Despite some of the female athletes' injuries, the Lobo track and field team still posted strong performances at the Mountain West Outdoor Championships in Logan, Utah this weekend.
“We had some great individual performances, and we had a really good meet,” head coach Joe Franklin said. “Overall, I’m happy.”
The Lobo men scored 102 points to take the fourth place in the conference. It was the 9th straight year that Lobo men scored over 100 points.
Air Force (218.5 points) won the men’s team title, Colorado (165.5) grabbed runner-up, and Utah State ranked third.
World record leader Josh Kerr solely contributed 20 points with his two individual titles in the 800 and 1500.
Kerr defended his title in the 1,500-meter run in 3:46.39 and captured the 800-meter title with his unstoppable run on the home stretch with 1:48.05.
Those two titles made Kerr the second athlete to pick up both 800 and 1500 titles at a single championship in MW history.
Distance runner Graham Thomas also scored twice. Thomas took runner-up in the 3000-meter steeplechase (9:14.44) and picked up third place in the 5000-meter run (15:17.26).
Other track squads scored in their events as well. In the 1500, Emil Danielsson ran at seventh in 3:50.69. Gavin Sleeter placed at sixth in the 800 (1:52.45).
In the 400, Mark Haywood ranked sixth (47.55). Carlos Salcido finished at fifth place in 20.94.
Mustafa Mudada took fifth place (52.12) in the 400 hurdles, and Cheyne Dorsey took seventh place in 53.39.
The two men’s relay teams both finished fourth. In the 400-meter relay, Haywood, Salcido, Tanner Battikha and Alejandro Goldston scored with 41.39. Haywood, Dorsey, Salcido and Mudada also finished in 3:11.29 in the 1600-meter relay.
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Out on the fields, Sam Trigg and Battikha both notched a pair of scores.
Trigg took runner-up with his leap of 50 feet, 6 inches in the triple jump and finished fourth in the long jump (24 feet, 3/4 inches).
Battikha placed fifth (47 feet, 1 3/4 inches) in the triple jump and took seventh place in the long jump (23 feet, 9 1/2 inches).
In the pole vault, Jason Atencio placed fourth (15 feet, 7 3/4 inches). Malik Matthews-Gordon ranked sixth in the javelin throw (196 feet 5 inches).
In the decathlon, Daniel Lam claimed runner up with 7277 points, and Ryan Chase placed fourth with 6563 points.
On the women’s side, the Lobos scored 41.5 points as a team and placed ninth due to injuries. San Diego State won the championship with 159.5 points, Colorado State placed second (134 points), and UNLV ranked third (93 points).
“The place on the women’s side doesn’t reflect that, when you look across the board at the lifetime bests of the athletes,” Franklin said. “With all the injuries we’ve had this year and the setbacks, we did really well.”
Alice Wright and Jannell Hadnot both shone in their events and contributed the majority of the Lobo women’s scores.
Wright dominated in the 5000-meter run to win in 16:17.42.
Hadnot captured her third-straight triple jump title with her leap of 42 feet 2 1/4 inches, and placed eighth in the long jump (18 feet, 10 inches).
Kyra Mohns joined the duo to post a pair of points. Mohns finished third in the 400 hurdles (1:00.40), and took fourth place in the heptathlon (5280 points).
In the 3000 steeplechase, Natasha Bernal placed fifth in 10:51.92. Kieran Casey ran in 4:31.84 to place eighth in the 1500-meter run.
In the hammer throw, Amaris Blount finished at sixth (183 feet, 10 inches). Shannon Fritz finished seventh in the high jump (5 feet, 7 inches).
The Lobos will send a group of athletes to participate in NCAA West Preliminary Championships in Austin, Texas on May 25.
“Our goal is to be Top 30 at the NCAA Championships on both sides,” Franklin said.
Bo Yu is a sports reporter for the Daily Lobo. He primarily covers beach volleyball, track and field, cross country and volleyball. He can be reached at sports@dailylobo.com or on Twitter @Bo_YuB.
