Improvement is all UNM head coach Matt Henry asked for from his cross-country athletes when they battled some of the best teams in the country at the Mountain West Conference Saturday - and he got just that.
The young Lobos finished in fifth place on both the men's and women's teams, improving last year's finishes of sixth place for the men and seventh for the women in the conference championships.
"Not many people expected us to finish where we finished, so I am excited about where we ended up," Henry said. "We ran hard and had a darn good showing."
Brigham Young University dominated the competition, winning the 8,000-meter men's race and the 6,000-meter women's meet to record its third consecutive conference titles on both teams. The Cougars' Tara Northcutt handily won the women's individual title, while University of Utah's Teren Jameson cruised to a victory on the men's side.
UNM had some impressive individual performances of its own, with sophomore Sarah Gonzales leading the way for the women and sophomore Matt Gonzales guiding the men.
The women's side saw seven runners cross the finish line with season-best times, including Gonzales' time of 22 minutes, 22 seconds, which was the fastest time for a Lobo in the 6K this season. The effort produced a 16th place finish for Gonzales.
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Freshman Jackie Gallegos followed close behind Gonzales with a 19th place finish. Several other teammates produced good performances as senior Kim Baca posted a 35th place finish and four freshmen trailed close behind. Vanessa Funston, Laura Marquis, Amanda Woods and Racquel Ricci all recorded season-bests as well to round out the Lobos top seven.
"We ran as good a race as we could have; better than anyone thought," Henry said.
On the men's side, four Lobos finished in the top-25 after just one runner finished among the top-25 at last season's conference meet.
Matt Gonzales recorded an outstanding performance, finishing in second place and 25 seconds behind the Utes' Jameson. Gonzales' time of 24 minutes 19 seconds is a UNM season best in the 8K and helped catapult him into being named to the all-conference first team.
"Matt was super motivated," Henry said. "He ran well and has a lot of confidence in himself right now."
Sophomore Ben Ortega was named to the second team after earning a 10th place finish. Sophomore Chris Orrell finished 22nd and freshmen Cameron Clarke and Chad Dawson crossed the finish line in 23rd and 33rd place, respectively.
"I am excited about the way we ran (Saturday)," Henry said. "But realistically, we are too young. We just got to keep working hard."
UNM returns to action Nov. 10 when it travels to Provo, Utah, for the NCAA Mountain Region Championships.
