amelia Mazza-Downie, and Emma Heckel will look to do the same on Saturday. Larkin became just the fifth woman in program history to earn All-America in cross country for the third time, after finishing in 26th at the NCAA Championships to help the Lobos to a national runner-up finish. The fourth-year Lobo took 11th at last year’s Colyear-Danville Opener, and she enters the race with a collegiate best of 15:29.93 minutes in the 5,000-meters which she ran at last year’s Bryan Clay Invitational. The PR is the top mark among the five Lobos running the 5,000-meters on Saturday. Mazza-Downie meanwhile was UNM’s top finisher at the cross country championships, taking 22nd place to earn All-America status as well. Her PR of 15:37.46 minutes in the 5,000-meters was established at the Fresno State West Coast Relays on April 30, 2021. Mazza-Downie finished 30th at last year’s Colyear-Danville Opener. Heckel was UNM’s top finisher at last year’s Colyear-Danville Opener, taking 10th place with a personal-best time of 15:41.07 minutes. Heckel earned her second All-America honor in cross country two weeks ago, finishing in 38th place.

DISHON FRESH OFF FIRST ALL-AMERICAN HONOR: Coming off a 37th-place finish at the NCAA Championships two weeks ago, Samree Dishon will look to carry the momentum of her first All-American performance over to the indoor season. She placed 39th among a field of 72 finishers at last year’s Colyear-Danville event, and she enters the meet with a personal-best 5,000-meter time of 15:54.83 minutes which she set at the Stanford Invitational last year during the outdoor season.

THORNER COMFORTABLE IN BOSTON: Elise Thorner will look to draw on her performance at last year’s Colyear-Danville Opener, where she raced to a 12th-place finish in the 3,000-meters with a personal-best time of 9:28.19 minutes. Her PR in the event is the best NCAA mark among all Lobos competing. Thorner placed 40th at the NCAA Cross Country Championships two weeks ago, earning her first All-America honor in XC and second overall. She placed fifth at last year’s NCAA Outdoor Championships in the 3,000-meter steeplechase.

UPSHAW, VALENTINE, FIREZGHI SET FOR FIRST COLYEAR-DANVILLE OPENER: Competing in the event for the first time will be sophomore Ali Upshaw, senior Samantha Valentine, and junior Semira Mebrahtu Firezghi. Upshaw had an all-region fall in cross country, and participated in the national championship race. She enters with a career-best 5,000-meters time of 15:54.82 minutes, which she ran at the Husky Classic on Feb. 12, 2022. Fiirezghi was an all-conference performer during the cross country season as she helped the Lobos along the way to the championship meet. She holds a college-best 3,000-meters time of 10:02.69, which she ran at the Mountain West Indoor Championships last winter. Valentine enters the event with a collegiate-best 3,000-meters time of 9:33.16 minutes, which she set fittingly at the David Hemery Valentine Invitational on Feb. 14, 2020 during her career at Brown University.

ALL-AMERICAN PARSONS BACK FOR MORE: After transferring to UNM from Division II Edinboro last year, Stefanie Parsons immediately claimed another All-American honor finishing 14th in the 1,500-meters at last year’s NCAA Outdoor Championships. She will compete in the Colyear-Danville Opener for the second straight season, but will run the 3,000-meters for the first time after placing 35th in the 5,000-meters last December. She enters the meet with a collegiate best time of 9:41.92 minutes in the event, which she ran on Feb. 14, 2020 at the Grand Valley State Big Meet.

ECKEL, GRICE READY FOR FIRST INDOOR SEASON: After cracking into the Lobo program during the 2022 outdoor season, Sarah Eckel will kick off her first collegiate indoor campaign running the 3,000-meters on Saturday. Eckel’s PR in the 3,000-meters is 9:26.10, which she ran in Sydney, Australia on Nov. 9, 2019. Maisie Grice will also make her indoor debut, after competing in three cross country meets during her first fall in a UNM uniform. Grice holds a PR of 9:29.85 minutes in the 3,000-meters, which she ran in Sheffield on Feb. 20, 2022.

CARMIN LOOKS FOR POSITIVE TRACK DEBUT: After a successful fall season in cross country, freshman Jonathan Carmin will look to get his Lobo track and field career off on the right foot when he runs in the 5k on Saturday. Carmin placed 17th at the Mountain West Championships with an 8k time of 24:15.5 minutes, before running his first collegiate 10k with a time of 29:15.3 minutes at the NCAA Mountain Region Championships in Albuquerque. His PR in the 5,000-meters is 14:01.07 minutes, which he ran in Tel Aviv on Dec. 29, 2021.

GOLDSTEIN TO RUN UNATTACHED: Although her collegiate career – which began in the fall of 2017 – isn’t quite over yet, Abigail Goldstein has exhausted her indoor eligibility. That being said, she will tag along and compete in the 3,000-meters as an unattached runner on Saturday, after helping the Lobos to their runner-up finish at the cross country championships. Goldstein will complete her collegiate career in the spring, with her final season of outdoor eligibility.

LOOKING AHEAD: This weekend’s action will be somewhat of a tease, with the Lobos not competing again for nearly two full months. UNM’s next meet on the schedule is the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Invitational on Jan. 21, 2023 – the first of six meets that will be held at the Albuquerque Convention Center during the indoor season.

Not only will New Mexico play host to the 2022 Mountain West Indoor Championships, but the Lobos will host this year’s NCAA Indoor Championships which are scheduled for March 10-11. In total, UNM is scheduled to participate in 11 indoor meets this year including this weekend’s action and the national championship event.