“We want to make progress, get some people slowly climbing the ladder on the conference rankings, and get prepared for the conference championships.”
Joe Franklin, head coach of the New Mexico track and field team, had that to say on Tuesday, leading up to the Lobos’ fourth straight home meet of the season.
New Mexico will host the Don Kirby Invitational on Friday and Saturday at the Albuquerque Convention Center.
The goal for the team for the last home meet before the Mountain West Championships is an obvious one — post as many qualifying marks as possible.
Doing so could be a challenge as the field is expected to be the largest the Lobos have participated in this season.
Over 800 athletes from 45 different schools will pack themselves into the indoor track venue, which will likely mean some fierce competition. Some of more recognizable programs in the country such as Arizona, Arizona State, Harvard, Oklahoma State, Oregon, Stanford, UCLA and Utah are all scheduled to compete in this meet.
The recent USTFCCCA National Coaches’ Poll placed Oregon No. 1 on the women’s side, and No. 2 for the men, while Stanford saw its men’s group at No. 13 and women at No. 28.
Oklahoma State also had strong rankings. The women ranked No. 19, and the men were No. 20. Harvard would be a potential opponent on the women’s side as it ranked No. 24.
Due in part to having a “tuneup” week, the Lobo women’s squad dropped out of the top 25 to No. 29 in the national rankings.
But the team probably isn’t as concerned with rankings as much as posting marks that could eventually lead to an NCAA championship berth.
Senior jumper Jannell Hadnot will look to retain the consistency she has shown in the past three weeks. Her jump of 43-feet-6-inches last weekend placed her at No. 10 in the national rankings.
The throwers appear to be on the right track and should be fully prepared to make a run toward the MW Championships.
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The Lobos could get a boost in the national rankings from their distance runners, as they are expected to run this weekend.
“Now we are having pretty much everybody this weekend,” Franklin said. “It should be a great competition.”
Calli Thackery and Alex Wright were sent to Washington to compete in the women’s 3000-meter and 5000-meter run at the Husky Classic.
But Natasha Bernal and Kathryn Fluehr headline the runners that will run in the 3000-meter as their primary event.
On the men’s side, Josh Kerr could lead the runners to repeat the solid performances they have turned in the past weeks.
With his title in the one-mile run at Team Invitational, and runner-up honors in the 800-meter run at the Cherry and Silver Invite, Kerr could be primed to go far if he can continue to perform well this weekend.
Alexander Palm also competed in the same 800-meter race and mile run. He is likely to have his debut in the 3000-meter run.
The vaulters and jumpers could be bright spots to look at during the meet. Their efforts helped the Lobo men win the title at the New Mexico Team Invitational two weeks ago.
The sprinter performances were also prominent at that meet. The Lobo men’s 1600-meter relay team ran the fastest time since 2009, and moved its record to fourth all-time in UNM history.
Franklin said he expects the teams for the men’s 1600 relay, the women’s sprints, as well as the women’s 1600 relay, to turn in solid performances.
All of the teams will be aiming for a shot to put as many athletes as possible in position to qualify for the nationals championships, so the energy at the downtown Albuquerque venue should be high.
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.
