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2002 UNM Cross Country: Giant Steps and Great Expectations
Lobos Looking To Stay Healthy And Take Care Of Unfinished Business In 2003
December 16, 2002 2002 SEASON REVIEW The 2002 University of New Mexico cross country season provided a glimpse of what success could lie ahead for head coach Matt Henry's young program. In his third year at New Mexico, Henry had his Lobo men challenging the nation's best, while the women appeared primed to make a move up the Mountain West Conference standings. An unfortunate wave of injuries hampered both the men's and women's efforts late in the year, but the continued improvement of the program was undeniable. With 100 percent of the men's and women's teams set to return next fall, the New Mexico cross country program could be on the brink of something truly special in 2003. The men's team made the biggest splash in 2002, opening the season with three-straight victories en route to a No. 27 national ranking. UNM dropped out of the national top-30 following a series of midseason injuries to most of its top five runners, however the Lobos refused to end the season quietly. Despite the absence of all-conference runner Ben Ortega, New Mexico displayed not only great depth, but also tremendous desire in a third place finish at the MWC Championships, its best performance at a conference meet since 1991. Two weeks later, with most of its athletes still hobbled, UNM gutted out a seventh place finish in front of its home fans at the elite NCAA Mountain Region Championships in Albuquerque. Despite knocking off No. 26 Utah State, the Lobos fell six painful points shy of upending 15th-ranked Colorado State and were denied an at-large team bid to the NCAA Championships. However, with his eighth place finish at the regional meet, junior Matt Gonzales earned his second-straight automatic bid the NCAA meet to ensure New Mexico's representation once again on the national stage. After a solid start of their own, the UNM women's team was also hit hard by a series of injuries. Perhaps the devastating blow came when sophomore Jacquelyne Gallegos was seriously injured in a car accident following the team's second meet of the year. Gallegos, a 2001 NCAA qualifier, was coming off a career-best second place finish at the UNM Lobo Invitational and led the women to runner-up performances in each of their first two races before the accident. Junior Sarah Gonzales led the Lobos in the final five meets of the year, but was never quite able to shake a season-long wave of illness. Fortunately for New Mexico, several young runners were able to gain valuable experience in 2002. True freshmen Karina Hill-Hurtado, Timmie Murphy and Janice Tosa all saw significant action and performed well, while junior transfer Amanda Swann displayed excellent ability, when healthy, in her first year of Division I competition. Overall, both squads showed tremendous potential for future success under the guidance of Matt and Mark Henry. With a strong core of seniors leading the team, the UNM men are poised to emerge as a real national force next fall. Meanwhile, the return of a healthy Gallegos and Gonzales, combined with the steady development of the Lobos' underclassmen, could have the New Mexico women primed for a strong resurgence.
LAST TIME (NCAA Men's Championship Race) TERRE HAUTE, Ind. -- After turning in a pair of courageous performances to help the University of New Mexico men's cross country team earn its best Mountain West Conference (3rd) and Mountain Region (7th) finishes in a decade, junior Matt Gonzales came up short at the NCAA Cross Country Championship meet on Nov. 25 at the LaVern Gibson Course at the Wabash Valley Family Sports Center in Terre Haute. Gonzales, New Mexico's lone representative at the meet, was among the lead pack, but was tripped up a mile into the race and eventually finished 156th out of 251 runners. A 2001 All-American last fall, Gonzales dropped 126 spots from a year ago, when he placed 30th. He finished the 10,000-meter course in a time of 31:36.7, a minute slower than his 10K time on Nov. 16 at the NCAA Mountain Region Championships in Albuquerque, and 1:32.7 off his time at the 2001 NCAA Championship meet. Colorado senior Jorge Torres, who captured the Mountain Region championship on Nov. 16 in Albuquerque, earned his first national title after placing second last year and third in 2000. Torres bested the field with a winning time of 29:04.7. Stanford's top-ranked men dethroned Torres' Buffaloes for the team title, cruising to a victory over runner-up Wisconsin, 47-107. On the women's side, top-ranked BYU captured its second-straight national championship, holding off Stanford 85-113. North Carolina State junior Shalane Flanagan was the individual winner, completing the 6,000-meter course in a time of 19:36.0.
