New Mexico’s track and field team, led by its jumpers and sprinters, continued to turn in solid performances as it competed in a much larger field at the Sun Angel Classic in Tempe, Arizona over the weekend.
Several athletes saw success in the second meet of the season.
Peri Moran finished 13th in the women’s 100-meter dash with a time of 12.48, with Samantha Woodman, who placed 14th, right next to her at 12.49. Woodman also placed 22nd in the 200-meter dash at 25.74.
On the men’s side, Ridge Jones ran a 10.82 in the 100 to finish 15th, while Carlos Salcido finished 26th with a time of 11.09. The pair also competed in the 200-meter dash, placing 19th (21.99) and 23rd (22.12), respectively.
In the men’s 400-meter dash, Mark Haywood placed 16th with a time of 48.22 and Chris Kline came in at 49.43 to finish 24th. For the women, Haley Sanner also placed 16th with a time of 56.43 and Larimar Rodriguez 24th, at 57.84.
The team also had a good showing in the hurdles events. Holly Van Grinsven and Yannick Roggatz both registered 14th place finishes. Van Grinsven ran 13.88 in the women’s 100-meter hurdles and Roggatz clocked in at 14.91 in the men’s 110-meter event.
Zoe Howell placed 13th in the women’s 800-meter run with a time of 2:12.44. She also teamed up with Rodriguez, Van Grinsven and Haley Sanner to lock down a 7th place finish in the 1600-meter relay with a time of 3:46.38
The men’s 1600-meter relay came in 6th place with a time of 3:16.18. The relay team consisted of Kline, Haywood, Isaac Gonzales and Cheyne Dorsey.
The women’s 400-meter relay included Sanner, Van Grinsven, Jannell Hadnot and Aasha Marler. The squad came in third place, clocking 46.16.
Marler also competed in the women’s long jump, hitting a mark of 19 feet 4 3/4 inches. That was good enough for an eighth place finish. On the men’s side, Allan Hamilton executed a jump of 24 feet 6 1/2 inches to secure second place.
Fellow jumper Samuel Trigg leapt 49 feet 10 1/2 inches for a fourth place finish in the men’s triple jump, while Hadnot landed in third place with a mark of 42 feet 2 1/4 inches for the women.
In other field events, Annie Stirling finished 14th by clearing a height of 11 feet 9 ¾ inches in the women’s pole vault. Jason Atencio cleared the bar at 15 feet 7 inches for the men.
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In the men’s javelin throw, Nik Aston threw for a distance of 188 feet 10 inches for a 12th place finish.
Daniel Lam finished 18th in the men’s shot put with a mark of 41 feet 5 inches. Allison came in 10th place on the women’s side with a toss of 41 feet 3 1/4 inches.
The top 48 finishes in each event receive a bid to compete in regional competition. New Mexico seems to be making good progress so far this season, putting several athletes in contention for bids.
Many of the Lobos still have not hit their stride yet, and several others have yet to make outdoor season debuts.
The team will continue to make its way west, as the next three meets will take place in California. The Bryan Clay Invitational, hosted by Azusa Pacific, is an all-day event that will take on place on Friday.
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.
