by Steven Fernandez
Daily Lobo
When head track and field coach Matt Henry talks about this weekend's Modrall Sperling Lobo Invitational, he has to hold back his excitement.
That's because the meet, held at the Albuquerque Convention Center, is going to be one of the biggest track and field meets in the nation during this indoor season.
It is also the first time New Mexico has hosted a collegiate-only indoor meet since 1987.
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"It's really a milestone for us in some ways," Henry said. "We're bringing back something that we had lost."
A big reason why this meet is getting so much attention is because of the caliber of teams that will be competing in it. Scheduled to participate in the invitational are 11 teams that are ranked in the top 25 in the nation, according to Trackwire.com. Seven of those teams are men's teams, including No. 2 Florida State University and No. 5 Louisiana State University. The other four are on the women's side and include No. 8 University of Southern California and No. 10 University of California-Berkeley.
Henry said with the quality of teams coming to the meet he hopes it can help boost the UNM program and provide exciting competition for fans to see.
"We feel like this is a great opportunity for the students on campus to see some nice track meets," he said. "We really have some great teams in here, and I hope some of the Lobos can fare well, which is really important too. Hopefully it will be a good weekend for everybody."
The meet will kick off with a wide variety of field events, from pole vault to shot put. Running events will begin at 10:30 a.m.
With the 11 ranked teams traveling to Albuquerque comes an array of strong individual talent. Among the athletes competing, 34 are nationally ranked. Included are six athletes who are ranked No. 1 in the nation in their particular events.
The final event of the day, the 4 x 400 meter relay, features No. 11 Louisiana State and No. 12 Texas A&M University. In the men's 4 x 400 meter relay, three of the top five teams in the nation will be competing. The Tigers of LSU were last year's outdoor NCAA champions in the event and are currently ranked No. 1. Florida State is ranked No. 4 in the event, followed by Texas A&M at No. 5.
Henry said this meet will hopefully open doors for more talented teams and individuals to come back to Albuquerque in the future.
"I think probably after this weekend people will look at the results and say, 'Wow, we have to go to Albuquerque, that's the place to run track," he said.
Henry said he knows a lot of his athletes will face tough competition this weekend, but he is hopeful of some good performances from the UNM teams.
"There's a saying that if you compete against the best it will only make you better, and I'm hoping that will come true," Henry said. "We want to be able to compete and put on a first-class meet, and we want people to come back to Albuquerque because we think this is pretty special."