THE XC E.R. Injuries and illness took their toll on both the Lobo men's and women's teams in 2002. The New Mexico women were forced to begin the season without their most experienced runner, junior Sarah Gonzales, who was unable to train late in the summer and was held out of the first two meets as she recovered from a serious bout of food poisoning. Gonzales, who led the squad in three meets last fall, eventually made her season-debut at the Stanford Invitational on Sept. 28, but was slowed again in the season-finale by a nagging case of laryngitis. UNM suffered perhaps its most serious blow on Sept. 21, when sophomore Jacquelyne Gallegos was lost for the season after being involved in a major automobile accident near her hometown of Pojoaque, N.M. Gallegos, who also led the women in three meets last year, including the 2001 NCAA Championships, fractured her back and pelvis in the accident. She had led the team in its first two meets this season and was coming off a career-best second place finish at the UNM Lobo Invitational prior to the injury. Head coach Matt Henry said he is hopeful the outstanding sophomore will rehab successfully and might even be able to resume her promising track career this spring. The bad luck also reached promising freshman Karina Hill-Hurtado, who was sidelined for the MWC Championships and hampered at the NCAA Mountain Region Championships with tendonitis in her knee. After a sensational start, the UNM men also fell victim to the injury plague. All of the Lobos' top-five runners, All-American Matthew Gonzales, 2001 NCAA Championship qualifier Ben Ortega, all-MWC honoree Cameron Clarke, junior Nick Martinez and freshman Jeremy Johnson, were hampered with leg or ankle injuries at some point over the final weeks of the season. Ortega missed two-straight meets, including the MWC Championships, with knee and hip problems before returning for the regional championships. Meanwhile, Johnson and Gonzales both gutted out the final month of the season, running at less than full strength due to hip and Achilles tendonitis.
MAKING WAVES After laboring in obscurity for nearly a decade, the Lobo men's team created a buzz once again among national cross country coaches this season. New Mexico was ranked as high as 27th in the country (Oct. 1) following its victory at the Stanford Invitational, but fell from the national top-30 after injuries to three of its top-five runners limited the squad's effort at the Pre-National Invitational (Oct. 19). The Lobos received votes in every Mondo Men's Cross Country poll in 2002, finishing the season ranked 34th in the nation with 14 votes. UNM earned 44 votes to move into a tie (with Michigan) for 29th place in the Sept. 17 national rankings, the team's first appearance in top-30 since 1989, when it was ranked as high as 14th in the country. The Lobos received 11 votes in the preseason coaches poll, it's first in the national poll since 1993, and were also picked to finish third in the Mountain West Conference coaches poll (20 votes), its highest preseason poll position since the conference formed in 1999. UNM was picked to finish last in the MWC, earning six votes, just two years ago.
HAIL TO THE VICTORS In the five years prior to Matt Henry's arrival as head cross country coach at New Mexico, the Lobo men's team had notched just one meet victory. However, since Henry took control of the program in 2000, the men have captured six team titles. In his debut season, Henry's Lobos captured the men's race at the (NMSU) Kachina Classic. The following season the team finished three-points short of perfection with a winning score of 18 in its season-opener at the Lori Fitzgerald Invitational, then went on to best 10 teams in a victory at the ASU Invitational. This fall the men of New Mexico opened the season undefeated through three meets (UNM did not field a full team in its fourth meet, the Cowboy Jamboree) before finishing 17th at the Pre-National Invitational. After opening with another dominating win at the Lori Fitzgerald, UNM followed with a victory over a 12-team field in their home-opener, the UNM Lobo Invitational, then notched an impressive first place finish ahead of 29 teams at the 29th annual Stanford Invitational.
GO SPEED RACER, GO! It comes as no surprise that New Mexico's strong team results this season have gone hand-in-hand with the Lobos' improvement in individual times and finishes. Through five meets this season 11 runners have recorded personal-best times (men's 8K, women's 6K), while eight have notched their highest career finish. Four runners (including Fr. Jeremy Johnson) on the men's squad have also eclipsed last year's top 8K time of 24:19, which was previously the fastest run under head coach Matt Henry. The following is a breakdown of this season's progress: Athlete 2001 Best Time/Finish 2002 Best Time/Finish Cameron Clarke 25:26/5th 23:51/2nd Chad Dawson 25:59/22nd 25:25/20th Sean Flaherty 25:55/10th 24:55/13th Matt Gonzales 24:19/1st 23:55/3rd Leighton Katsuda 27:48/26th 26:26/12th Nick Matinez 25:56/7th 24:48/7th Joachin Marjon 29:55/51st 27:22/32nd Ben Ortega 24:46/4th 24:07/1st Chris Rogers 27:05/18th 26:44/23rd
Vanessa Funston 24:04/43rd 23:51/20th Jacquelyne Gallegos 22:29/3rd 22:45/2nd Racquel Ricci 24:33/14th 23:31/8th
LET'S STAY TOGETHER One of the key factors in the Lobos' success has been the outstanding teamwork and group running the men and women have displayed throughout the season. New Mexico's pack spread, the difference in time between the team's first and fifth finisher, has dropped significantly, along with the teams' overall scores. After compiling an average pack spread of 1:31 last fall, the UNM men's team closed its average spread to just 1:06 in six meets this year (UNM did not field a full team at the Cowboy Jamboree), including a season-low of 44 seconds at the MWC Championship meet. Meanwhile, the women have also stepped up their group running. Buoyed by a season-low 43-second differential at the NCAA Mountain Region Championship, the Lobos lowered their average pack spread to 1:13 in 2002, 50 seconds tighter than last season's mark of 2:03.
