The Mountain West Conference Championships for women's cross country is shaping up to be a two-pony race.
Of the nine teams running in Saturday's championship in San Diego, only UNM and BYU are nationally ranked.
The UNM women's team climbed four places to 23rd in the nation after last week's 10th-place finish in the NCAA Pre-Nationals at Indiana State.
One Lobo win last week came over rival BYU. The win helped to knock the Cougars down two notches from 26th to 28th in the national poll.
Though BYU has been knocked down, it cannot be ruled out.
"BYU is a great team, and they are quality runners," head coach Joe Franklin said. "They are outstanding."
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The Lobos have wins and national ranking on their side, but BYU has history.
"BYU has only lost one conference tournament ever," Franklin said. "That was last year - their first loss in the history of the Mountain West."
The Cougars have won eight of the last nine MWC championships. Prior to the MWC's inception, the Western Athletic Conference was home to BYU, and the Cougars won nine there.
The Cougars' long win streak ended last fall with a loss to Colorado State.
BYU has been a cross-country juggernaut in years past, but last year's slip showed its reign may be coming to a close.
One person who could help lead the Lobos to victory over the Cougars is Nicky Archer. Archer came from Cheshire, England, this fall.
"I knew her coach in England, and he recommended her as not only a great runner but a great person," Franklin said. "Once we heard that, we were interested."
Throughout her stay she has had some hiccups, but she is now beginning to hit her stride.
"She is running very well right now," Franklin said. "She had a bad patch a couple weeks ago - the week of the Pre-Nationals, she was sick for about 10 days. But she is running very well right now. That is the design, to run well."
Archer posted a season-best in the 6,000-meter run last week, finishing 26th out of 278 competitors with a time of 20:54.
Archer said she is peaking at the right time.
"There are a few races left, and nobody wants to be less fit now than in the beginning (of the season)," she said. "So hopefully, it is now that all the training is going to show for the last few races of the season - the more important ones."
The MWC Championships is important in the road to the NCAA Championship. Archer said UNM can't rely on last week's impressive run and coast on Saturday.
"It does give us a bit of a confidence boost, but it's all about what we really do on the day," she said. "We can't go into (the race) thinking we ran well at Pre-Nationals, so we'll be fine. We have got to go out and run still."
To run well and win, the Lobos must overcome 18 years of BYU history.
But Archer said the same old song and dance is getting old.
"Obviously, they have won for however many years," she said.
"But maybe it's time for a change."
