by Steven Fernandez
Daily Lobo
Injured or not, Jacquelyne Gallegos is going to leave her mark on her final outdoor track and field season.
The UNM senior distance runner made her successful 2006 outdoor debut, winning the women's 3,000-meter run at Saturday's Cardinal and Gold Invitational. Gallegos missed most of this year's indoor season struggling through a hamstring injury, but bested the field in Los Angeles with a time of 10:03.78.
UNM head coach Matt Henry said he is proud of the effort Gallegos put forth and is relieved she did not re-aggravate the injury.
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"I had my fingers crossed the whole race," he said. "I'm really glad she could make it through there and not get hurt. Hopefully we can get her in another race in two weeks and see what she can do again."
Junior Jeremy Johnson helped the Lobos sweep the event when he won the men's 3,000-meter run. Johnson separated himself from the pack and stopped the clock in 8:24.97
Henry was happy for Johnson because the distance runner fell just short of two victories at last weekend's Jim Click Shootout, he said.
"That was fun," Henry said. "Jeremy's always on the verge of getting a win, so it's nice to see him get one."
The Lobos also had success in the field events, led by Derek Mackel who won the pole vault for the second meet in a row. The senior cleared 17-0 3/4 to outdo the rest of the competition and earn his fourth victory of 2006. Mackel has two outdoor victories to match the two wins he posted during the indoor season.
Henry said he was impressed with Mackel's performance, considering pole vaulters have to deal with wind during the outdoor season.
"He did good," Henry said. "I'm glad that he could have a good performance outdoors because there was some wind, and that can always mess those pole vaulters up. I'm glad he could have a good day."
Another solid performance for the Lobos came from freshman javelin thrower Anthony Fairbanks. The freshman won the event after throwing 206-4 on his final attempt. Fairbanks gave UNM its fourth victory of the meet, helping the Lobos put forth a strong effort against national powerhouses Texas A&M University and the University of Southern California.
In the women's javelin throw, freshman Katie Coronado continued to make a name for herself. Coronado won her collegiate debut at the Jim Click Shootout last week, and followed that up with a third-place finish Saturday. Her throw of 148-8 also helped her earn a trip to the regional championships.
Henry said he is excited about Coronado's potential.
"She really did a good job," Henry said. "Coronado is really going to be somebody special."
One of the surprises of the meet was the performance of Frank Hemingway. The unheralded senior placed fourth in the men's 1,500-meter run, crossing the finish line in 3:58.36.
Henry said he is happy to see Hemingway make the most of his final season.
"For me personally, that's a huge victory," Henry said. "He's just getting better and better. It's too bad he's a senior, but that's how it goes. I'm just really, really tickled to see how he did."
Henry said UNM had a strong showing overall and hopes the performance can give the team confidence for the rest of the season.
"That helps our program," he said. "I hope our kids keep working hard and want to compete with everybody that we go up against."
