Hard work and maturity helped the UNM men’s cross-country team dominate its first meet of the season and record its first victory in almost a year.
The men’s side grabbed six of the top seven spots while finishing in first place in a meet for the first time since September 2000 in the Kachina Classic when they won the Lori Fitzgerald Invitational Aug 31.
Sophomore Ben Ortega, who finished fourth at the meet, said he felt something symbolic happened as the team ran away with the victory.
“Winning the opening meet brought our group together,” Ortega said. “It gave us an indication that we can win. Talking about it and actually doing it are two different things.”
He attributes the first place win to the team being dedicated to each other and able to count on one another.
Ortega said the Lobo’s game plan was to run together in a pack. It proved to be a successful strategy.
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“If we start out together, we finish together,” Ortega said. “That is how we are going to get to nationals.”
The Lobos dominated the meet so much that they almost scored a perfect meet. A perfect score was 15 points and UNM grabbed 18.
“This sport is a lot different; as an individual you can get self-satisfaction,” head coach Matt Henry said. “As a team you can’t be successful unless you run as a group, run as one. That’s the only way we are going to survive.”
In addition to the team’s success, sophomore Chris Orrell won his first collegiate meet in the 6,600-meter event.
“I am extremely proud of Chris and the rest of the team,” Henry said. “He loves to compete and he loves to win. He does not want to experience losing anymore. I am glad with his performance.”
Henry said both teams should not rest on its laurels because the team still needs a lot of improvement to get ready for the conference meets
He wants the one through five runners to be coming in less than 30 seconds apart for the men and 45 seconds for the women. This past meet the men and women came in at one minute, 17 seconds and one minute, 23 seconds apart, respectively.
Henry said the match was a positive experience for the team.
“Without a doubt it can’t hurt us,” Henry said. “It helped our confidence to be able to win a meet and to get second (on the women’s side) with outstanding performances.”
The cross-country team’s next meet is at home Sept. 22 at the Paradise Hills Golf Club.
