The University of New Mexico men's and women's cross country teams begin their seasons Saturday with their annual intra-squad race at 10 a.m.
The Lobos kick off the 2002 season Aug. 30 in Santa Teresa, N.M., at the University of Texas-El Paso's Lori Fitzgerald Invitational.
The intrasuqad scrimmage will take place in the Sandia Mountains near northeast Albuquerque. The group will meet at the Juan Tabo dam, which is located on the east side of Juan Tabo Blvd., just north of Montgomery Blvd. and south of Spain Rd.
Twenty letter winners return to the two teams, including 15 on the men's team. The Lobo men also add 11 newcomers to the mix.
Head coach Matt Henry said the men's squad, with its core of 11 juniors, has a legitimate chance to become the first UNM squad since 1988 to qualify as a team for the NCAA Championships.
Henry, the 2002 Mountain West Conference Men's Outdoor Track & Field Coach of the Year, also welcomes back three of his 2001 NCAA Cross Country Championship competitors - juniors Matt Gonzales and Ben Ortega and sophomore Jacque Gallegos.
Get content from The Daily Lobo delivered to your inbox
Last year, the trio became the Lobos' first national qualifiers since 1997, and the school's largest contingent to the championships since 1988. Gonzales finished 30th to become UNM's first cross-country All-American since 1982.
The 2002 Lobos are very representative of the state of New Mexico, with 34 of the 35 runners on the team coming from schools within the state. Junior Leighton Katsuda of Wailuku, Hawai'i is the lone out-of-state runner on either the men's or women's roster.
The 2002 women's squad looks to be a work in progress. The team will have no seniors on its rosters and returns just three juniors - including junior Sarah Gonzales who, like Matt Gonzales, is a solid contender for all-conference honors as well as potentially qualifying at a national level.
After the Lori Fitzgerald meet, which the UNM men won handily to open the 2001 season, the Lobos return home Sept. 14 to host the Lobo Invitational, held at the UNM North Golf Course.
UNM also hosts the 2002 NCAA Mountain Region Championships, one of the premier cross country competitions of the year, on Nov. 16 at the North Course. The Lobos will travel to some of the top collegiate meets in the United States this season with stops at the Stanford Cross Country Invitational, the (Oklahoma State) Cowboy Jamboree, as well as the NCAA Pre-National and MWC Championship meets.
Staff Report
