UNM's men's cross country squad travels north this weekend to frigid Provo, Utah to compete in the 2002 Mountain West Conference Championships.
In a race for conference bragging rights, the Lobos look to hunt down two of the top teams in the nation -- No.10 Brigham Young University and No. 14 Colorado State University.
Host BYU, the three-time defending conference champion, is the team to beat -- though CSU, UNM and the Air Force Academy all possess upset potential.
"In this conference, cross country is a big deal," said Lobo head coach Matt Henry.
"It's the best conference in the country, in fact. You don't mess around in this conference and just have a mediocre team. You better have a darn good team or you're going to be embarrassed. We can win the whole shoot and shebang or be dead last."
UNM looks to shake off a mediocre performance at the Pre-Nationals meet held Oct. 19 in Terre Haute, Ind. Due to injuries to three of their top five runners, the Lobos finished 17th out of 35 teams. Among the injured were junior Ben Ortega, sophomore Cameron Clarke and freshman Jeremy Johnson. Henry said the team spent the last two weeks resting and preparing for the MWC meet.
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"My goals always stay the same," Henry said. "Those goals are to keep the runners healthy, but I haven't been real lucky with that right now. If I keep them healthy, there is no doubt about it. We can run with anybody around."
The team won't be at full strength this weekend. Ortega, one of UNM's best runners, is still being hampered by a hip injury and will not race. Johnson and Clarke have recovered and will compete.
This weekend, the team hopes hang on the shoulders of Clarke, Johnson and Gonzales, the 2001 MWC runner-up. Clarke holds the second fastest 8K time in the conference this season at 23:51. The team is excited to compete and eager to challenge for the conference crown.
"This is the biggest race of the season right now. We want to finish top three," Gonzales said. "That's what we are shooting for. There are some tough teams in our conference and we're right in the mix with all of them."
With seven of last year's top 10 finishers in this year's race, the individual title chase will bring intrigue to the meet. The favorite to win the 2002 race, BYU sophomore Kip Kangogo, has posted staggering results this season. Kangogo has won all three meets he's competed in, including the Pre-Nationals. He holds the best 8K time in the conference this season with a 23:38 finish.
After the MWC Championships, the Lobos return home and prepare for their most important competition of the season -- the NCAA Mountain Region Championships. The championship will be held Nov. 16 at the UNM North Golf Course. The top two teams in that meet receive automatic bids to the NCAA National Championship meet. Because the region is one of the best in the country, as many as five at-large bids could be awarded.
