Lobos Dunninger, Chase start strong in heptathlon

The University of New Mexico men’s track and field team started off the Mountain West Indoor Track and Field Championships well Thursday at the Albuquerque Convention Center behind solid performances by Camillo Dunninger and Ryan Chase in the heptathlon.

Dunninger led the Lobos through the first four portions of the two-day event, scoring 2,888 points and setting two personal bests while tying another personal best. Just 57 points behind the sophomore is Chase with 2,831 points, with his strongest point total coming on the first event of the day, the 60-meter dash.

Chase started the day with a time of 7.22 seconds in the 60-meter dash for 813 points.

Dunninger’s clearance of 6 feet, 3.25 inches on his third attempt at that height in the high jump set a personal best and pushed him to 723 points in the multi-event competition for a third-place finish with three events to go. The men’s and women’s distance medley closed out the first day of competition.

The men led off the event with Kristian Hansen, Isaac Cole, Michael Wilson and Ian CroweWright

running for UNM. The Lobos finished fourth with a time of 9:59.52.

On the women’s side, the team of Weini Kelati, Larimar Rodriguez, Kieran Casey and Ednah Kurgat lined up for the Lobos and turned in a runner-up finish in 11:29.42. Kelati created separation from the rest of the teams during her opening leg of the race with Boise State in second before she handed off to Rodriguez, but the Broncos were able to catch up to and pass the Lobos. By the time that Kurgat received the baton from Casey, the Broncos were too far ahead.

Through two events scored on the women’s side and just one event scored on the men’s side, the Lobo women sit in a tie for fifth with eight points and the men are in third with five points.