Lobos Rack Up PR's at Air Force Holiday Opener
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. – New Mexico’s sprinters and jumpers got their indoor season started with a bevy of PR’s at the Air Force Holiday Opener on Friday, highlighted by event wins from Lauren Fowler in the long jump and 60 Meters and Maja Gebauer in the pole vault.
In total, UNM posted 13 new personal bests in the first collegiate competition for the Lobos’ sprint and jump crew since the 2023 outdoor season, with three new times that earned Top-10 spots on the UNM indoor all-time lists.
A big-time PR from Lauren Fowler led the way in the women’s long jump – Fowler jumped .06m further than her previous best to take home the event win, with Mikyla Harkley in second with (5.84). Freshman Zennia Gonzalez (4th, 5.74m) and transfer junior Carlotta Duenninger (10th, 5.25m) also notched PR’s, with Lilee Kaasch (5.48m) placing eighth.
Fowler followed with another PR and event win in the 60 Meter dash, shaving .11 seconds off her previous best en route to a 7.62-second finish. Ophelia Pulley finished seventh with 7.95-second mark, ahead of Alexandria Adams (9th, 8.12s) and Duenninger (12th, 8.33s). Adams shaved .42 seconds off her prior best.
Another one! Lauren Fowler wins her second event of the day with another PR — this time in the 60 Meter dash!#GoLobos pic.twitter.com/P2m0c3BDqg
— New Mexico XC/T&F (@UNMLoboXCTF) December 9, 2023
Friday’s triumphant performances for Fowler came in her first competition since April, after battling injuries for much of the last year and a half. Her PR’s moved her into the No. 9 spot on the UNM all-time list in the 60 meters with a 7.66 elevation-adjusted official mark and from No. 10 to No. 8 on the long jump list.
Maja Gebauer became UNM’s second event winner of the day with another PR, clearing 4.10m to pace four other Lobos that finished in the event’s top six. Alyssa Gregory finished second with a PR of her own at 3.80m, with Kiara Quezada-Arzate (5th, 3.65m) and Isabel Thomas (6th, 3.35m) just behind. In her first meet in a Lobo uniform, Gebauer’s finish was just .01 meters short of matching the program record set in 2012 — she enters the UNM record book at No. 2 on the all-time indoor list.
Maja Gebauer is UNM’s second event winner of the day, vaulting a new personal-best of 4.10m — just .01m short of matching an indoor program record set in 2012!
Four Lobos finish in the event’s Top 6.#GoLobos pic.twitter.com/gntBSS8yyp
— New Mexico XC/T&F (@UNMLoboXCTF) December 9, 2023
Pulley paced UNM in the women’s 200 Meters with a fifth-place finish (26.08s) and both Duenninger (7th, 26.38s) and Alexandria Adams (8th, 26.67s) put down two more PR’s, with Adams finishing more than a second faster than her previous best of 28.41. Gonzalez rounded things out with a 27.27-second finish in her first 200 Meter race.
Alyssa Magallanez placed second in the women’s high jump finals with a 1.60m mark, just .08 off her personal best.
In the triple jump, Harkley finished second with a 12.17m mark, with Kaasch finishing fourth (11.42m).
The first male athlete of the day to compete, freshman Pole Vaulter Kyle Hatler matched three Air Force competitors with a new personal-best vault of 4.75m but fell to fifth place on attempts.
Fellow Lobo newcomer and U20 Dutch champion Fabian Biondina placed second in the men’s long jump (7.03m), reaching .24m further than the next-best finisher.
In his first indoor meet, freshman Jose Cornejo led three Lobo men in the 60m dash, placing fourth with a 6.90s finish ahead of Jonah Vaquera (14th, 7.27s) and Biondina (23rd, 7.53s).
Cornejo followed that feat with a second-place finish in the 200 Meters (21.73s), just short of his prior outdoor best of 21.00 in international competition for Mexico. Vaquera concluded competition with a 16th-place finish (23.93), good for third in the fourth section.
UP NEXT
Indoor track season pauses for winter break, with the Lobos returning in January to play host to four consecutive meets at the Albuquerque Convention Center where UNM hosted NCAA Indoor Championships last season. First up is the Martin Luther King Jr. Invitational on Jan. 20, followed by the UNM Team Open Jan. 26-27, the New Mexico Collegiate Classic Feb. 2-3 and the Don Kirby Invitational on Feb. 9-10. Live results will be available via the Track & Field schedule page on GoLobos.com, with live streaming available via FloTrack. Follow @UNMLoboTFXC on Instagram and @UNMLoboXCTF on X for live coverage, meet day content and more.
LOBO RESULTS
MEN’S 60 METERS
4. Jose Cornejo – 6.90^
14. Jonah Vaquera – 7.27
23. Fabian Biondina – 7.53^
MEN’S 200 METERS
2. Jose Cornejo – 21.73
16. Jonah Vaquera – 23.93
MEN’S HIGH JUMP
7. Adam Giron, Jr. – 1.90m
MEN’S POLE VAULT
5. Kyle Hatler – 4.75m*
MEN’S LONG JUMP
2. Fabian Biondina – 7.03m
WOMEN’S 60 METERS
1. Lauren Fowler – 7.62*
7. Ophelia Pulley – 7.95^
9. Alexandra Adams – 8.12*
12. Carlotta Duenninger – 8.33
WOMEN’S 200 METERS
5. Ophelia Pulley – 26.08^
7. Carlotta Duenninger – 26.38*
9. Alexandra Adams – 26.67*
10. Zennia Gonzalez – 27.27*
WOMEN’S HIGH JUMP
2. Alyssa Magallanez – 1.60m
WOMEN’S POLE VAULT
1. Maja Gebauer – 4.10m*
2. Alyssa Gregory – 3.80m*
5. Kiara Quezada-Arzate – 3.65m
6. Isabel Thomas – 3.35m^
WOMEN’S LONG JUMP
1. Lauren Fowler – 5.96m*
2. Mikyla Harkley – 5.84m
4. Zennia Gonzalez – 5.74m
8. Lilee Kaasch – 5.48m
10. Carlotta Duenninger – 5.25m*
WOMEN’S TRIPLE JUMP
2. Mikyla Harkley – 12.17m
4. Lilee Kaasch – 11.42m
* denotes new personal best
^ denotes collegiate best / first collegiate indoor mark