by Steven Fernandez
Daily Lobo
Derek Mackel put himself in rare company when he punched his ticket to the 2006 NCAA Track and Field Championships after his victory at the Midwest Regional Championships last weekend.
Mackel will be joined by pole vault teammate Robert Caldwell, who earned an at-large bid after placing seventh with a height of 17-5 at the regional meet held in Austin, Texas.
Mackel, a senior pole vaulter, became the second Lobo in UNM history to win an event at the regional meet. Former Lobo distance runner Matt Gonzales is the other one, winning the 1,500-meter run in 2003. Mackel won the event at regionals after clearing a career-best height of 18-1. The height is not only a personal best for Mackel, but a Midwest Regional record as well.
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Mackel said he was thrilled to jump as high as he did.
"I was real excited," he said. "It was a great day; a great day to jump and a great place to jump, so I'm glad I did well."
UNM head coach Matt Henry said he was impressed by Mackel's victory because it had only been done once before.
"That's huge," Henry said. "We've only had one other person do that. It's pretty special to win the regional championships."
This will be Mackel and Caldwell's second trip to the NCAA Championships, as the pair competed at the 2006 Indoor Championships. At that meet, Caldwell earned All-American honors by placing eighth with a jump of 17-6 1/2.
Caldwell said he was happy to get an invite to the national meet and was sure he had a good chance of making it with his height.
"I was pretty excited," Caldwell said. "I felt fairly confident that I was going to make it."
Caldwell said his performance at the NCAA Indoor Championships should help him prepare for the outdoor meet.
"I think it's tremendous experience," Caldwell said. "It helps with your confidence, and it enables you to go there ready. You know what it's going to be like."
While Caldwell earned All-American honors during the indoor season, Mackel failed to clear the opening height at the national meet. The senior said that could serve as motivation for next week's competition.
"I got some pictures of me jumping at that meet," Mackel said. "They're just reminders for me to keep working hard and clear bars."
Despite having 11 athletes competing at the regional meet, only two UNM athletes qualified for the NCAA Championships, which begin June 7 in Sacramento, Calif.
One of the remaining nine athletes who did not qualify for the NCAA Championships was freshman javelin thrower Katie Coronado. Coronado placed seventh at regionals and owned the 24th-best mark in the nation with a throw of 161-11. Despite her effort, Coronado was one of the first female javelin throwers left out of the national meet.
Henry said he was disappointed that Coronado was overlooked for the championships.
"You'd think Katie was in, but she's not in," Henry said. "It's kind of hard for us to explain that, but she's not in, and it's really too bad. I think for sure she should be going."
While no other Lobos will be joining the duo, Mackel and Caldwell said they are proud to represent their home state of New Mexico next week at the NCAA Championships.
For the senior Mackel, he said he wants to end his UNM career on a high note.
"I'm peaking at the right time," Mackel said. "I'm just ready to jump high."
