By Robert Maler
The New Mexico men’s and women’s track and field will add many athletes to the roster as the team hosts its first and only tournament as the team begins its outdoor season Saturday at the Don Kirby Tailwind Invitational.
The women’s team also adds a new ranking that is tied for the best in the program’s history. It cracked the top 25 in the preseason U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association ranking, coming in at No. 17.
Head coach Joe Franklin said it sheds some positive light for the school and for the women to be recognized as one of the top teams in the nation.
“You know, there’s over 300 schools that participate in track and field outdoors in the country and you’re ranked 17th, that’s pretty darned good,” Franklin said.
Franklin said several women that helped score the points to put the Lobos in that spot may not compete right away. Callie Thackery, Sophie Connor, Emily Hosker-Thornhill and Holly Van Grinsven all competed at the NCAA Indoor Championships in Birmingham, Alabama earlier this month and will receive breaks.
The head coach said that group is probably two and a half weeks away from competing again. Franklin said he believes those are all athletes that have the ability to score at the conference level and perhaps even again at the national level as the season progresses.
However, the team will add Aasha Marler and Samantha Bowe, as well as several distance runners such as Alice Wright, Rhona Auckland, Courtney Frerichs and Natasha Bernal to fill the roster.
Marler, competes in several events including the women’s long jump, triple jump, as well as the 100-meter dash and the 400-meter relay. Marler said she is excited about enjoying the last home meet in her final season of eligibility.
She added that it’s the beginning of putting the puzzle together by finding the best fit for athletes to score in as many events as possible.
“The goal in general is to set ourselves up first to score in the conference meet,” she said. “It’s really about being consistent and getting his marks on a regular basis.”
The men’s team debuted at No. 84 in the preseason rankings and also add some faces to the roster with the outdoor events. Franklin said the javelin throwing team has been practicing very well.
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The head coach said not all the throwers will see action in Saturday’s invitational. He said Beau Clafton, the defending conference champion won’t throw until later in the season.
Franklin said the meet will serve as an opportunity for the team to “get the cobwebs out.” The athletes can then start fine tuning the areas of their game and seek to improve from meet to meet.
The team will also send five athletes to compete in the Stanford Invitational. Distance runners Alice Wright and Natasha Bernal will compete on the women’s side, while Dan Milechman, Graham Thomas and Elmar Engholm will run for the men.
The all-day event will take place Saturday at the Great Friends of University of New Mexico Track Stadium, which is located just south of University Stadium.
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.
