A FAST START
New Mexico’s men’s distance medley relay team sets an NCAA record at league meet
The University of New Mexico track & field team opened the 2018 Mountain West Indoor Track & Field Championships in record-setting fashion Thursday at the Albuquerque Convention Center.
Anchored by reigning NCAA mile champion Josh Kerr, the New Mexico men’s distance medley relay team set the NCAA record en route to the win, while the Ednah Kurgat-led Lobo women’s DMR broke the UNM
record as they placed second overall.
Through the first day of the threeday meet, the Lobos lead in the men’s championships with 10 points, and the Lobos are in second place in the women’s meet with 14 points.
The men’s DMR quartet of Ian Crowe-Wright (1,200-meter leg), Carlos Salcido (400), Michael Wilson (800) and Kerr (1,600) raced to a time of 9 minutes, 33.41 seconds, which, when converted for altitude according NCAA protocol, comes in at 9:24.73.
“Every person on that start line and every person on our team did exactly what they were supposed to do,” Kerr said. “That definitely made my position easier to really anchor us well.”
That time eclipses the previous NCAA record of 9:25.97 set by Texas in 2008 and breaks the UNM record of 9:30.07 set at the 2017 Mountain West Championships.
Additionally, the relay team has all but assured it will compete at the NCAA Championships next month in College Station, Texas. The top 16 individuals in each event and the top 12 relay teams make the championship.
The women’s relay of Kieran Casey (1,200), Shalom Keller (400), Alondra Negron Texidor (800) and Kurgat (1,600) zoomed to a time of 11:07.88, placing second overall. The women’s time converts to 10:57.78, which breaks the old UNM record of 11:01.44 set in 2015. That time was also superior to the old league record but behind Boise State, which set the conference record on Thursday with a winning time of 11:05.39 (10:55.32 converted).
Like the Lobo men’s DMR, the Lobo women have almost certainly locked up a bid to the NCAA Championships as they sit third in the NCAA through Thursday’s action across the nation.
Elsewhere, Albuquerque senior Kyra Mohns tallied her second-straight medaling mark in the pentathlon, finishing in third place with a final score and personal record of 3,807 points.
Mohns moved to fourth all-time in program history in the event.
In the only other event of Thursday, the men’s trio of Beau Clafton, Daniel Lam and Camillo Dunninger posted strong opening marks in the men’s heptathlon, which concludes today.
Through four events of the seven-event heptathlon, Clafton leads with 3,132 points, with Lam in third (3,046 points) and Dunninger in sixth (2,632).
The second day of the league championships starts at 10 a.m. with the conclusion of the men’s heptathlon.