MW Track Championship Preview

CLOVIS, Calif. – Set to kick off the championship portion of its 2022-23 schedule on Thursday, the New Mexico track and field team will take the stage at the 2023 Mountain West Outdoor Track & Field Championships at Fresno State’s Veterans Memorial Stadium.

The Lobos will be in action starting on Thursday night at 7:30 p.m. MDT and are scheduled to compete in a wide variety of events throughout the weekend.

Below is a comprehensive guide of all Lobo athletes who will be competing throughout the weekend. To view a comprehensive schedule of events in chronological order, view the Lobo competition guide here.

Abdinajib Abade will get his first taste of conference championship action and will run the 5,000-meters for the first time in his collegiate career as a Lobo. Abade ran a season-best 1,500-meters time of 3:56.82 minutes on April 14 in California to highlight his 2023 outdoor season.

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A former NJCAA national champion in the 400-meters, Victor Akhalu has turned his focus to the shorter sprints during the outdoor season. Akhalu enters the championship meet ranked second in the Mountain West in the 100-meters with a season-best time of 10.44 seconds (converted from 10.41), and he is 10th in the 200-meters at 21.25 seconds (21.18). Akhalu has also run a leg of the New Mexico 4×400-meter relay squad that enters the meet first in the Mountain West, and he is entered to be part of the 4×100-meter relay which UNM has not competed in so far this spring.

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Bettencourt is coming off her first-ever 3,000-meter steeple chase, running a time of 10:46.75 minutes at the Oregon State High Performance meet at the end of April. The mark slated her at No. 12 on the conference performance list entering the championship event. The second-year Lobo is building upon a successful spring season, that saw her set a PR in the 1,500-meters with a time of 4:49.00 minutes (4:55.76) on April 20 in the Lobos’ home meet.

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Ethan Brouw set the school record in the 800-meters during the 2023 indoor season, on his way to an All-American finish in the event. His recent season best of 1:48.12 at the Fresno State Invitational was just off his lifetime best of 1:47.21, and Brouw vaulted to the top of the Mountain West performance list. He enters the championship meet ranked No. 39 on the NCAA performance list, as he prepares for his second-career Mountain West Outdoor Championship event. Brouw placed 14th in the preliminary round of the 800-meters at last year’s outdoor championship. Brouw is also scheduled to run in the 5,000-meters on Saturday night, which would be the first of his collegiate career, and is entered in the men’s 4×400-meter relay pool.

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The Mountain West Indoor champion in the long jump, Burkey has yet to see action during the outdoor season after suffering an injury at the NCAA Indoor Championships. Burkey’s leap of 7.87 meters (25’ 10”) was good enough for All-American accolades, and it would slate him No. 2 on the Mountain West performance list this spring. Burkey is also listed among the Lobos’ competitors for the 4×100-meter relay on Saturday.

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Carmin will look to repeat his feat of winning the 5,000-meters at the Mountain West Indoor Championships, and will also compete in the 1,500-meters this weekend. Carmin currently ranks sixth in the conference in the 1,500-meters, running his lifetime best of 3:43.96 minutes at Stanford. He checks in at No. 11 in the conference in the 5,000-meters, with a season-best time of 13:54.29 minutes which is just under two seconds off his indoor lifetime best of 13:52.94 minutes.

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Nehemiah Cionelo is set to participate in a pair of events this weekend, with his season-best time of 9:17.57 minutes in the steeple chase ranking him No. 13 on the Mountain West performance list. He finished in ninth place in the event at last year’s championship meet. Cionelo will also compete in the 5,000-meters, which he’ll run for the first time this spring.

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Set for her first outdoor conference championship, freshman Maria Cisneros enters the weekend having made progress throughout the outdoor season. Her 100-meter time of 12.16 seconds (12.13) at the Don Kirby Tailwind was her best yet as a collegiate athlete, after she ran her top 200-meter time of 25.63 seconds (25.56) during the indoor season. The Spaniard is also registered among the Lobos’ pool of 4×100-meter relay runners.

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Klara Dess is poised for her first conference outdoor championship, after helping lead the Lobo women to the DMR title during the indoor season. Dess ran a season-best time of 4:23.87 minutes, slating her at No. 11 in the event among Mountain West runners this spring.

