More than 1,000 athletes expect to compete this weekend at the Don Kirby High School and Collegiate Invitational.
With the indoor track season over, the events move outdoors as the UNM track and field team hosts the annual meet this Friday and Saturday.
“It’s going to be a huge competition and there’s some great people (participating),” head coach Joe Franklin said.
One of the great talents competing in the two-day meet is UNM junior long-jumper Kendall Spencer. Spencer was crowned national champion in the long jump at the 2012 NCAA Indoor Championships last month. He’ll be long jumping outdoors for the first time this season.
Another nationally recognized Lobo, junior Richard York, will participate in five events — the discus throw, 400-meter dash, 100-meter hurdles, 4×400-meter relay and long jump.
York, who specializes in the decathlon, said meets like the one this weekend are training him for the regional championships.
“Most athletes are expecting to win their event,” York said. “I’m just mainly concentrating on how these meets apply to my multi (events).”
In the 2011 outdoor season, York finished in 22nd place in the decathlon at the NCAA championships. He also swept the indoor and outdoor decathlon championships at the Mountain West Conference championships in 2011.
York’s performance helped the Lobos finish runners-up to BYU on men’s side last May in the MWC outdoor championships. The women’s side also finished second to the Cougars. With BYU’s departure, the field has opened up a little more.
“It’s a lot different of a competition,” Franklin said. “There’s four teams that can win it.”
Franklin said Air Force is the early favorite, having swept the MWC indoor championships last month, but TCU, Boise State and UNM are all in contention.
“I feel like we’re a lot stronger team than we were last year,” York said. “It’s going to be a challenge to beat Air Force this year.”
Franklin said he hopes several of his runners can have breakthrough seasons to capture the conference title next month.
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He said Imogen Ainsworth, Shirley Pitts andMargo Tucker are all key players who can help the Lobos over the hump and capture a conference title on the women’s side.
The men’s 4×100 relay team, including Beejay Lee, De’Vron Walker, Lamaar Thomas and Spencer, is another group Franklin is keeping an eye on.
“I think they can become a national level 4×100 relay (team).” Franklin said.
Django Lovett and Logan Pflibsen will both miss the meet with injuries.
Six Lobos will be competing at other meets this weekend.
Sarah Waldron, Kirsty Milner, Lacey Oeding, Sean Stam and Janna Mitsos will travel to Palo Alto, Calif. and compete in the Stanford Invitational. Josephine Moultrie will take part in the Sun Angel Classic in Tempe, Ariz.
The rest of the squad will stay in Albuquerque and try to clinch a spot in the championships.
“It’s a good thing to be able to be in town this week and kind-of use this meet as a training meet, and hopefully put some marks down that could qualify us for regionals,” York said.
