by Steven Fernandez
Daily Lobo
Thursday's action at the Mountain West Conference Championships was the beginning of a historic weekend for the UNM indoor track and field team.
For the first time in conference history, the Lobos are hosting the MWC Indoor Championships, which had been held by Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs, Colo., during the first six years of the MWC's existence.
UNM head coach Matt Henry said it is a great honor for the Lobos to be able to host such a big event in Albuquerque.
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"This is really fun," Henry said. "The response from not just the conference people, but from everybody that has come in here, has been overwhelming. I think this can be just the beginning."
The meet started Thursday morning with the first four events of the men's heptathlon and the complete women's pentathlon. UNM freshman Sandy Fortner placed 12th overall, while senior Dan Feltman is in second place in the heptathlon with three events remaining.
Friday features the rest of the events, with the finals of the events taking place on Saturday.
With the bulk of the events left, the Lobos still have their best chance for wins coming up.
One of those strengths this season has been in the men's pole vault. UNM has two athletes, Derek Mackel and Robert Caldwell, who are ranked in the top 12 in the nation in the event. Mackel is ranked No. 7, while Caldwell is No. 12. Both athletes have surpassed this season's NCAA provisional qualifying mark of 17 feet.
Henry said that is an achievement, considering both of them were clearing only 14 feet coming out of high school.
"That's exciting for both those guys," Henry said. "Now they're two of the best in the United States."
Another event the team has excelled in is the 3,000-meter run. On the women's side, Timmie Murphy and Leslie Luna have had breakout seasons and are ranked fourth and fifth, respectively, in the conference. Jeremy Johnson leads the UNM men in the event and is ranked fourth entering Friday.
"They've all actually had a solid year," Henry said. "Believe it or not, their workouts have been even better lately. I'm really looking forward to this weekend to see what we can do."
