Records by Mazza-Downie, Goldstein, Thorner’s NCAA No. 1 time are top Lobo track performances
AZUSA, Calif. – Amelia Mazza-Downie broke Weini Kelati’s school record in the 10,000 meters and Elise Thorner ran the NCAA’s fastest 3,000-meter steeple chase time of the year as the New Mexico distance All-Americans highlighted a full weekend of competition for the track and field program.
Late on Thursday night at the Bryan Clay Invitational, Mazza-Downie posted the best time in New Mexico history at 32:07.62 minutes, which surpassed the legendary Kelati’s record of 32:09.10 minutes that she set on May 9, 2019. “I remember when I joined the team, I was a big fan of hers,” said Mazza-Downie, who teamed up with Kelati during her first year as a Lobo. “I would watch her train, and I always thought how far away it was for me to get to that level. Getting her record shows that I’m on track, and I’m doing better than where I expected to be.”
A reigning All-American in the event after placing ninth at the NCAA Championships last June, Mazza-Downie placed third among a field of 28 competitors as she ran on the heels of Alabama’s Mercy Chelangat and Hilda Olemomoi. “Last year I went into it injured, so this year I am grateful to be healthy,” Mazza-Downie said on returning to the event for the first time in a Lobo uniform since last June. “I just stuck with them and followed where my body wanted to be. I felt more comfortable working with them than trailing behind. After a few more weeks of training, next time in a head-to-head meet I definitely think I’ll be able to hang around a little longer.”
The record-breaking performance put Mazza-Downie fifth on the NCAA performance list, and the Lobos now have three runners in the top-11 as Emma Heckel and Gracelyn Larkin both clocked personal bests last week. On a damp, chilly night on which she had to wait until nearly 10 p.m. to begin the race, Kelati’s record was the last thing on Mazza-Downie’s mind until head coach Joe Franklin ran to the finish line to inform her of the monumental feat. “I didn’t know what her record was and I never thought about chasing it,” said Mazza-Downie. “When I crossed the line Joe ran over and shouted to me, and he was really happy. She’s been a big inspiration to me. She is so lovely and works really hard, so I’m just happy I got my name where she was.”
Thorner led off the evening for the Lobos, clocking the fastest time among a field of 120 runners across all heats to all but guarantee herself a spot in the 2023 NCAA Championships. Thorner’s mark of 9:39.39 minutes was nearly 10 seconds better than the previous NCAA leader in the event. “For the steeple, it wasn’t ideal,” Thorner said of the weather conditions. “It was such a soft rain, but it was really annoying and I haven’t run in the rain much. With 20 people in the race it was harder to spot barriers, but you have to deal with everything.”
After running her lifetime best of 9:32.42 minutes last April at the Payton Jordan Invitational, Thorner placed fifth at last year’s NCAA Championships with a time of 9:33.99 minutes to claim her first All-American award in a Lobo uniform.
“I have just been consistent with mileage and training,” said the reigning Mountain West champion in the 1,500-meters. “When you get to a certain level where I hit last year, now you just try to improve on that and get faster in training. The mileage has stayed the same and my focus has been on the consistency really.”
Even with her event victory and top spot on the national performance list, Thorner took away from Thursday’s success that there remains room for improvement for her in the event. “This one I learned a lot more than I did last year, because it was an actual race,” Thorner said on the highly competitive field of runners. “I wasn’t happy with my hurdle technique or clearing barriers in this race. So this more than anything taught me a lot about where I’m at now. Hopefully in two months’ time I will have changed a lot and made improvements.”
Closing out the meet on Saturday, Abigail Goldstein raced to a PR of 4:12.98 minutes in the 1,500-meters and broke the school record in the process. Goldstein topped Sophie Connor’s mark of 4:13.74 minutes, which she ran on June 9, 2016. That was good for the 16th-best time in the NCAA this spring, as she kept herself No. 1 on the Mountain West Conference performance list.
Maisie Grice followed Thorner’s lead, clocking a time of 9:53.79 minutes to place eighth on Thursday. In her first season as a Lobo, Grice jumped up to No. 2 on the Mountain West performance list in the event, as she and Thorner are the only two runners in the conference this spring to eclipse the 10-minute mark.
Closing out the meet on Saturday, Abigail Goldstein raced to a PR of 4:12.98 minutes in the 1,500-meters. That was good for the 16th-best time in the NCAA this spring, as she kept herself No. 1 on the Mountain West Conference performance list. Danielle Verster notched her top 1,500-meters time of the season at 4:18.12 minutes. Reigning Mountain West Track Athlete of the Week Stefanie Parsons checked in with a time of 4:20.26 minutes in the 1,500-meters, a week after establishing a lifetime best in the 800-meters. Sarah Eckel followed in 4:23.45 minutes, while Klara Dess finished in 4:27.50 minutes.
Jonathan Carmin posted a personal best in the 1,500-meters, with a time of 3:43.96 minutes, while Matthew Larkin followed with a time of 3:46.13 minutes. Ethan Brouw also finished his meet with a PR, hitting a time of 3:48.07 minutes in the event, while Awet Yohannes ran a time of 3:49.00 minutes.
