Track and Field: Lobos kick off indoor season with home meet

“We’ve just got to find where we are this weekend. It’s going to be eye-opening for a lot of people.”

Head coach Joe Franklin had that to say about the team’s upcoming meet, where the athletes finally get a chance to showcase their talents after a lot of hard work and practice.

The New Mexico track and field team will kick off its indoor season at the Cherry and Silver Invitational in Albuquerque at the ABQ Convention Center on Friday.

A bid to the Mountain West Championships will be the season goal for the Lobos, and the team will likely be looking to identify areas they can improve on from meet to meet.

“That’s where we need to go,” Franklin said about Mountain West showdown. “We have five weeks till the conference championships.”

Both the Lobo men’s and women’s track and field squad placed fourth at the MW championships last year.

A trio of Lobo women also headed into NCAA indoor championships with individual competitors Calli Thackery, Sophie Connor and Jannell Hadnot, as well as a distance medley relay team.

“There are some very talented people out there,” Franklin said. “Alice, Calli and Sophie, and Josh Kerr on the men’s side.”

Several members of the distance running group just finished the cross country season with solid performances. Franklin said they are just one of several groups that make up a whole, and believes the jumpers and sprinters are also very strong.

“Our sprints side, Jay (Griffin IV) and Mark (Haywood) have done a great job. Carlos Salcido has done a great job as well,” the head coach said.

The jump team posted an amazing performance last year as Hadnot placed 11th with a mark of 42-1 1/4 (12.83m) at the NCAA Championships.

“Jannell leads our jumps team. She is outstanding; one of the best in the country," Franklin said.

There is no doubt the national championships will be a goal for several of the athletes, and a likely destination for Hadnot at the end of the season again.

“If I am doing well, I will go to nationals,” Hadnot said about her potential goal of making it to the NCAA Championships.

The defending champion of the women’s triple jump at the Cherry and Silver Invitational said. Hadnot humbly said she just wants to do well, which for her would mean a top five finish.

“My goal for every season is to get better as always,” she said. “Seasons are always about progress. I am very excited to see where I can take my jumps further.”

Hadnot said they have been practicing since the summer to she is exciting to be getting into shape and start another season.

Along with Hadnot, 12 Lobos placed in the top 10 at the first indoor meet last year.

The Lobos should be able to take advantage of competing at home this season, as the invitational marks just the first of four consecutive home meets.

Franklin said it is a benefit to the team, as they won’t have to miss any classes due to travel.

Hadnot said it is also nice to be competing in front of a home crowd.

“It’s always to have fans and audience, and your teammates around you, so home meets are amazing,” Hadnot said.

Franklin said the coaching team prepared the season without any special practices and the home meet will require the athletes to be self-disciplined as they are responsible for preparation and paying attention to detail.

“It’s little things,” Franklin said. “First make sure you get there ready to go, take your warm-ups seriously, and race hard.”

Bo Yu is a sports reporter for the Daily Lobo. He primarily covers cross country and volleyball. He can be reached at sports@dailylobo.com or on Twitter @Bo_YuB.