When UNM cross-country runner Ben Ortega lines up to run, he not only expects to win, he knows he is going to win. With a confident attitude, he is not afraid to say what he has done and what he is going to do as a runner.
“Confidence is not only a mindset,” Ortega said. “Confidence is also when you know you have the ability because you have been working and training hard. I am confident in myself because of how much work I put in, and I have faith in my ability.”
Winning also helps the New Mexico native’s self-confidence, and he has been doing plenty of that in his career. After winning two New Mexico state cross-country championships while at Taos (N.M.) High School, he came to UNM in the fall and contributed heavily to the success of the track program as a freshman with numerous impressive outings.
Even in the off-season, he is winning. His latest victory came on Saturday when he ran a 5-kilometer race at the USA Track and Field Region X Junior Olympics Championships. Ortega destroyed the competition and, in the process, broke the Region X record in the young men’s division with a time of 15:33.04. The victory was never in doubt as Ortega lapped many of his competitors and nearly lapped the runner-up.
“I didn’t think twice about my competition,” Ortega said. “I just wanted to run a good, fast race.”
The win qualified him for the USAT&F Junior Olympics Nationals in Sacramento, Calif., July 24-29.
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Ortega also qualified for the Nationals three years ago, finishing 14th in a 3-K meet. He said he expects to win this time around, which will be a 5-K meet.
“I’ve improved so much,” he said. “I want to go in and get the national record. It’s going to be fun; I’m just using it as a stepping stone for the season.”
Ortega had an impressive season as a UNM freshman. He captured his first win on Feb. 10 in an indoor meet at the Flagstaff Invitational in the 3,000-meter run. At the Mountain West Conference Indoor Championships in late February, he capped his strong performances with a third place finish in the 3,000, a fourth place finish in the 5,000 and led the men’s team in scoring with 11 points.
“Ben has something that many people don’t have –– a huge heart” head coach Matt Henry said. “He will do everything he can to win.”
The highlight of his season came in the Mountain West Outdoor Championships May 16-19 when he set a school and conference record in the 10,000 by running it in 30:02. With the victory, he became UNM’s first men’s conference champion in four years.
“I expected to do well,” Ortega said. “I expected to be the conference champion. I didn’t figure it any other way.”
He also finished in third place in the 5,000 and led the team in scoring with 16 points. He was named to the all-conference team and helped UNM finish in fourth place, its best finish since 1991.
Ortega said he has been training hard this summer and is using the races to prepare for his upcoming season at UNM. He said he expects to improve his performances and win another conference championship. But Ortega was even more excited about the prospect of the UNM team’s performance as a whole.
“We have most of the elite runners in New Mexico running for us,” he said. “I feel we have great potential for the upcoming season because of Coach Matt Henry and my teammates.”
Henry said Ortega is one reason why UNM had a successful season in 2000-2001 and why it will have many more successful seasons to come.
“He is an ambassador to UNM and to our program,” Henry said. “People look at us different because of him. Through his running, he is helping us in recruiting.”
Henry said he expects Ortega to become one of the elite runners in the country.
“He is getting stronger and stronger,” Henry said. “I wouldn’t doubt seeing him represent USA in some capacity — in the Olympics or the World Championships.”
