by Steven Fernandez
Daily Lobo
After what he calls a successful indoor season, UNM head track and field coach Matt Henry said he is eager to get the 2006 outdoor season under way.
The men's and women's teams will travel to Tucson, Ariz., on Saturday for the Jim Click Shootout, the Lobos' opening outdoor meet of the season.
"It's time to compete again," Henry said. "We're excited about going down there. It's going to be a nice meet."
Get content from The Daily Lobo delivered to your inbox
Saturday's meet will be a month to the day since the Mountain West Conference Indoor Championships, and most of UNM's athletes have not competed since then. Sixty team members are traveling to Arizona. Henry is looking forward to seeing them get their feet wet, he said.
"We're taking a lot of kids, but that's good because they all deserve to go," Henry said. "They've worked hard, and I hope that we can get down there, have some nice weather and get a good opener."
One of the highlights of the indoor season was the performance of the men's pole vaulters. Senior Derek Mackel and junior Robert Caldwell both competed at the NCAA Championships with Caldwell earning All-American honors after his eighth-place finish. Henry said he is looking forward to seeing the two carry their momentum into the outdoor season.
"We got those two great vaulters," Henry said. "That's a highlight for our team, no doubt."
Another one of the strengths on the track and field team has been the distance runners.
One of the athletes Henry said he is looking forward to seeing compete is Jacquelyne Gallegos. Henry said Gallegos has one of the most impressive track records at UNM, but has had bad luck with injuries. Gallegos was having a strong cross country season in 2005 until suffering a hamstring injury that has bothered her to this day. However, Henry said Gallegos should be healthy and a key competitor throughout the outdoor season.
"Jackie's getting better," Henry said. "She's still not fully recuperated, but she was telling me the other day she's almost ready to compete pain free."
Another female distance runner to keep an eye on is junior Riann Lucy. Lucy battled through illness most of the indoor season but finished strong by earning all-conference honors with her third-place finish in the 800-meter run at the MWC Championships.
On the men's side, junior Jeremy Johnson had a solid indoor season and has been UNM's top distance runner throughout the year. Johnson also earned all-conference honors this past season. In fact, he did it twice, placing second in the 5,000-meter run followed by a fourth place in the 3,000-meter race.
At the end of the indoor season, some of the sprinters started coming of age as well.
At the MWC Indoor Championships, Ariel Burr made a name for herself. The sophomore earned all-conference honors and broke a school record in the women's 400-meter run with a time of 54:27. Burr finished third overall and became the first UNM woman to earn all-conference honors in the event.
At that same meet, sophomore Jarrin Solomon finished with a career-high sixth place despite being seeded eighth going into the meet.
"They're very young, but they're running very, very well," Henry said. "We're anxious to see what they can do outdoors."
Henry said he was pleased with how the team performed during the indoor season. They are carrying positive momentum heading into this weekend's meet, he said.
"There's going to be some pretty good teams there," Henry said, "But I look at the Lobos doing something pretty special as well."
