After five hours and four weather delays, the New Mexico Tailwind Invitational was finally underway at the UNM Track Stadium on Saturday.
But the men's team stormed back in its later races of the day to claim the Tailwind title. The Lobos beat second-place finisher Wyoming 164-154, with Northern Arizona and South Florida rounding out the top four. The women finished fourth - 21.5 points out of first.
The track-and-field competition was slated to start at 10 a.m., but the events didn't start until after 3:15 p.m. because of rain and lightning delays.
Indoor national champion Lee Emanuel picked up where he left off last month at the NCAA Nationals in Texas.
Emanuel easily won his outdoor season opener, breezing past the men's 800-meter field.
"It was weird today - to be ready for a race three times," Emanuel said. "And then I had a sandwich 30 minutes before I raced because I thought it might be delayed even longer."
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Emanuel finished the race with a 1:49.21 time that qualified him for the NCAA Regionals.
"Obviously he races tough," teammate Brian Vallie said. "Just seeing him come in last year - he is, like, the most talented person I have seen because last year he was a bit overweight and out of shape. He just worked hard, and it paid off for him."
Former UNM wide receiver Jermaine McQueen spurred the Lobos to victory with two second-place finishes. In the 100-meter run, McQueen lost to South Florida's Gregory Fontus by a fraction of a second. Fontus finished in 10.68 to McQueen's 10.72 time. McQueen also ran in the men's 4x100-meter relay and placed second.
McQueen said the weather affected how he and his three partners ran in the relay.
"Well, our third leg, his hamstring is bothering him a little bit, and we were just going off an adrenaline rush," McQueen said. "We got out on time, but it's not faster than what it was in practice. So, I got out, and he wasn't able to catch me in the zone on time, and it conflicted with the baton. But we will get it right."
The day was highlighted by the return of pole vaulter Whitney Johnson. Johnson has consistently been plagued by a knee injury she suffered a week before the 2006 NCAA Midwest Regional Championships. She redshirted in 2007 before going through ups-and-downs in 2008.
On Saturday, she qualified for the NCAA Regionals with a first-place finish, clearing 12'7 1/2 in her second attempt of the day.
Track and Field at Mt. SAC Relays
Walnut, Calif.
Wednesday
TBA