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Sarah Eckel just missed out on all-conference recognition in the 1,500-meters at last year’s outdoor championships, as she won her preliminary heat before finishing in fourth place in the finals. So far this spring, her top mark of 4:21.29 minutes ranks her No. 10 on the Mountain West performance list. She will also compete in the 5,000-meters for the first time in her collegiate career.

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Isabella Fauria ran her top collegiate outdoor time of 2:16.93 minutes earlier this spring, as she will participate in the conference outdoor championships for the second time in her career. Fauria gained experience at the event in 2022, and holds a lifetime best of 2:14.72 which she ran during the 2022 indoor season. She will also compete in the 1,500-meters for the first time in her collegiate career.

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Taking on the big distances races this weekend will be Semira Mebrahtu Firezghi, who is set to compete in the 10,000-meters for the first time in her collegiate career. She is coming off a lifetime best of 16:25.88 minutes in the 5,000-meters earlier this spring, and she enters the championship meet at No. 16 in the conference in that event.

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Adam Giron will represent the Lobos in the high jump, where he holds a season-best mark of 1.92 meters (6’ 3.5”) to rank 11th on the conference performance list. Giron saw action at the 2022 outdoor championships, finishing in 10th place. He is also among the Lobos’ pool of men’s 4×100-meter relay runners.

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Abigail Goldstein is No. 3 in the conference in the 800-meters, running a season-best time of 2:07.60 minutes to stake her claim as one of the top runners in the Mountain West. She finished fourth in this event at last year’s outdoor championships. Her season is far from over, as she has the top time in the league and ranks 21st in the NCAA in the 1,500-meters, which she’ll turn her focus to after this weekend.

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First-year Lobo Zennia Gonzalez will look to keep her momentum going at he first-ever Mountain West Championships. She enters the event No. 13 on the conference performance list at 5.71 meters (18’ 9”), which was the best jump of her collegiate career to this point. Gonzalez is also among the Lobos’ group of runners for the 4×100-meter relay.

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After contributing for the Lobos at the Mountain West Indoor Championships with points, Alyssa Gregory will compete in her first outdoor championship in the pole vault. Her lifetime best of 3.78 meters (12’ 4.75”) came during the indoor season, as she’ll look to improve upon her top outdoor mark of the spring of 3.65 meters (11’ 11.75”). Gregory is also listed among the Lobos’ pool of runners for the 4×100-meter relay.

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Maisie Grice tackled the 3,000-meter steeple chase for the first time in her collegiate career, putting forth the third-best time in the Mountain West this season at 9:53.79 minutes. That was also good enough for No. 15 on the NCAA national performance list, as she figures to compete for the conference title in the event on Friday night.

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One of the top freshmen in the conference Rebecca Grieve will take on the 800-meters this weekend entering the event ranked No. 4 on the Mountain West performance list at 2:08.39 minutes (2:09.15). Grieve is also slated to compete on the women’s 4×400-meter relay team, which is a contender to take the conference title after breaking both the indoor and outdoor school records during the 2022-23 season.

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The Lobos’ top jump in both the indoor and outdoor season on the women’s side, Mikyla Harkley will look to compete in both the long jump and triple jump this weekend. She cleared six meters for the first time ever earlier this spring, and ranks No. 4 on the conference performance list in the long jump. At last year’s outdoor championships, Harkley took fifth in the triple jump as she looks to build upon her lifetime best of 12.57 meters (41’ 3”). Harkley is also listed as an available runner for the women’s 4×100-meter relay squad.

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New to the program this spring, Tim Harris will represent the Lobos in the 400-meter hurdles where he holds a lifetime best of 53.89 seconds. His top mark of the spring at 56.04 seconds has him at No. 11 on the conference performance list entering the meet. Harris is also one of the available runners for the Lobo 4×100-meter relay squad.

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A reigning all-conference and All-American performer in the 5,000-meters, Emma Heckel will compete in the event for just the second time this spring. She placed second at last year’s conference meet with a time of 15:52.78 minutes, which is the top time she has posted during a collegiate outdoor season.

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Emily Ho will participate in her third Mountain West Outdoor Championships, after placing 10th in the high jump at last year’s meet. Ho is coming off an outdoor personal best in the event on April 6, clearing 1.65 meters (5’ 5”) at the Lobos’ home meet. Her lifetime best sits at 1.67 meters (5’ 5.75”), which she achieved during the 2022 indoor season.