Aidan Quinn, a four-time Mountain West champion in the triple jump, achieved a lifetime best on Saturday with a huge leap of 15.85 meters (52’ 0”). That jump moved Quinn up to No. 15 on the NCAA performance list, and he remained No. 2 on the Mountain West performance list. He took second place among a field of 30 jumpers at the Bryan Clay Invitational.
For the second time this outdoor season, New Mexico’s women’s 4×400-meter relay squad broke the school record with a time of 3:38.85 minutes on Friday at the Mt. Sac Relays. The quartet of Logan Neely, Tianna Holmes, Rebecca Grieve, and Aleksandra Wolczak topped the time of 3:40.34 minutes, which was set on March 31 in Texas. It was good enough for a third-place finish among the field of 16 teams competing, and it was the fastest time recorded by a Mountain West Conference team this spring.
Holmes then improved upon her Mountain West leading 400-meter time on Saturday, running a season-best 53.29 seconds to finish second among a field of 88 competitors. That was an improvement of 0.42 seconds on her previous season-best of 53.71 seconds, as she stayed at the top of the conference performance list. Grieve followed with a 400-meter time of 46.17 seconds.
Mckenna Watson ran her best 100-meters time of the year, crossing the line in 11.81 seconds on Saturday to finish in 16th place among a field of 89 competitors. That was a 0.05 second improvement upon her previous season best, as she kept herself at No. 6 on the Mountain West performance list. Watson then hit a PR in the 200-meters, clocking a time of 23.95 seconds, a mark that upped her to No. 3 on the Mountain West performance list.
On the men’s side, senior Jovahn Williamson led the sprinters in Florida with a time of 45.97 seconds in the 400-meters. That mark, which was just off his lifetime best of 45.39 seconds, vaulted him to the top spot on the Mountain West performance list. Brodie Young was just off his season best in the event, finishing in 46.48 seconds, and Jevon O’Bryant followed in 46.78 seconds on Saturday.
Lokesh Sathyanathan had his best long jump in a Lobo uniform on Saturday, reaching a distance of 7.79 meters (25’ 6.75”). That was an improvement upon both his outdoor best of 7.60 meters (24’ 11.25”) and his top overall collegiate mark of 7.69 meters (25’ 2.75”). Sathyanathan’s lifetime best in the event is 7.87 meters (25’ 10”), which he set on Dec. 4, 2019 in Nepal.
Annamaria Leszczynska and Neely stole the show in the 400-meter hurdles, each notching a PR in the event on Saturday. Leszczynska finished third among a field of 66 competitors, with a lifetime best of 58.57 seconds. Neely was right behind in fourth place, with a best-ever time of 59.10 seconds. Those were the top times by any Mountain West sprinters so far this spring.
Semira Mebrahtu Firezghi notched a PR on Friday evening, clocking a 5,000-meter time of 16:25.88 minutes. That was nearly 17 seconds faster than her previous lifetime best of 16:42.36 minutes, which she ran on April 3, 2021 at the Hayward Premiere. On Saturday, Firezghi competed in the 1,500-meters where she posted a time of 4:35.28 minutes.
Samree Dishon also competed in the 10,000-meters on Thursday, placing 14th with a time of 34:00.56 minutes.
Victor Akhalu got his weekend started with the 200-meters on Friday in Florida, running a time of 21.37 seconds with the aid of a +3.0 tailwind. He followed with a time of 10.60 seconds in the 100-meters on Saturday, which was just off his season-best time of 10.44 seconds (converted from 10.41).
Alyssa Gregory represented the Lobos in the pole vault, where she cleared a height of 3.45 meters (11’ 3.75”) on Saturday.
Senior Samantha Valentine participated in the steeple chase on Thursday, checking in with a time of 10:43.48 minutes in her first time running the event this spring. Nehemiah Cionelo competed in the steeple chase on the men’s side, finishing with a time of 9:31.11 minutes.
Zennia Gonzalez competed in the long jump on Saturday, notching a top mark of 5.46 meters (17’ 11.5”). Adam Giron meanwhile represented the Lobos in the men’s high jump, clearing a mark of 1.92 meters (6’ 3.5”) on Saturday. Alyssa Magallanez just missed her PR in the high jump, leading the Lobos with a mark of 1.67 meters (5’ 5.75”) on Saturday. Victoria Plummer cleared a height of 1.62 meters (5’ 3.75”), and Emily Ho was close behind at 1.57 meters (5’ 1.75”). Mikyla Harkley rounded out the women’s jumpers on the weekend, posting a triple jump of 12.03 meters (39’ 5.75”).
In his first full 400-meter hurdle race as a Lobo, Tim Harris cleared the lap with a time of 56.04 seconds on Saturday. On the women’s side, Aleksandra Wolczak finished the 400-meter hurdles with a time of 1:03.63 minutes.
Competing unattached on Saturday, Rivaldo Leacock hit a time of 50.30 seconds in the 400-meter hurdles to finish in sixth place among the elite grouping at the Mt. Sac Relays.
NEXT WEEK: The Lobos host their final meet of the year, with the Don Kirby Tailwind Open scheduled for Thursday, April 20 at the UNM Track & Field Complex. UNM will also send runners to the Stanford-hosted Payton Jordan Invitational next weekend.