Practicing in the rain during the week turned out to be effective as the Lobo track and field team fought off chilling weather to shine on Saturday at the Great Friends of UNM Track & Field Stadium.
In the only home meet of the outdoor season, New Mexico posted a strong performance with six titles and 15 top-three finishes in its outdoor season debut.
Despite the hot start, UNM had to endure weather conditions that were not ideal, as some light snow flakes fell from the sky occasionally during the events.
“It was terrible weather,” head coach Joe Franklin said in an interview after the meet. “We considered
The Lobos could have called off the meet, but getting the home season opener under their belt should definitely help the team get on track before heading to Arizona next weekend.
“We got through it without any injuries. You have no choice when it comes to facing this adversity,” Franklin said. “Going into Arizona State next week, if we had not had a meet on Saturday, it might have been very problematic.”
Although New Mexico decided to sit some star athletes like NCAA Champion Josh Kerr, the team still notched strong remarks in track events.
Jared Garcia took fourth in the men’s 3,000-meter run (8:55.81), and Tyler Valdez ranked fifth (8:59.89).
In the men's
Mustafa Mudada won the men’s 400-meter hurdles in 53.70, and Cheyne Dorsey picked up runner-up honors at 53.88.
Mark Haywood won the 400-meter run in 48.35. In the same event, teammates Isaac Gonzales finished third place (49.06), and Kristian Uldbjerg Hansen placed sixth (50.53).
Haywood, Gonzales, Carlos Salcido and Alejandro Goldston teamed up to win the 400-meter relay (41.93).
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Goldston also earned a pair of third finishes in the men’s 100-meter (11.24) and 200-meter (22.13) and Salcido took fourth place (22.14) in the 200-meter.
Goldston competed in the long jump as well, taking a fourth-place finish (21 feet 4 3/4 inches). Tanner Battikha jumped 23 feet 10 1/4 inches to win the event.
In the men’s discus, Ryan Chase placed sixth with a finish of 118 feet 10 inches.
On the women’s side, Akeisha Ayanniyi captured runner-up in the long jump with a leap of 19 feet 2 inches. Ayanniyi posted another second place in the 100-meter dash (12.48).
Larimar Rodriguez won the 400-meter race in 57.46 and placed sixth in the 200 with a time of 26.23. Hannah Riker-Urrutia ranked second in the 400-meter with a time of 58.27.
In the 3000-meter run, Ruth Haynes took the fourth place (10:50.53). Samantha Dicker placed
Mackenzie Everett ran into fifth place in the 800-meter run (2:40.12). In the women’s 1,500-meter run, Everett finished fourth, (5:07.37), Dicker (sixth, 5:11.19) and Reiley Kelly (eighth, 5:15.59) all posted top-10 finishes.
Kyra Mohns placed fourth (106 feet 10 inches) and Morgan Smith seventh (102 feet 1 inch) to add some top-10 finishes in the javelin throw event. And Allison Mady ranked fifth in the shot put with a throw of 37 feet 3 inches.
The pair of Natasha Bernal and Sarah Laverty traveled to represent the Lobos at the Stanford Invitational on Friday.
Bernal finished in 10:26.13 to place fourth in the women’s 3,000-meter steeplechase. Laverty made her debut as a Lobo to run in 10,000.
The Lobos will participate in the Sun Angel Classic in Tempe, Arizona, a three-day event that begins Thursday, Apr. 6.
Bo Yu is a sports reporter for the Daily Lobo. He primarily covers beach volleyball, track and field, cross country and volleyball. He can be reached at sports@dailylobo.com or on Twitter @Bo_YuB.
