Eyeing the Mountain West and NCAA Championships in a few weeks, a squad of Lobo Track and Field runners shined this weekend in preparation for regional and national competition.
Redshirt freshman Josh Kerr posted a pace-setting performance with his title in the men’s one-mile run at the Albuquerque Convention Center on Saturday.
Kerr’s new personal record of 4:03.34 — good for second in the conference — moves him up to No. 8 in the event’s national rankings.
“It should get me there (to nationals),” Kerr said in an interview. “I’ll definitely run the mile at conference, so I’ve definitely got another mile between now and nationals.”
Kerr held off other opponents in the last 60 meters to capture the mile title. Along with Kerr, Emil Danielsson placed sixth (4:13.14), Elmar Engholm seventh (4:13.52), and Taylor Potter ninth (4:16.28).
The perpetual support from teammates inspired Kerr and the other distance runners as they were determined to run for each other.
“We have a great team, especially the guys who set the school record,” Kerr said. “Every distance guy is here, stands up next to the track, making sure they get as much support as they can”
Another record-breaking performance came from the men’s 1600-meter relay team, made up of Cheyne Dorsey, Isaac Gonzales, Carlos Salcido and Mark Haywood.
The quartet’s time of 3:11.66 placed them third in the race, while breaking the previous program record of 3:12.27 set in 1983.
“Remarkable meet,” New Mexico head coach Joe Franklin said in a release. “To put up marks like that going into the conference championships shows that the team keeps getting better and better and better.”
Two titles in the men’s 800-meter run and 3000-meter race showed their progress over previous weeks.
Gavin Sleeter won the 800 meter title in 1:51.09. Graham Thomas led the 3000-meter with a time of 8:21.77 to win the title. In the 600-meter run, Mustafa Mudada added a top 10 finish (eighth, 1:22.50).
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On the women’s side, the duo of Alice Wright and Calli Thackery made their presence felt in their season debut at the Husky Classic in Seattle.
On Friday, Wright finished with a time of 16:00.67 in the 5000-meter run to place seventh. Her first run this year berthed at No. 17 in NCAA national rankings, and No. 1 among regional competition.
Thackery finished 17th in the 3000-meter with a time of 9:15.74. Her time was second in Mountain West, and 28th nationwide.
Back at the Don Kirby Invitational, Sophie Connor logged a time of 4:44.02 to win the mile run.
Connor had a faster race of 4:43.03 two weeks ago, and ranked No. 13 in the latest national performance list.
Triple jumper Jannell Hadnot also owned a 13th remark in national ranking with her jump of 43 feet six inches last week.
Hadnot placed fourth in the triple jump on Saturday with a leap of 41 feet, 9 1/4 inches.
In the 3000-meter race at Don Kirby, the trio of Natasha Bernal (fourth, 9:52.44), Kendall Kelly (fifth, 9:54.83) and Kathryn Fluehr (eighth 10:06.84) added top 10 finishes.
Hannah Riker-Urrutia ran to the fifth place with a time of 1:33.50 in the 600, and placed fourth in UNM history.
Amaris Blount finished 10th in the weight throw with a mark of 57-feet-9-inches.
In the most recent Mountain West performance list, the Lobos enjoyed a total of 16 top three finishes, paving the way for New Mexico to compete at the Mountain West Indoor Championships at the Albuquerque Convention Center in two weeks.
Bo Yu is a sports reporter for the Daily Lobo. He primarily covers track and field, cross country and volleyball. He can be reached at sports@dailylobo.com or on Twitter @Bo_YuB.
