New Mexico Welcomes Nations Best For NCAA Mountain Region Championshipsut of the first two meets as she recovered from a serious bout of food poisoning. Gonzales, who led the squad in three - University of New Mexico Official Athletic Site

New Mexico Welcomes Nation’s Best For NCAA Mountain Region Championshipsut of the first two meets as she recovered from a serious bout of food poisoning. Gonzales, who led the squad in three

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UPCOMING The University of New Mexico will be the proud host of one of the premier cross country competitions in the nation on Saturday, Nov. 16, when it welcomes 18 schools for the 2002 NCAA Men’s and Women’s Mountain Region Cross Country Championships. Some of the country’s finest distance running talent will be on display at the UNM North Golf Course as a field of 245 men and women, including UNM head coach Matt Henry’s homegrown Lobos, will compete for the right to represent their universities at the 2002 NCAA Cross Country Championships on Nov. 25 in Terre Haute, Ind. The meet opens with the women’s 6,000-meter run at 10 a.m. (MST), followed by the men’s 10,000 meters at 11:15. Admission and parking are free.

Of the Mountain region’s 17 men’s and 18 women’s teams, only the top two finishing schools in the men’s and women’s races and the top four individual finishers not on a qualifying team will earn automatic bids to the NCAA meet. Thirteen additional teams and two individuals from the nine national regions will be selected at-large on Nov. 18.

Led by the defending 2001 NCAA Champion Colorado men and Brigham Young women, the Mountain region is widely known as one of the best, if not the best, regional field in the country. Throughout the 2002 season, as many as nine men’s and six women’s squads in the region have been ranked in the national polls this season, including the New Mexico men’s team. In the most recent national coaches poll, seven of the region’s 17 men’s teams were ranked among the top-30, including six in the top-15. No other region can boast more than three squads in the top-15. On the women’s side, top-ranked BYU is one of four ranked Mountain region squads, including three in the top-10, which is tops in the country.

MEDIA INFORMATION Press credentials are not required to cover the 2002 NCAA Mountain Region Cross Country Championships. Members of the media are encouraged to move around the UNM North Golf Course freely, taking care to ensure that they do not directly or indirectly impede the progress of the competing runners.

The start and finish lines are located side-by-side on the first fairway of the golf course and there are also several points where the athletes’ mid-race progress can be easily viewed for several minutes as they make their way over the winding course (see map for details). However, access to the finish chute is restricted to meet officials only. Members of the media and fans must remain outside the fenced area at all times.

A working press area with phone lines and copier will be available at the course clubhouse. Media guides, team notes and all other press materials will be available in this area as well. Postrace interviews can be conducted immediately after a 10-minute cooling off period. All coaches and participating student-athletes are available for interviews. Contact UNM assistant director of media relations Alfredo Moreno (cellular: 385-9622) for assistance. MEET INFORMATION/RESULTS Schedule Women’s 6,000 meters - 10 a.m. (MST) Men’s 10,000 meters - 11:15 a.m. (MST)

At Stake Top-two teams and top-four individual finishers, not on a qualifying team, earn automatic bids to the 2002 NCAA Cross Country Championships (Nov. 25) in Terre Haute, Ind.

TEAMS COMPETING (17 men's, 18 women's) Air Force Academy, Brigham Young University, University of Colorado, Colorado State University, University of Denver, Idaho State University, University of Montana, Montana State University, University of New Mexico, New Mexico State University, Northern Arizona University, Southern Utah University, University of Texas-El Paso, Texas Tech University, University of Utah, Utah State University, Weber State University, University of Wyoming

Complete team and individual results of 2002 NCAA Mountain Region Championships will be posed on the University of New Mexico athletics website and the NCAA Championships website immediately following the men’s 10K race. A copy of the results will also be available for members of the media and participating institutions at the course. A faxed copy will also be sent to participating institutions and local media outlets. A copy of the results can also be sent via email. Please send your email request to avmorenounm.edu.

2002 NCAA Mountain Region Championships results: www.golobos.com or www.ncaachampionships.com

THE UNIVERSITY OF NEW MEXICO NORTH GOLF COURSE • The Home of Lobo Cross Country Thanks to the efforts of Matt Henry and his staff, UNM and the other Mountain region squads will have the luxury of competing in a tremendous cross country environment in front of a crowd of hundreds of knowledgeable and vocal New Mexico distance running enthusiasts.

