by Steven Fernandez
Daily Lobo
Matt Henry will get the opportunity to try to out-coach his older brother, Pat Henry, this weekend.
The UNM head track and field coach is excited about measuring up to his brother's team, but also said he is approaching Saturday's Cardinal and Gold Invitational as just another meet.
"We get to see Pat quite a bit," Henry said. "It's always fun to see his group of people and see what we can do against them."
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The meet will be held in Los Angeles and will consist of UNM, the University of Southern California, and Texas A&M University.
The latter are two of the top track and field programs in the nation. The USC men finished sixth at the 2005 NCAA Outdoor Championships, and 19th at the 2006 NCAA Indoor Championships. The Trojan women also had impressive showings at the national meets, placing seventh at the 2005 outdoor championships and eighth at the 2006 indoor championships.
Texas A&M, coached by Henry's older brother Pat, had its men's and women's teams place in the top 25 at the 2006 NCAA Indoor Championships. The Aggie women finished 17th while the men finished tied for 25th.
Henry said he is thrilled about facing two national powerhouses, but he is also a bit nervous.
"In some ways, that's really, really exciting," he said. "In other ways, I think that puts a lot of pressure on our athletes. We can go to this meet and be really embarrassed if we're not real careful."
Henry said he has confidence in his team though, and was pleased with some of the results of last weekend's Jim Click Shootout. Five UNM athletes qualified for the 2006 NCAA Midwest Regional at the meet.
Senior javelin thrower Matt Keeran, freshman heptathlete Sandy Fortner, senior pole vaulter Derek Mackel, sophomore sprinter Jarrin Solomon and freshman high-jumper Josh Cosio are the UNM athletes who assured themselves spots at the regional meet.
Henry said he expects to see more athletes qualify as the season goes along.
"That's really special," he said. "I think probably when it's all said and done I hope that we can have a half a dozen, for both men and women."
Another bright spot for the Lobos in the Jim Click Shootout was the performance of the women javelin throwers. Freshman Katie Coronado won the event, while teammates Jessica McIntyre and Vanessa Strobbe placed second and third, respectively.
Junior Jeremy Johnson has carried the UNM men's distance team, but has fallen just short of victory on numerous occasions. He won the 3,000-meter run at the Mark Shumate Open - the opening meet of the 2006 indoor season - and has five second-place finishes this year. Johnson finished runner-up in the 3,000 and the 1,500 at the Jim Click Shootout.
Johnson is capable of earning more victories, but is better fit for the longer distances, said Henry. The longest event at Saturday's Cardinal and Gold Invitational will be the 3,000-meter run.
"Jeremy does a good job," Henry said. "I really think he's more of a 5k and a 10k man. He did a great job last week, and we'll see what he can do this week."
