New Mexico’s track and field team will be home again in the first scored event of the year, hosting the New Mexico Team Invitational.
Head coach Joe Franklin said he is looking forward to the team taking some of the positive things that happened last weekend into this meet. He said that he is very excited and that this weekend is going to be a lot of fun.
The season is still especially young for New Mexico. Last week was the first action New Mexico saw this year after getting a few days practice on the new track.
“We haven’t been going very long; (last week) was our first meet,” Franklin said. “A lot of teams have already had a couple of meets.”
Unlike last week, this meet will offer team scores. That might have an impact on the events the athletes will be competing in this time around. Franklin said he expects a lot of the distance runners from cross country to see their first action of the year.
“Just about everybody that is healthy will be running,” he said. “People will be in their primary events and focusing on what their specialty is.”
Jannell Hadnot, who took first place in the triple jump last week by jumping 41 feet, 8 3/4 inches, is scheduled to compete in the long jump this time around.
During the week, her teammate Allan Hamilton was named the Mountain West Field Athlete of the Week. His 24 feet, nine 1/2 inch mark in the long jump last week earned him a second place finish in the event.
Franklin said those performances were among many that impressed him in the team’s first meet. The team had limited time and had to prepare with the track being made available just days before the event.
“From the testing standpoint, they’re stronger, they’re faster,” Franklin said. “Now it’s just putting everything together.”
Franklin said he does not anticipate there will be a significant number of unattached competitors in contrast to last week’s meet. He said that Natasha Bernal, who ran unattached last week, would not be running this week
A lot of credit goes to the coordinators for making the meets in Albuquerque so user friendly, Franklin said. There are very few track meets that run on time in the world and is proud of the efficient and timely manner in which their meets are conducted, he said.
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Texas Tech, Air Force, California, Colorado State, Kansas State, Nebraska, Texas Christian and Utah State will join New Mexico in the event this Saturday. The meet is an all-day event that will take place at the indoor track inside the Albuquerque Convention Center.
Robert Maler is a sports reporter for the Daily Lobo. He primarily covers cross country, tennis, and track and field. He can be reached at sports@dailylobo.com or on Twitter @robert_maler.
