Drake sets school high jump record
Athletes come to UNM for Don Kirby Tailwind
Senior Jamari Drake cleared 5 feet, 11¼ inches Thursday to win the women’s high jump, set a new UNM outdoor record and highlight the home team’s effort at the Don Kirby Tailwind Open.
The record Drake, a Southern Miss transfer from Springfield, Illinois, broke lasted a long time — Margaret Metcalf went 5-11 in 1979. Drake’s clearance is the fourth best outdoors mark in the NCAA this season.
Many of the Lobos are away this weekend competing at the Drake Relays on Friday and the LSU Alumni Gold meet all weekend. UTEP and New Mexico State brought athletes to the UNM Track and Soccer Complex, but many of the top performances came from two-year schools like Barton Community College and New Mexico JC and Division II schools like Adams State. Some winners, like Emily Schoellkopf (11 minutes, 56.88 seconds) were unaffiliated.
But the Lobos also got wins from Shannon Fritz in the women’s pole vault (3.80 meters, 12-05.5) and Abdirizak Ibrahim in the men’s 1,500 invitational (3 minutes, 46.26 seconds).
The Aggies had three winners Thursday: Yemisi Oroyinyin in the shot put at 15.39 meters (50-6) to win by just over two meters. Valissa Brown (11.69 meters, 38-4¼) captured her first triple jump title as an Aggie. And Mia Regan won the 1,500 meters in 5:01.24.
Eastern New Mexico’s Tamia Smith earned a fifth-place finish in the shot
put with a distance of 12.80 meters (420), second in the program record books.
GOLF: UNM sophomore Albert Boneta was named Mountain West Golfer of the Week for his last tournament performance, and he leads the Lobo men into another tournament on Friday.
Boneta is this season’s second Lobo to earn the weekly nod after junior Sam Choi received it earlier this season.
The Lobos tee off at the Cougar Classic in Provo, Utah, hosted by BYU, and Boneta comes in on a roll. The sophomore from Barcelona, Spain earned his first collegiate victory at the Thunderbird
Classic, his career-best 12-under over three rounds finishing in a threeway tie at the top. The Lobos shot to an eighth-place finish in a strong field that included eight teams ranked in the top 35 in the country by GolfStat.
OTHERWISE: The UNM women’s tennis team (7-8) wraps up its season this weekend in Reno, Nevada, taking on host Nevada Friday and Fresno State Saturday. … The 6-9 Lobo men’s tennis team is at Air Force on Saturday, … The 4-30 Lobo softball team hosts Boise State for a 4 p.m. doubleheader Saturday and a series finale at noon on Sunday.