Seven fresh faces and four wily veterans for the UNM track and field team will compete in the NCAA Outdoor Championships in Fayetteville, Ark.
"Sending a record 11 athletes to the NCAA championship is always a great thing," head coach Joe Franklin said.
Senior javelin thrower Katie Coronado will try to top her second-place finish in the 2008 NCAA Championships, while Lee Emanuel will look to add another bullet to his résumé, which already boasts a first-place finish in the one-mile race of this year's NCAA Indoor Championships.
Meanwhile, Jarrin Solomon, who placed fifth at the Indoor Championships in March, said he will not change his approach, even though it's the last meet he'll run with the Lobos.
"I do not look at this track meet differently since it is my last one," Solomon said. "But I know I have to perform even better, be even more focused, and have the right attitude to win, because I am up against the best collegiate athletes."
Alongside the veterans, five others will debut in the outdoor meet. Two Lobos will make their first NCAA Championship appearances.
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"We have built on sending seven athletes last year - and five the year before that - with athletes that want to win, train hard, and do all of the little things right," Franklin said.
And for the most part, the ones who have exemplified what Franklin described are homegrown. The past five years, UNM has sent 28 athletes to compete in the NCAAs, and 17 of them were from New Mexico.
"We want the best in New Mexico to come here," Franklin said. "We want them to stay in-state and compete here and attend UNM and work toward the goal of a national title."
UNM will send three born-and-raised New Mexicans to this year's meet.
And in order for UNM to ensure other programs don't nab the state's best talent, finishing strong at this meet is crucial, Franklin said.
"It's the national championship - as big as it gets - the final game," Franklin said. "Our plan is to get better every year and build on the year before, and a top-30 finish in this year's championships would help us achieve that goal."
NCAA Outdoor Championships
Wednesday
Fayetteville, Ark.