Since taking over the UNM program in 2000, Henry and his staff have worked to re-establish Albuquerque as one of the premier running locations in the West. Last year, New Mexico hosted the Mountain West Conference Cross Country Championships, the first conference cross country meet to be held in Albuquerque since 1974, to much acclaim. After the meet, which many of the league’s coaches described as one of the best conference championships ever conducted, Albuquerque was quickly selected as the host city for the elite 2002 NCAA Mountain Region Championships. The meet, along with the annual UNM Lobo Invitational, has given New Mexico cross country fans a tremendous opportunity to see their homegrown Lobos compete against some of the nation’s premier teams.

After competing on a course in West Albuquerque last year, the meets will move back into the heart of Lobo country on the campus of the University of New Mexico at the UNM North Golf Course.

“It’s right on campus and I like that,” said Henry. “We’re the University of New Mexico, that’s our golf course, and to be able to run there is going to be exciting. It will be better for the fans as well, because they’ll be able to have more contact with the athletes. New Mexico is a distance state. More distance runners come out of this state than anything and I hope we have the entire state of New Mexico out watching these cross country meets.” Directions (the golf course is located near the corner of Yale Blvd. and Tucker Rd. on the UNM North Campus)

(from I-25): Take Lomas exit and head east on Lomas Blvd., towards the mountains. Turn left on Yale Blvd. and continue north before turning right on Tucker Rd. The golf course clubhouse and parking lot will be on the left.

(from I-40): Exit I-25 south then take Lomas exit and head east, towards the mountains, on Lomas Blvd. Turn left on Yale Blvd. and continue north before turning right on Tucker Rd. The golf course clubhouse and parking lot will be on the left.

Course Description (elevation - 5,085 feet) The course begins with a 400-meter straightaway then makes a right turn followed by several more turns. One complete loop is 4,000 meters. The men will make two loops then finish with a half-loop of 2,000 meters. The women will make one complete loop then the half-loop. The course has some very gradual undulations. Nearly all the race is run on grass. There are a few dirt spots when crossing fairways.

FROM HEAD COACH MATT HENRY (on the men’s performance at the MWC Championships): “I think we did well and really got some great help from Nick Martinez, Sean Flaherty and Chad Dawson. I think they were the story of day. They knew (because of injuries to several of UNM’s top five) they had to step up and they really gave us a tremendous effort. That’s why there’s seven runners in cross country. It really is a team sport. It’s kind of sad, but the way those guys ran, I can’t help but think how good we could be if we had everybody running healthy right now. We could really take it to some teams. But even with as much trouble with injuries as we’ve had, I still think we have real shot to qualify for nationals as a team.”

NEW MEXICO PREVIEW Like head coach Matt Henry himself, an Albuquerque native and former indoor track All-American, the 2002 Lobos are truly be a showcase of the best distance talent in the state of New Mexico. Twenty-three of the 24 athletes on the team are in-state products with junior Leighton Katsuda (Wailuku, Hawaii) being the lone out-of-state runner on either the men’s or women’s roster.

“We have a lot of pride for the state of New Mexico,” said Henry. “When you step to the line with seven or eight people who you’ve known since high school, it helps you even more. You know that you’re going into battle with a group of people that all have the same deep pride for the state of New Mexico that you do. For our athletes to be able to run through a crowd of our fans, knowing that they’re really cheering on their hometown team, it makes it a lot of fun.”

Men: Behind the efforts of 2001 All-American Matthew Gonzales (Santa Fe, N.M.), fellow all-Mountain West Conference honorees Ben Ortega (Taos, N.M.) and Cameron Clarke (Albuquerque, N.M.), and former Albuquerque Tribune Cross Country Athlete of the Year Jeremy Johnson (Albuquerque, N.M.), New Mexico rose to as high as 27th in the country after winning its first three meets. A series of injuries to many of the top five runners hampered the team’s efforts midway through the season, but the Lobos appear to be regaining their form after finishing third at the Mountain West Conference Championships (Nov. 1), the best for a UNM squad since 1991. On Saturday, the Lobos will attempt to become the first New Mexico team to qualify for the NCAA Championships since the 1988 men’s team.

