Staff Report
The UNM men's and women's cross country squads play host to some of the most talented teams in the nation at the 2002 NCAA Men's and Women's Mountain Region Cross Country Championships Saturday.
Head coach Matt Henry and the Lobos are competing for the right to run at the 2002 NCAA Cross Country Championships Nov. 25 in Terre Haute, Ind.
Only the top two teams on the men's and women's side will receive an automatic bid the NCAA's.
That means that UNM will have to run an exceptional race to make it. Last year, an additional four teams were chosen from the Mountain Region as at-large bids.
Some of the stiffest competition comes from conference rival BYU which won both the men's and women's national titles last year. The Cougars are not the only team to look out for, however, as the region boasts seven men's teams that have been ranked among the top-30. The women's side is nearly as potent posting three squads in the top-10, including top ranked BYU.
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The Lobos have been much improved this year on the men's side while winning their first three meets. However, the injury bug has hit the Lobos hard of late slowing down some of UNM's best runners including All-American Matthew Gonzales, all-MWC selection Cameron Clarke, junior Nick Martinez, freshman Jeremy Johnson and 2001 NCAA Championship qualifier Ben Ortega.
The women's luck has been just as bad, losing its most seasoned runner, Junior Sarah Gonzales, at the beginning of the season to a bout of food poisoning. Then on Sept. 21, sophomore Jacquelyn Gallegos was lost for the season following a serious car accident near her home in Pojoaque, N.M. She had led the team in the first two meets of the season. It doesn't get any better from there as touted freshman Karina Hill-Hurtado was diagnosed with tendonitis in her knee and missed the MWC Championships.
The Lobos will try and put their injuries behind them as they host the Regional Championships at the UNM North Golf Course. The women get started at 10 a.m. for their 6,000-meter run. The men's 8,000-meter race begins at 11:15 a.m. Admission and parking is free.