YOUTH MOVEMENT New Mexico men's and women's teams will be virtually unchanged next fall thanks to a 2002 roster void of seniors and dominated by underclassmen. The women's squad was particularly young with 10 sophomores and true freshmen and just two juniors. Meanwhile, the men's team was led by a core of six juniors, but also featured five sophomores and true freshmen with several redshirt freshmen waiting in the wings.
HOMEGROWN LOBOS The 2002 UNM cross country team truly was a showcase of the best distance talent in the state of New Mexico. Twenty-three of the 24 athletes on the team are products of the Land of Enchantment with junior Leighton Katsuda (Wailuku, Hawai'i) being the lone out-of-state runner on either the men's or women's roster. 2002 NCAA Championship participant Matt Gonzales (Santa Fe) is a native New Mexican. Last year, all three 2001 NCAA Cross Country Championship qualifiers, Gonzales, Jacquelyne Gallegos (Pojoaque, N.M.) and Ben Ortega (Taos, N.M.), were native New Mexicans. Following the tradition of head coach Matt Henry, an Albuquerque-native and former indoor track All-American, Gonzales went on to earn All-America honors himself with a 30th place finish at the 2001 national championship meet.
ORTEGA CAPTURES FIRST MWC ATHLETE OF THE WEEK AWARD University of New Mexico junior Ben Ortega earned the first Mountain West Conference Men's Cross Country Athlete of the Week award of the season on Sept. 3 after leading the Lobo men to a big victory on Aug. 30 at the Lori Fitzgerald Invitational in Santa Teresa, N.M. The Taos, N.M. native edged 2001 Western Athletic Conference champion, Bashar Ibrahim of UTEP, by 2.78 seconds at the finish line to record his first collegiate cross country victory. Ortega was one of five Lobos to finish in the top-six as the team posted an impressive 36-point victory (19-55) over the host Miners and an 87-point margin over rival New Mexico State (19-106). Ortega's previous best result during the fall was a pair of fourth place finishes last fall. The 2001 second-team all-MWC selection was one of three Lobos to automatically qualify for the NCAA National Cross Country Championships last fall. Ortega earned the weekly cross country award for the first time in his career after picking up his first career MWC Men's Track Athlete of the Week award in April of 2002. Last year, Chris Orrell and junior Matthew Gonzales became the first two New Mexico athletes in the league's three-year history to receive the weekly cross country honor.
FROM HEAD COACH Matt Henry (on the impact of the injuries on the men's team): "When you're missing one of your top-seven guys, that hurts you. Well we actually had four guys who weren't at their normal level because of injuries. Some good did come out of it though. Nick Martinez, Sean Flaherty and Chad Dawson I think stepped up and really showed what they're all about. When some of our top guys went down, they knew they needed to step it up and that's what they did." (on avoiding the injury bug next fall): "This year we trained every morning at 6:30 a.m. and I think that was hard for the guys to keep up all year long. Plus, some of the guys overdid their afternoon workouts. Next year we're going to change up our training schedule to give them an opportunity to sleep a little bit more and allow us to monitor their workouts a little closer. " (on the progress of the men's program): "To tell you the truth about it, I never really dreamed we could be this far along. We're doing good, but we have to keep working hard and do a better job of taking care of ourselves. Hopefully things will come around better for us next year. If I can keep them all healthy for next year, you better look out, that's all I have to say." (on the impact Jacquelyne Gallegos' injury had on the women's team): "At first the women really responded well, but I think we started to lose confidence in ourselves toward the end of the year. I think Jackie going down really affected Sarah (Gonzales) more than anybody. I've always been very proud of Sarah, but I think her friend in Jackie Gallegos getting hurt really took a lot out of her this year. We think Sarah can qualify for the national championships and hopefully she puts in together and has a good senior year next fall. We're hoping to have Jackie back next fall for sure, but we want to be very patient with her. Her injury hurt us a lot, but I'm just thankful she's still with us. Running is important to us, but we're just so happy that she's still with us. Jackie has tremendous athletic ability as well as a great attitude. We probably lost about 50 points in every race she missed this year and that's being conservative." (on the performance of the Lobos' true freshmen): "I have a lot of confidence in those girls. We knew that they'd be in a scoring role for us because we lost most of the girls from last year's team. This year we really tried to bring in some girls that we felt were committed to the program and they're going to stick with us. I wish our athletes had to work most of their freshman and sophomore seasons just to make the top-seven, that would be ideal, but it hasn't worked that way. Our freshmen had a tremendous amount of success, worked hard and I hope they can build on what they did