Gonzales, Ortega and Johnson continue to highlight the injured list, but all three should be in uniform on Saturday. Meanwhile, Clarke has quietly put together a tremendous sophomore season, leading the team in three races, including a third place finish at the MWC Championships and runner-up finish at the Stanford Invite. Juniors Nick Martinez (Pojoaque, N.M.) and Sean Flaherty (Albuquerque, N.M.), and sophomore Chad Dawson (Kirtland, N.M.) have also turned in several key performances, including a three clutch top-25 finishes to help drop the Lobos’ score at the conference meet. True freshman Brandon Vigil (Taos, N.M.) has also responded well when called on to join the team’s top seven.

Women: Despite a devastating rash of injuries, the young Lobo women’s team has maintained its competitive drive as it builds toward the future. With the loss of 2001 NCAA Championship qualifier Jacquelyne Gallegos (Pojoaque, N.M.) to a season-ending injury after just the second meet of the year, New Mexico has endured some growing pains. Six inexperienced true freshmen and sophomores, and a junior college transfer have been forced to carry much of the scoring load, but have performed admirably.

Junior Sarah Gonzales (Albuquerque, N.M.) has turned in another solid season after working her way back from early-season injuries of her own which forced her to miss the first two meets of the year. Gonzales has led the team in each of its last four meets, including a strong 16th place finish at the conference championship meet. True freshmen Karina Hill-Hurtado (Albuquerque, N.M.), Janice Tosa (Jemez Pueblo, N.M.) and Timmie Murphy (Farmington, N.M.) have also given the Lobos a nice boost as they acclimate themselves to the Division I level.

LAST TIME (Mountain West Conference Championships) PROVO, Utah -- Sophomore Cameron Clarke and junior Matthew Gonzales finished third and fifth, respectively, to lead the University of New Mexico men's cross country team to a third place finish at the Mountain West Conference Cross Country Championships on Nov. 1 at a frigid East Bay Golf Course in Provo, Utah. Despite the absence of injured all-conference runner Ben Ortega, New Mexico moved up two spots to earn its best finish at a conference meet since taking third at the 1991 Western Athletic Conference Championships. Junior Sarah Gonzales repeated her 2001 performance, placing 16th to lead the UNM women to sixth place, a mere six points out of fifth.

Clarke improved 20 places from his finish at last year’s conference championship meet in Albuquerque to earn first team all-MWC honors for the first time in his career. The former Sandia High School standout covered the 8,000-meter course in 24:40.7, 23.9 seconds behind the winner, sophomore Kip Kangogo of BYU. Gonzales, who was second in 2001, finished in a tight pack of runners, just three seconds behind Clarke (24:43.5), to earn first team all-conference honors for the second-straight season.

Perhaps the real story for the men however, was the performances of juniors Nick Martinez and Sean Flaherty, and sophomore Chad Dawson. Forced to carry the bulk of the team’s scoring load with Ortega out and freshman phenom Jeremy Johnson (38th - 26:10.0) hampered with a strained hip flexor, the trio responded with a clutch effort. Martinez improved 23 spots from his 2001 conference finish to take 19th (25:06.0), followed by Flaherty (22nd - 25:08.0) and Dawson (23rd - 25:24.5), who improved 16 and 10 spots, respectively, over last year’s finishes. The trio’s performance helped New Mexico drop 15 points off its 2001 total to finish with a score of 72, 22 points ahead of fourth place Air Force.

Meanwhile, on the women’s side, Sarah Gonzales clocked the UNM women’s fastest time of the season and also matched her personal-best by completing the 6,000m course in 22:16. Remarkably, her time and 16th place finish, just two spots from second team all-MWC honors, were identical to her performance in 2001. Freshmen Timmie Murphy (23:25.7) and Janice Tosa (23:33.7) finished 38th and 39th, respectively. Sophomores Vanessa Funston (23:55.1) and Racquel Ricci (24:19.5) were 43rd and 48th, respectively, to round out the Lobo scoring.

GET WELL SOON Injuries and illness have taken their toll on both the Lobo men’s and women’s teams this season. 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. However, 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 has continued for New Mexico as promising freshman Karina Hill-Hurtado was sidelined for the MWC Championships with tendonitis in her knee and Gonzales has been battling another bout of illness this week.

