How things have changed during Matt Henry's five years at UNM.
Just five years ago, the UNM cross country team was in a tailspin, recording only one win in four years. Newly hired head coach Henry was left with the daunting task of turning the team around.
This fall, the Lobo men were picked to finish second in the conference, their highest ranking ever. The women were picked sixth in the conference, just three points out of third.
The team is set to travel to San Diego this weekend for the Mountain West Conference championships at Balboa Park, home of the San Diego Zoo.
The men's side is stacked. The MWC is one of two conferences in the nation, along with the Big 10, to have four top-25 teams. The meet will host 10th-ranked Brigham Young, the preseason favorite; No. 12 Air Force, the defending conference champions; 17th-ranked Colorado State; and the No. 23 Lobos.
"This is the second-best conference in the U.S.," Henry said. "Every team is strong. We are capable of outrunning any team in the conference. We just need to bring our best stuff."
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A lot of attention has been paid to the performance of UNM senior Matt Gonzales, who is coming off a huge individual win at the NCAA Pre-Nationals a few weeks ago.
Gonzales was picked by Track and Field Magazine to win the national crown this year, making him an early favorite for the conference championship.
"Matt has a good chance of winning this race, but you never know who is going to run strong on what days," Henry said.
As for the rest of the Lobos, Henry said they are in the best health they have been in all season. He said it's just a matter of time before a breakout race.
On the women's side of things, it's hard for the rest of the conference to compete with 12th-ranked BYU and No. 23 CSU. The Lobo women fell to Air Force and Utah at the NCAA Pre-Nationals, but that doesn't mean it will happen again.
"We are still very young on the women's side, and BYU and CSU are so advanced," Henry said. "If we can fill in the middle, third or fourth, it's a big victory for us."
Individually, senior Jacquelyne Gallegos finished at the Pre-Nationals with a personal-best time of 21:00 - good enough for 15th place out of 246 runners.
"It will be really nice if Jackie makes the all-conference team and just keeps running like she has been," Henry said.
The conference championships are Saturday.
"We are just anxious for this meet that we have been preparing for all year," Henry said.