this year. We're really working on getting some more of the top high school girls in New Mexico to stay home and run. If we can convince them, I think our women's program will eventually be at the same level as the men's right now." (on the Lobos' home schedule in 2002): "I felt really good about how the meets turned out and we lucked out by having outstanding weather for both meets we put on. Hosting the regional championship meet was a great opportunity for our team and the community. There was great response from our fans who came out and watched and hopefully in a few years we'll get to host it again. We'll only have one home meet next year, but we're going to keep running at the UNM North Golf Course. University North is our home territory, it's part of the University of New Mexico, and I know that spectators probably couldn't have a better situation than they have at the North Course. If you're willing to walk 100 meters, you can watch virtually the entire race on our course."
2003 LEADERS OF THE PACK Men
Cameron Clarke * So-1L * Albuquerque, N.M. First team all-MWC selection who enjoyed a breakthrough season in 2002...was the Lobos' top runner in three meets this fall, including the UNM Lobo and Stanford Invitationals, where he finished second overall...notched personal bests of 23:51 in the 8K and 31:05 in the 10K...top 8K time of 23:51 at Stanford was the fastest ever run during Matt Henry's three-year tenure and was the second-fastest in the MWC this season...owned three of the Lobos' top-10 8K times...four top-5 finishes, including a third place performance at the MWC Championships...tremendous upside...primed to make his mark on the national stage next fall. Chad Dawson * So-1L * Kirtland, N.M. Promising young runner, who took another big step forward this fall...three top-25 finishes and personal-best times of 25:25 in the 8K and 33:04 in the 10K...improved 10 spots at the MWC Championship meet to help UNM notch its best finish (3rd) at a conference meet in 11 years...should be a integral member of the Lobos' top-seven next year with continued work in the offseason. Matt Gonzales * Jr-1L * Santa Fe, N.M. Two-time All-Mountain West Conference honoree who has represented New Mexico at the last two NCAA Championship meets...led UNM in the Pre-National Invitational and NCAA Mountain Region Championship this fall...notched five top-10 finishes and owned three of the Lobos' top-10 8K times...personal-best 8K time of 23:55 was the second-fastest on the team and No. 3 in the MWC this fall...painful bout of Achilles tendonitis limited him over the last month of the season, but should be healthy and one of the nation's premier cross country talents once again next fall. Sean Flaherty * Jr-2L * Albuquerque, N.M. Key member of the Lobo's top-seven this season...stepped up and shouldered a pivotal scoring load when injuries ravaged the team late in the season...improved 16 spots from 2001, to finish 22nd (4th on team) at the 2002 MWC Championships...second on the team at the Pre-National Invitational...recorded personal-best times in the 8K (24:55) and 10K (33:04)...was 14th-ranked 8K runner in the MWC this fall...three top-25 finishes...will be counted on heavily again next fall to strengthen the varsity unit. Jeremy Johnson * Fr-HS * Albuquerque, N.M. True freshman, who showed tremendous potential in his first collegiate season...season-best 8K time of 24:11 was the fastest run by a UNM freshman in Matt Henry's three-year tenure, 1:15 faster than Cameron Clarke's previous mark...time was also ranked sixth in the MWC...owned two of the Lobos top-10 8K times...ran among the UNM top-five in four of five races this season...had three-straight top-20 finishes to start the season before suffering a variety of nagging injuries late in the year...an outstanding talent, who will play a big role in the Lobos' 2003 success if he can stay healthy throughout the season. Nick Martinez * Jr-2L * Pojoaque, N.M. Integral, veteran member of the squad who has steadily improved each season...was one of the Lobos' most consistent performers in 2002...was a scoring runner in all six meets this season...clutch performance at the MWC Championship meet helped carry UNM to its best conference finish (3rd) in 11 years...improved 23 spots from 2001 to finish 19th overall and 3rd on the team...also notched personal-best 8K (24:48) and 10K (31:51) times along with three top-20 finishes...owned the MWC's 11th-fastest 8K time....still has excellent untapped potential and could emerge as an all-MWC candidate next fall. Ben Ortega * Jr-2L * Taos, N.M. 2001 all-MWC honoree and NCAA Championship participant who gutted out an injury-plagued 2002 season...got off to an outstanding start, earning his first career victory at the Lori Fitzgerald Invitational...was named MWC Athlete of the Week for his efforts...was third and 17th in his next two races before being sidelined by a painful case of tendonitis in his hip and knee...missed nearly a month before returning for the Mountain Region Championships...personal-best 8K time of 24:07 was ranked fifth in the MWC and fourth on the team...brings tremendous athletic ability and leadership to the team, and his healthy return in 2003 could fuel the Lobos' rise up the national rankings.
