Ten Lobos ran and jumped their way to championships this year.
Nine members of the UNM track and field team qualified at the NCAA West Qualifying Round in Eugene, Ore. for the 2011 NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships.
Those nine teammates join Richard York to make a total of 10 Lobos competing at the championships in Des Moines, Iowa.
York already qualified for the decathlon at the NCAAs at the Brutus Hamilton Outdoor Invitational in Berkeley, Calif. on April 23.
Head coach Joe Franklin said his team excelled during qualifying rounds in Eugene.
“The environment is very different,” he said. “On the last day of our meet, they had about 10,000 people there.”
In the men’s 5,000-meter race, more Lobos qualified for championships than any other university in the country.
Ross Millington, Nicholas Kipruto and Rory Fraser ran the 5,000-meter and all got a spot in Des Moines. Millington and Kipruto finished sixth (13:36.39) and seventh (13:41.90), respectively, and both ran lifetime bests; Fraser finished 13th overall.
Franklin said the runners’ performance far exceeded his expectations.
“Going into the race, I was hoping to get two of three guys,” Franklin said. “The fact that all three got in — it’s the most of any university in the country.”
In all, the Lobos will send six long-distance runners, three field jumpers, and a decathlete to Des Moines to compete against the best in the country.
Franklin said the Lobos will use the energy from Eugene at the NCAAs.
“For our kids to go out there and compete on probably one of the world’s biggest stages at Hayward Field, and compete well, shows not only that they were prepared,” he said. “They have the self-confidence to be in that situation with the pressure.”
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David Bishop, who finished third in the 1,500-meter race, was the Lobos’ highest-place finisher in all events.
Freshman Django Lovett was the only Lobo to qualify for the high jump. His 2.11 meter leap earned him 10th place and a spot in the NCAAs.
Keith Gerrard and Ruth Senior both earned bids to the championships in the 10,000-meter run. Both finished in sixth place in their races.
In the women’s field events, Alesha Walker’s 6.18 meter jump earned her eighth place in the long jump. Deanna Young in the triple jump took ninth with a leap of 12.87 meters, and both grabbed a spot to compete at nationals.
The 10 Lobos will now rest for a couple days as they prepare for the biggest meet of the season.
Franklin said his team needs some time off.
“Fifty percent of the work is done, and making it to the nationals is half the battle,” he said. “We’ve got to figure out a way to get to the top.”
