by Steven Fernandez
Daily Lobo
It was a rare road trip for the UNM track and field team - one that head coach Matt Henry hopes can propel the Lobos to continued success as the indoor season winds down.
For the first and only time this season, the UNM track and field team went on the road for an indoor meet.
The Lobos traveled to Nebraska to compete in the Frank Sevigne Husker Invitational on Saturday. Henry said it was good for the team to get away from Albuquerque and he was pleased with the results.
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Leading the way for the Lobos was junior Timmie Murphy, who finished third overall in the women's 3,000-meter run. Murphy has been UNM's most consistent runner this season. She stopped the clock with a time of 9:46.
Henry said Murphy continues to improve every meet and was happy with her performance Saturday.
"I think Timmie probably ran one of her better races ever tonight," he said.
While Murphy's 9:46 is a career high, Henry said she has yet to realize her full potential.
"I think she's still just scraping the surface," he said. "She doesn't even know how good she can be. She got the opportunity to run against some really good girls, and she ran well tonight. It was fun to see."
Following Murphy in the race were sophomore Leslie Luna and senior Jacquelyne Gallegos, who also finished in the top 10. Luna placed seventh with a time of 9:57 while Gallegos grabbed ninth in 10:02.
Henry said it is a huge asset for the team to have three runners perform so well in the same event. He said the trio of Murphy, Luna and Gallegos anchor the team.
"Leslie definitely had a great race, and so did Jackie," Henry said. "That's a good deal. I think New Mexico was represented very well there tonight."
In the men's 3,000-meter event, UNM also had some success. Jeremy Johnson finished sixth out of 33 competitors. The junior crossed the finish line in 8:17 in a race that featured some of the fastest times in the event this season.
Henry said Johnson is another key distance runner who will continue to produce as the season goes along.
"He's just a huge competitor and he loves what he's doing," Henry said. "He's going to be a really good one when it's all said and done."
In field events, Derek Mackel continued to perform as one of the elite pole-vaulters. Mackel, who has already hit a provisional qualifying mark for the NCAA Indoor Championships, finished third after a jump of 17-00. Teammate Robert Caldwell finished fourth, matching Mackel's jump of 17-00. Zach Graham also performed well, clearing 16-00, which landed him 11th place.
The pole vault was the meet's last event, and Henry said the Lobos closed out the invitational in solid fashion.
"Everybody got to focus and see Derek and Robert vault well, and really Zach had some nice vaults tonight too," he said.
After making the long trip to Nebraska, Henry said he hopes the team will be inspired to do some special things the rest of the season at home.
"It was a good experience for our people," he said. "It was definitely a good meet for us to come to. I'm hoping next week will be another great week."