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The school record holder in both the 200-meters and 400-meters, Tianna Holmes is a three-time all-conference performer at the Mountain West Outdoor Championships. Holmes was the conference champion in both events during the indoor season, and she figures to contend for both titles this weekend. The senior is No. 1 on the Mountain West performance list in the 200-meters with a season-best time of 23.27 seconds, and is No. 2 on the conference performance list in the 400-meters with a season-best mark of 53.27 seconds. Holmes will also run a crucial leg of the women’s 4×400-meter relay squad, which has broken both the indoor and outdoor school records this year.

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Gracelyn Larkin will look to defend her title in the 5,000-meters, as she won the event at last year’s Mountain West Outdoor Championships before going on to earn All-America recognition. Larkin is the favorite entering the meet at No. 1 on the Mountain West performance list, with a top time of 15:38.73 minutes this season. That was also good for the No. 16 time in the country this year, as Larkin is on a similar trajectory of success to a season ago.

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The Mountain West Indoor champion in the 800-meters for the second year in-a-row, Larkin will turn his focus to the 1,500-meters and 5,000-meters at the outdoor championships. Larkin’s top 1,500-meter time of the spring was 3:46.13 minutes, which slates him No. 10 on the conference performance list entering the meet.

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Bursting onto the hurdles scene in her first year as a Lobo, Annamaria Leszczynska enters her first Mountain West Outdoor Championship at No. 1 on the conference performance list in the event. She ran a time of 58.57 seconds earlier this spring, which elevated her to No. 56 on the national performance list as well. Leszczynska, who was part of UNM’s Mountain West indoor champion DMR team, is available for the women’s 4×400-meter relay squad as well.

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Set to compete in the conference outdoor meet for the second time in her career, Alyssa Magallanez will represent the Lobos in the high jump. Magallanez finished 10th at this event during the 2021 season, and she ranks No. 9 on the Mountain West performance list this season with a leap of 1.67 meters (5’ 5.75”).

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Amelia Mazza-Downie leads the conference and ranks fifth in the NCAA in the 10,000-meters, but will instead focus on the 5,000-meters at the conference meet this weekend. She finished third in the event at both the 2021 and 2022 Mountain West Outdoor Championships, and will be competing in the 5,000-meters for the first time during the 2023 outdoor season.

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Kevin Mulcaire enters his second-career Mountain West Outdoor Championships ranked No. 3 on the performance list, running a lifetime best of 13:42.99 minutes earlier this spring in the 5,000-meters. It will mark his first 1,500-meter race of the outdoor season.

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Right on the heels of Leszczynska, Logan Neely enters her first Mountain West Outdoor Championship at No. 2 on the conference performance list in the 400-meter hurdles. Neely hit her lifetime best of 59.10 seconds earlier this spring, which moved her onto the national performance list at No. 75. She also figures to fill an integral role on the title-contending 4×400-meter relay squad to close out the meet on Saturday night.

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The reigning Mountain West outdoor champion in the 400-meters, Jevon O’Bryant enters his second outdoor conference meet at No. 3 on the performance list with a season-best time of 46.19 seconds. O’Bryant is also slated to compete in the 200-meters, in which he placed fifth at last year’s outdoor meet. He and the Lobo men will look to defend their 2022 outdoor title in the 4×400-meter relay as well.

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Three-time Mountain West Track Athlete of the Week Stefanie Parsons is coming off her season-best time in the 1,500-meters, as she ran 4:15.19 minutes to jump to No. 3 on the Mountain West performance list and No. 42 in the NCAA. Parsons was an all-conference performer in the event at last year’s outdoor championships, finishing third. Parsons also ranks No. 2 in the conference this season in the 800-meters, with a season-best time of 2:07.53 minutes (2:08.29).

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Kora Pettengill will get a look at her first Mountain West Outdoor Championship meet, as she’s set to compete in both the 200-meters and 100-meters, and is in the pool of runners for the women’s 4×100-meter relay squad.

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Victoria Plummer will compete in her third Mountain West Outdoor Championship meet, and she enters the weekend at No. 6 on the conference performance list with a season best of 1.65 meters (5’ 5”). Plummer’s lifetime best in the high jump sits at 1.70 meters (5’ 7”).