Meanwhile, the UNM men have been plagued by a series of nagging injuries over the past month. 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, have been hampered with leg injuries at some point over the past several weeks. Ortega has missed the last two meets with knee and hip problems, while Johnson and Gonzales have both been 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 has created a buzz once again among national cross country coaches this season. New Mexico fell from the national top-30 after injuries to three of its top-five runners hampered the squad’s effort at the Pre-National Invitational (Oct. 19), but is receiving votes (7) for eighth-straight week in the Mondo Men’s Cross Country poll. UNM received 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 have been ranked as high as 27th in the country (Oct. 1) following their victory at the Stanford Invitational. New Mexico was 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 just six votes, 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| |Matthew 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|23:55/20th| 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 has closed its average spread to just 1:03 through five meets this year (UNM did not field a full team at the Cowboy Jamboree), including a mere 44 seconds at the MWC Championship meet. Meanwhile, the women have also stepped up their group running. Buoyed by an impressive 47-second differential at the Cowboy Jamboree, the Lobos have lowered their average pack spread to 1:19, a full 44 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 is particularly young with 10 sophomores and true freshmen and just two juniors. Meanwhile, the men’s team is led by a core of six juniors, but also features five sophomores and true freshmen with several redshirt freshmen waiting in the wings.

HOMEGROWN LOBOS The 2002 UNM cross country team is truly 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. Last year, all three 2001 NCAA Cross Country Championship qualifiers, Jacquelyne Gallegos (Pojoaque, N.M.), Matthew Gonzales (Santa Fe, 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 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.

2001 SEASON REVIEW • After winning its first meet in 4 years last year, the UNM men’s team won 2 meets in 2001, the Lori Fitzgerald Invitational (El Paso, Texas) and the Arizona State Invitational (Gilbert, Ariz.). The Lobos blasted regional rivals UTEP and New Mexico State at the Lori Fitzgerald, winning with a score of 18, just 3 points shy of a perfect score. A month later, UNM cruised to a 25-pt. victory over regionally ranked UCLA and No. 15 ASU’s “B” team.

• New Mexico’s ability to run as a team was a key element of the squad’s success this fall. The men’s top-3 runners finished an average of 49 seconds apart in the team’s 6 meets, while the top-5 were separated by an average of 1:31, On the women’s side, the top-3 runners were separated by 1:12 on average, while the top-5 ran an average of 2:03 apart.

• UNM had 3 individual meet winners (Matthew Gonzales, Chris Orrell, Sarah Gonzales) this year and 13 top-5 finishes. Last season, no Lobo finished higher than 3rd and there were just 5 top-5 finishers on the men’s and women’s sides.

• A group of 17 talented newcomers made an immediate impact on both the men’s and women’s teams in 2002. On the men’s side, 3 of the squad’s top-7 runners were newcomers, led by sophomore Matt Gonzales, a transfer from New Mexico Highlands. Overall 9 newcomers competed for the men’s team, combining for 13 top-25 finishes, including 7 top-10 finishes by Gonzales and freshman Cameron Clarke. On the women’s side, freshman Jacquelyne Gallegos led a contingent of 8 newcomers, comprising 2/3 of the team. The new Lobos accounted for 12 top-25 finishes, including 2 top-15 finishes by Gallegos.

• Sophomores Chris Orrell and Matthew Gonzales were each selected Mountain West Conference Men’s Cross Country Athlete of the Week in 2001, the first Lobos ever to receive the weekly honor. Orrell was awarded after winning the Lori Fitzgerald Invitational, while Gonzales was recognized for his victory at the ASU Invitational.

• Men’s fastest 8K last year was a time of 25:40...best 8K this season was 24:19 and 10th-fastest was 25:34...meanwhile, the women ran 5 sub-23:00 6K’s this season, compared to 4 last fall Clarke|25:26/5th|23:51/2nd| |Chad Dawson|25:59/22nd|25:25/20th| |Sean Flaherty|25:55/10th|24:55/13th| |Matthew 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|23:55/20th| Jacquelyne Gallegos|22:29/3rd|22:45/2nd| Racquel Ricci|24:33/14th|23:31/8th|

2001 SEASON REVIEW • After winning its first meet in 4 years last year, the UNM men#82(|"(|"n 2 meets in 2001, the Lori Fitzgerald Invitational (El Paso, Texas) and the Arizona State Invitational (Gilbert, Ariz.). The Lobos blasted regional rivals UTEP and New Mexico State at the Lori Fitzgerald, winning with a score of 18, just 3 points shy of a perfect score. A month later, UNM cruised to a 25-pt. victory over regionally ranked UCLA and No. 15 ASU’s “B” team.