by Steven Fernandez
Daily Lobo
Former UNM standout Keren Bentzur brought a lot of individual success to the Lobo track and field team.
As the new assistant track and field coach, Bentzur said she hopes to help add more team success.
Head coach Matt Henry has seen a lot of good things at UNM, and Bentzur was certainly one of his shining stars, he said. He is excited about the potential she has as a coach and teacher to the young athletes, Henry said.
"For herself she had a lot of success, but honestly I think she has more knowledge than anything else, so I'm really excited for our athletes to work with a really outstanding lady," Henry said.
Bentzur said she can't wait for her opportunity as an assistant after being a volunteer coach for the Lobos last year.
"I'm very excited. It's something that I actually wanted to do for a long time," she said. "Even when I was on the team, I felt like I wished I could do that."
Henry said Bentzur will be a good fit as a coach for many reasons, the two most important ones being her intelligence and her leadership ability.
"When I got here, Keren was always a little more mature than the rest of the athletes that we had," he said.
As excited as Henry said he is about Bentzur and her personality, Bentzur said she is just as thrilled to work with her former coach.
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"It's great. I always had a great relationship with him," Bentzur said. "I always got along well with him, and now I'm happy to be working with him."
As far as what Bentzur thinks will help her as a young coach, she looks back on her career as a UNM track and field athlete.
"I was a heptathlete and I competed in seven events, so I have experience in all those events," she said. "I competed at nationals twice, so I have more experience there, and I just feel that throughout my athletic career I learned a lot that I hope I can pass on to my athletes."
Specifically, Bentzur said she thinks preparation is important.
"The way you look at meets, the way you prepare in practice, the amount of time you devote - that's significant for being a good athlete," she said.
In her three-year career as a heptathlete, Bentzur earned All-Mountain West Conference honors 10 times and competed in two NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships. In 2002, she finished ninth at the NCAA Championships, one spot away from being an All-American. In 2003 - her senior season - she garnered the MWC Championships High Point Award after scoring a meet-high 30 points.
Henry said Bentzur should add a much-needed piece to his track and field puzzle.
"We're just thrilled to death that we got her here now," he said. "She's mature and definitely very knowledgeable about track and field, and she's going to help us a lot."
Bentzur said she is eager for the season to start so she can get to work.
"I expect a good season," she said. "We have some great talent on the team this year. I'm looking forward to it, and I can't wait for official practice to start."
