New Mexico cross country will try to begin its push for nationals when the squads compete at the Mountain West Championship on Friday in Boise, Idaho.
“There are always goals that we have, some (are) for individuals and some are for team,” head coach Joe Franklin said in an interview.
UNM has tasted the sweetness of achieving some team goals recently, limiting the time spread at Wisconsin two weeks ago, as the women placed fourth while the men won the open race.
The latest National Coaches’ Poll voted the women’s team No. 7 in the country, rising from No.11 as a result of its solid performance.
“It was a great meet,” Franklin said. “And now we are going to the championship on Friday.”
The women’s team hopes to revive the dominant form it displayed in last year’s Mountain West Championships held in Reno, Nevada. The women crushed the field, with the five scorers running in the top seven of the field and all seven runners ranking in the top 12.
To pick up its ninth straight Mountain West crown, New Mexico will likely rely heavily on Alice Wright and Calli Thackery, both of whom scored in the title race last year. Wright ranked fourth, while Thackery placed seventh.
Although UNM is arguably facing a fiercer test this year due to some key departures on the roster, the successful culture of the women’s team seems to have carried over to the new recruits.
“Our goal is to win as a team for sure,” senior transfer Kathryn Fluehr said in an interview. “Like the success they had last year — that sort of culture carries over.”
Fluehr has made great improvements in her first few races as a Lobo, showing her potential to score for UNM by finishing as the team’s sixth fastest runner, at both Notre Dame and Wisconsin.
“Kathryn is doing great,” Franklin said. “She is the one that adapts well and makes big progress significantly.”
The head coach said new members should adapt well and make progress as the season unfolds, which has become the expectation for the program since Franklin came to New Mexico.
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Franklin’s coaching philosophy was recognized by the New Mexico Sports Hall of Fame when he was awarded 2015 College Coach of the Year honors. UNM’s women’s squad also received the College Team of the Year accolade after coming out on top in the NCAA Championship race last year.
“It’s something they should be recognized for,” Franklin said of the championship team. “Because on that day they were the greatest team in NCAA history.”
He said it was a great honor that was well deserved and made possible by the hard work the women put in last year. There was a pack mentality and many athletes made individual sacrifices so the team could benefit.
Fluehr said she believes there are similarities to this team, and the group is as close off the race course as it is on it. She said there are a lot of talented runners on the team that respond well and achieve success from great coaching.
“We are all really close, just like being good friends outside of training and competing,” Fluehr said.
Fluehr said she hopes to perform better in the championship than her first two races, and said this meet could set themselves up well for nationals as they continue to improve and peak at the right time.
The women’s team’s biggest challenge might be staying ahead of No. 28 Boise State in the championship meet.
“Boise is very good,” Franklin said. “They have one of the best runners in the country (in) Brenna Peloquin.”
Peloquin has ran two major competitions this year, narrowly beating Wright at Wisconsin, finishing ahead of the All-American by just 1.1 seconds to finish with a time of 20.00.8.
On the men’s side, the young Lobo squad hopes to continue making progress incrementally. At Wisconsin, the team managed to limit their team spread to 25.1 seconds between scorers, and won the open race.
“The men won the B-race,” Franklin said. “They definitely made progress towards the future.”
The competition on the men’s side at the championship is similar to that of the women. No. 17 Colorado State and No. 24 Boise State will present stiff competition and present a real threat for a run at the title.
“For the Mountain West to have two nationally ranked teams in any sport,” Franklin said, “it’s quite remarkable.”
There are some chances for the men to clinch a spot at nationals if they run well enough with their top two scorers — Graham Thomas and Jesus Mendoza.
The head coach said expectations for both the women’s and men’s teams will be the same, and integral to performing well at the conference championships.
“Make sure our time gaps are small, and work hard,” Franklin said.
Bo Yu is a sports reporter for the Daily Lobo. He primarily covers cross country and volleyball. He can be reached at sports@dailylobo.com or on Twitter @Bo_YuB.