WOMEN Vanessa Funston * So-1L * Albuquerque, N.M. Solid varsity competitor who was a fixture in the top-seven this fall in her first full season of competition...ran fourth on the team in her final two races...notched a personal-best 6K time of 23:51 at the Mountain Region Championships...needs to keep working in the off-season, but has good potential for additional success in 2003. Jacquelyne Gallegos * So-1L * Pojoaque, N.M. 2001 NCAA Championship participant who missed the final two months of the season after suffering a broken back and pelvis in a Sept. 21 automobile accident...was enjoying a terrific start to the 2002 season, having led the team in its first two meets and notched a pair of top-five finishes...had a career-best second place finish at the UNM Lobo Invitational prior to the accident...time of 22:45 at the Lobo Invite was the team's fourth-fastest 6K of the season...has been gradually recovering from her injuries and should be healthy and ready to give the team a big boost in 2003. Sarah Gonzales * Jr-2L * Albuquerque, N.M. Veteran team leader who paced the women's squad in the final five meets of the season...battled assorted illnesses throughout the season...missed the first two competitions of the year after contracting a serious bout of food poisoning, then was hampered by laryngitis in the season-finale...still managed to record four of the Lobos' top-10 6K times, including the team's three fastest times...recorded top finish (16th) and top 6K time (22:16) of the season at the MWC Championships...brings a tremendous work-ethic and competitive drive to the squad...could be an all-conference candidate and potential NCAA qualifier next season with continued improvement in the offseason and a return to full health. Karina Hill-Hurtado * Fr-HS * Albuquerque, N.M. Promising young runner who was having a surprisingly strong collegiate debut until be slowed late in the season by nagging injuries...was one of the team's top-five scoring runners in four of her six races in 2002...notched UNM's seventh-fastest 6K time of 23:13 at the Pre-National Invitational meet...could develop into a valuable contributor to the team in the year's to come. Timmie Murphy * Fr-HS * Farmington, N.M. Stepped right in and made an immediate impact in her debut season...scored in five meets and ran with the Lobos' top-seven in all seven meets...UNM's second finisher at the MWC Championships, where she recorded the team's ninth-fastest 6K of the year (23:26)...should be much improved in 2003 with a full year of collegiate training and competition under her belt. Racquel Ricci * So-1L * Albuquerque, N.M. Enjoyed a breakthrough sophomore campaign in her first full year of competition...was one of the team's five scoring runners in six of seven meets this fall...finished second on the squad and notched a pair of top-15 finishes in her first two races...personal-best 6K time of 23:31 at the UNM Lobo Invitational was over a minute faster than her previous-best...needs to keep working in the offseason, but could emerge as a solid contributor in the coming seasons. Amanda Swann * Jr-Tr * Clovis, N.M. Junior college transfer who scored in New Mexico's first four meets before a painful case of tendonitis in her feet hampered her performance down the stretch...clocked the Lobos' fifth-fastest 6K at the Stanford Invitational, a time of 23:10...talented, experienced runner who should play a sizeable role in the UNM women's resurgence next fall. Janice Tosa * Fr-HS * Jemez Pueblo, N.M.
Was one of three true freshman, along with Timmie Murphy and Karina Hill-Hurtado, who made an immediate impact in their first collegiate seasons...perhaps the most consistent UNM runner in 2002, she scored in all seven meets this season and was among the Lobos' top three finishers in five races...owned two of the team's top-10 6K times of the year, including a season-best time of 23:20 at the Mountain Region Championships...has great potential and helps give the Lobos a solid youth foundation from which to build the program on in the coming years.
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