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Four-time Mountain West triple jump champion Aidan Quinn will look to add another title to his decorated career, as he competes at the outdoor championships for the fourth time. Quinn won the outdoor titles in 2022 and 2021, after winning the indoor titles in 2019 and 2020 in his signature event. The good news is that Quinn is jumping better than ever, with lifetime bests of 15.85 meters (52’ 0”) in the triple jump and 7.10 meters (23’ 3.5”) in the long jump both coming during this spring season. He enters the championships No. 2 on the Mountain West performance list in the triple jump and No. 25 in the NCAA, while ranking No. 7 on the conference performance list in the long jump.

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Freshman phenom Lokesh Sathyanathan is looking to build off an all-conference performance during the 2022-23 indoor season, as he has improved his collegiate best in the long jump this spring. Sathyanathan enters his first conference outdoor championship at No. 2 on the MW performance list and No. 27 in the NCAA with a mark of 7.79 meters (25’ 6.75”). That is an improvement of 0.10 meters on his top indoor mark of the year. Sathyanathan is also listed among the Lobos available for the 4×100-meter relay.

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Harrison Smith III will compete in his first-ever Mountain West Outdoor Championships, and is entered in a trio of events. Smith III is coming off a memorable indoor and outdoor season in the 800-meters, running a lifetime best of 1:53.81 minutes (1:54.45).

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Elise Thorner will have a chance to defend her title in the 1,500-meters, after she won the 2022 Mountain West Outdoor Championship title in the event a year ago. Thorner holds the fourth-best mark in the conference this season at 4:17.08 minutes, and will compete in the 1,500-meters at the outdoor championships for the third time in her career. Thursday will mark her first 800-meter run of the 2023 outdoor season. Thorner is the NCAA national leader in the 3,000-meter steeple chase, which she figures to return to in the regional round of the postseason.

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Freshman Danielle Verster is set for her first Mountain West Outdoor Championships, and will compete in the 1,500-meters where she ranks No. 6 on the Mountain West performance list. Verster also cracked the top-100 nationally in the event, checking in at No. 86 with her season-best time of 4:18.12 minutes. Verster already holds a conference title in her young career, helping the Lobo women’s distance medley relay squad capture the indoor championship.

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One of the Lobos’ most talented freshmen, Mckenna Watson is set for her first Mountain West Outdoor Championships and will take on the short sprints. Watson enters the meet No. 3 on the Mountain West performance list in the 100-meters, with a lifetime best mark of 11.62 seconds. Watson also hit a lifetime best in the 200-meters this spring, with a time of 23.95 seconds. Watson also figures to contribute as a member of one of the Lobos’ relay squads this weekend.

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The reigning Mountain West Outdoor champion in the 200-meters, Jovahn Williamson is set to be one of the Lobos’ top performers this weekend. He won last year’s title with a lifetime best mark of 20.99 seconds. The senior has found success in the 400-meters this spring, entering the weekend at No. 2 on the Mountain West performance list at No. 39 on the NCAA performance list in the event with a time of 45.97 seconds. Williamson was also an all-conference performer in the 400-meters at last year’s outdoor championships, finishing in third. Finally, he’ll look to help the Lobos defend their conference title in the 4×400-meter relay.

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Aleksandra Wolczak will make it three Lobos entered in the 400-meter hurdles, as she checks into her first conference outdoor meet at No. 11 on the Mountain West performance list with a season-best time of 1:01.62 minutes. Wolczak has played a key role all season in the Lobos’ 4×400-meter relay squad as well.

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Awet Yohannes won the steeple chase title at the 2021 Mountain West Outdoor Championships, before finishing as the conference runner-up a season ago. He was an All-American in the event at Iowa Central Community College during the 2019 season, and this spring he enters the championships ranked No. 3 on the conference performance list. Yohannes will also compete in the 5,000-meters for the first time this outdoor season.

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Brodie Young broke the 46-second barrier in the 400-meters for the first time in his life, and ascended to the top of the Mountain West performance list entering his first outdoor championship meet. The freshman was an all-conference performer with a third-place finish in the 400-meters during the indoor season, and has consistently been one of the Lobos’ top runners all year. Young ranks ninth on the conference performance list in the 200-meters, with a season-best time of 21.38 seconds (21.31). Young will also play a key role in helping the Lobos in their defense of last year’s outdoor title in the 4×400-meter relay.

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