by Steven Fernandez
Daily Lobo
Head coach Matt Henry choked up just a bit when he described All-American runner Matt Gonzales's 2nd-place performance at the Cross Country National Championships on Monday.
"I don't think people can grasp what he did," Henry said. "It's indescribable. To be second in the United States - it brings tears to my eyes to think of that."
Gonzales and Shadrack Biwott both finished in the final meet's top 10, and the Lobo men's team placed ninth overall, the best finish in the program's history.
The Lobos were ranked 20th coming in to the meet, but their finish did not surprise the UNM runners or coaches.
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"My feelings have been great, but I knew we could have done even better," coach Henry said. "But I'm very proud of the guys. It was a fun day for us."
UNM was led by Gonzales, who finished the 6.2-mile course in 30 minutes and 40 seconds, just more than three seconds behind Wisconsin's Simon Bairu.
Gonzales was hoping for the win and his first national title, but Henry was still excited about his effort.
"He was a little disappointed," Henry said. "He told me he made one mistake, but we're happy with what he did."
Henry said Gonzales dropped back for a bit and was in third with just a short stretch left in the race, but he refused to settle for that position.
"Matt Gonzales is the real deal," Henry said. "He does a great job of representing New Mexico."
Gonzales had a fine finish to a senior season in which he won two of the year's biggest races: the pre-nationals and regionals.
Biwott ran strong despite missing last week's Mountain Regional meet due to a stomach ailment that temporarily sent him to the hospital. Biwott was able to join Gonzales as an All-American, finishing the 10,000-meter race in 31:16.
"A week ago, he was in the hospital," Henry said. "For him to have this day was phenomenal."
Coming in third for UNM was senior Ben Ortega, who finished his collegiate cross country career with a 77th place finish (32:40) at nationals. Ben said he was hoping for an All-American spot, but he still contributed to the team's finish and improved on his 108th place finish in the 2001 NCAAs.
Junior Cameron Clarke followed Ortega for the Lobos, and placed 104th in his first appearance at nationals with a time of 33:00.
"Ben and Cameron were solid for us today," Henry said.
Senior Sean Flaherty rounded out the scoring for UNM. He passed a large pack of runners in the last half of the race, finishing 137th among scoring runners and crossing the line in 33:22.
"I think there were about 255 runners and halfway through, Sean was about 250th," Henry said. "He really moved up and helped us a lot, but he about gave me a heart attack."
Brothers Stephen and Nick Martinez finished 6th and 7th for UNM. Stephen's debut at the NCAAs saw him finishing 190th overall with a time of 33:29. Nick followed his brother with a time of 35:05, finishing 235th.
In the women's race, UNM's lone representative, senior Jacquelyne Gallegos, finished 69th overall with a time of 21:38 in the 6k course. Gallegos suffered a car accident a couple of years ago that threatened her running career.
"We're thankful that she's with us," Henry said. "She ran a great race."
