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This year’s outdoor season could mark a historical feat for UNM men’s track and field if the Lobos manage to finish first in the Mountain West Conference.
In that case, the Lobos would be the first MWC team to win cross country, indoor track and field and outdoor track and field titles in one season since BYU in 2009. UNM already notched Mountain West first-place finishes in cross country in the fall and indoor track and field in the winter.
The U.S. Track and Field and Cross Country Coaches Association also ranked the Lobo men’s squad 29th in this season’s preseason computer rankings.
UNM track and field head coach Joe Franklin said the conference trifecta would bring more credibility to the program.
“It would be huge — to claim the first indoor track and field championship in program history and then grab an outdoor championship would be amazing,” he said. “It would be something these students would remember the rest of their lives.”
The UNM women’s cross country team snatched first place in the MWC, while the indoor track and field team took second.
After a two-week break following the indoor season, the outdoor track and field season began with 25 top-10 finishes in the UTEP Springtime Invitational on Saturday. The team will compete in Palo Alto, Calif., at the Stanford Invitational today and Saturday.
Franklin said expectations remain high for the men’s squad, but he also wants the women to improve from last season.
“For the men, we want to prepare to win another conference championship, then after that make the national championships,” he said. “On the women’s side, we want to improve from last year after a less than stellar finish.”
In 2012, the men placed third in the MWC championship while the women took seventh.
The invitational in Palo Alto will be the season debut for many of UNM’s distance runners. Among the men to compete this weekend will be junior Gabe Aragon, sophomore Alex Herring and junior Patrick Zacharias. On the women’s side, senior Imogen Ainsworth, junior Kirsten Follett and senior Shawna Winnegar will be competing.
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Junior All-American long distance runner Luke Caldwell and senior All-American long distance runner Josephine Moultrie will not participate in the meet in order to rest.
Franklin said the Stanford Invitational will provide an opportunity for long-distance runners.
“It’s distance running craziness,” Franklin said. “If you’re a distance runner, healthy and it fits your plans, you run in the Stanford Invitational.”
