Staff Report
After a season that saw three Lobos compete at the NCAA Championships, UNM's track and field team just got 29 reasons to expect better things in the future.
A recruiting class made up of 16 women and 13 men made the final cut for head coach Matt Henry.
The group as a whole provides many accolades, with a combined 12 state champions and a national champion as well.
A few of Henry's recruits come highly prized.
Justin Woods, a sprinter from Buena Park, Calif., holds school records at Los Alamitos High School in the 100-meter run (10.48), 200 (21.28) and 400 (48.66). Woods' 100-meter time was one of the top 10 in the nation among high school runners.
Joining the men's distance team will be Matt Cash, a Los Lunas High School graduate. Cash finished 11th at the state meet last season and seventh in 2003. He also qualified for the 2003 National Junior Cross Country Championships, where he garnered All-American honors.
In field events, the Lobos were able to get Roy Collins from Los Alamos High School, a two-time state champion in the high jump. Joining Collins in the event will be Josh Cosio from Manzano High School. Cosio finished runner-up at last year's New Mexico State Championships and placed fifth at the Great Southwest Classic at a height of 6-08.00.
Two more New Mexico state champions joining the Lobos are Damian Robinson from Clovis and Anthony Fairbanks from Highland. Robinson won the 110-meter hurdles in 2005 and Fairbanks won the 2005 javelin title.
On the women's side, Christina Zarrella from Rio Rancho is a double threat as she won the 2005 state championship in both the long jump and the 400-meter run. Zarrella also won the district meet in the 200.
Yesenia Archuleta out of Grants won the 3A State Championship in pole vault in 2004 and 2005 and finished runner-up at the cross-country state meet. If that wasn't enough, Archuleta also ran the anchor leg of Grants' 2005 state champion 4 x 400 team.
Briana Paxton could be an amazing thrower for UNM, winning both the discus and the pole vault in 2005 at the state championships. Paxton is yet another New Mexico product, graduating from La Cueva.
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The lone athlete to come from overseas to UNM is Hagit Salamon, from Israel. Salamon won Israel's National title in the long jump and the triple jump.
This upcoming indoor season, UNM will host five indoor meets, including the Mountain West Conference Championships.
