by Steven Fernandez
Daily Lobo
Head coach Matt Henry is sick of seeing the same old regional opponents.
That's why the Lobos will travel to Auburn, Ala. - to try to get some momentum going into the upcoming Mountain West Conference meet.
"We're traveling a long way this week, and we're actually doing that on purpose," Henry said. "We're hoping that we can get out of seeing the regional teams and hopefully do well against some teams that aren't in our region."
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Through three meets this season, Henry said he the men's or women's teams have not run to their full potential. While a little struggle on the men's side was expected, the women were supposed to be a bigger force on the national scene.
There have been some strong individual performances so far this season, led by Jacquelyne Gallegos' victory at the home meet and third-place finish at the Stanford Invitational. Henry said with all the hard work Gallegos has been putting in, she has set a good example for some of the other girls to step up.
"Jackie's not a very vocal person, but she doesn't have to be because her actions will tell everybody what they need to know," he said.
Henry said coming into the season there was a lot of depth on the women's team. If a few runners can step up, Henry said the team can show how good it really is.
"I don't think we have done that yet," he said. "We've seen some great things out of Jackie and Timmie Murphy, but other than that, we've just been average."
Henry said Riann Lucy has been sick, but that leaves room for other women to step up.
"I'm just hoping some of the other girls can take advantage of the training and perform well in this meet," he said.
Henry said it is important for the men's side to shorten the pack time.
The time between the Lobos' first runner and fifth runner was 42 seconds in the first meet of the season. Last week at Stanford, however, the runners were more separated, and the pack time was 1:20.
Since that race, however, Henry said he has seen some signs of improvement.
"I've seen some good things in practice," he said. "We've been doing that a lot better than we have (been), and we just need to get in a meet and put it all together."
Seniors Cameron Clarke and Nate Clem have been staples on the cross country team for years and continue to be leaders this season. Junior Steven Martinez has been making big strides this year, and Henry said he can help spark the fire the men's team has needed this year.
"Steven Martinez is starting to show what he really can be," he said. "Steve might be a big key in our success. Not to say they're all not, but he can really break the ice and do what we need him to do."
Henry said the rest of the Mountain West Conference might be underestimating the Lobos.
"A lot of people look at us as an average team," he said. "Personally, I'm glad they think that way, so we can kind of sneak up on people."
