The Lobos will finally get the opportunity to run in front of their home crowd as they compete at the NCAA Mountain Regional Cross Country Championships on Friday.
At the beginning of the season coach Joe Franklin outlined two main goals: win the Mountain West Conference Championships, and earn a spot to compete in nationals. The women completed the former on Oct. 30 in Reno, Nevada, and now both teams have a chance to participate in nationals.
The No. 1 ranked women’s team has won every meet it has participated in this season, but that is not necessarily the goal going in to Friday’s meet. The NCAA Division I Cross Country Championships will take place on Saturday, Nov. 21 — just eight days later, which is a much quicker turnaround time than the team has had between meets throughout the season.
The regional meet will begin this Friday at noon at the UNM North Golf Course.
“The approach is to do what you need to do to make nationals. This is a race where you do not go all-out,” Franklin said. “If you are second in the region, it makes no difference, because you still go to the national championship.”
Franklin said the goal is to make sure the runners do not exert too much energy along the way. He said the men will need to put themselves in position to finish in front of nationally ranked Air Force or Colorado State so they can pick up points, while the women just need to run a consistent race.
In fact, Franklin said it is a possibility that he may give some runners the day off in anticipation of the NCAA Division I Cross Country Championships.
With the women’s team placing more runners in the top 10 each meet, it may not make a difference which runners are competing. All of the women placed in the top 30 at the NCAA Mountain West Championships, and the sixth and seventh runners for the Lobos finished better than seven schools’ top competitors.
The question will be whether they can dictate their own pace without having those teammates by their side.
Courtney Frerichs said the team’s goal of pack running should pay dividends. She said the team members have a common skill level, and running together helps them all push through the race.
“It’s incredible when you cross the line and turn around and see all of your teammates,” she said. “I think we’re really gonna focus on pack running and working together to get the team through.”
Although the men’s team was unable to extend its streak of consecutive Mountain West Conference titles, Friday is an opportunity for the team to punch its ticket to Louisville, Kentucky for a shot at a national title.
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“The goal for this weekend is pack running,” Franklin said. “The men have to make sure they are putting themselves in position to beat one of those teams. You do that, and you’ve got a shot.”
Franklin said the team has enjoyed a lot of success over the past seven to eight years, and he hopes the community will take the opportunity to see the Lobos compete.
He said the field is very impressive, featuring the top two women’s teams, UNM and Colorado, and the top men’s team and back-to-back NCAA champions Colorado, as well as several other ranked programs.
“I encourage people to take their lunch break and come out and support the Lobos,” Franklin said. “This isn’t just the best runners in the region, this is the best runners in the country, and some of the best young runners in the world.”
Robert Maler is a reporter for the Daily Lobo. He can be reached at sports@dailylobo.com or on Twitter @robert_maler.
