New Mexico has a seven-point lead heading into the final day of the Mountain West Conference Track & Field Championships in Nampa, but the Lobos are well on schedule to dominate the event.
In preliminary top times yesterday in the running events and seeds for the field events, the Lobos are slated to finish with 168 points, which would easily outdistance the field. Conversely, Wyoming, which is currently in fourth place, is on pace for 67 total team points, considerably lower than everyone else.
In between are Air Force, Boise State and Colorado State, which should battle it out for second, third and fourth. Currently, the Broncos are projected to get 112 points to 109 for Air Force and 108 for Colorado State. Of course, anything can still happen, and perhaps the home crowd can push the Broncos over the top.
Here is what Boise State must do to make up ground and win the championship:
1. The Broncos will have to take care of business in the events they are expected to do well just to hold their projected position of second. In the 400, Boise State is slated to score 25 points. The quintet of Jordin Andrade (47.78), Manoah Wesson (48.68), Bret Scheve (49.06), Jeff Daw (49.26) and Paul Robertson (49.48) did their part in qualifying. There are two Lobo student-athletes in the mix. If everyone runs as they did in preliminaries, Boise State will score a little under projection. The five Broncos mentioned above can do a lot for their team's chances if they can relegate the two New Mexico runners to the bottom, but they are both upperclassmen and it appears it will be tough to do that.
In the 60-meter hurdles, Rolando Trammel and Justin Malnes are seeded 2-4 for 12 team points. New Mexico isn't much of a factor here, so Trammel and Malnes need to at least do that well tonight.. In the 200, Daveon Collins, Wesson and Robertson are projected to score 19 points to 8 for New Mexico. Again, the Broncos will be doing well just to keep pace with that projection, but could pick up a few more points if they can finish ahead of the Lobo sprinter. Chase Sexton and Will Lohman are projected to score 14 in the shot put, a 2-3 finish.
Obviously, there's not much room for improvement when you're already expected to do as well as those four events. Realistically, there's only a net difference of 10 points either way in the three events. But Boise State must at least score 70 points in those three events to have any chance at a team title.
2. Boise State has to have someone step up and upset a Lobo in an unexpected event. Head-to-head performance is the best chance to make a difference in a team championship but unfortunately, the events that New Mexico is best in are events in which Boise State has little chance, and vice versa. Boise State will have to score about 28 points more than projection and New Mexico will have to score about 28 points less for the Broncos to win. Admittedly, it's a tall order.
The three best events to make a dent are the 800, the mile and the high jump. New Mexico is projected to score 22 in the 800. Bryce Bergevin and Andy Robertson are Boise State's qualifiers in this event. The Broncos' only real hope is for Bergevin and Robertson to turn the seeds upside down and go 1-2 in the 800 and dominate the Lobos, plus have Alexander Lindsay of Air Force finish ahead of the New Mexico runners. That would be a plus 17 for Boise State and a minus 15 for New Mexico.
Drew O'donoghue McDonald and Jeff Howard are Boise State's best hopes in the mile, and will need to score heavily (at least 14 points) for the Broncos to have a chance at winning the Mountain West championship. Boise State's other best chance to pick up points is in the high jump, where New Mexico is slated to score 14. Roderick Townsend is projected to score one point here, and will need at least a second-place finish to give his team a chance.
Come on out to Jackson's Track and be the difference the Broncos need to win this thing.
In preliminary top times yesterday in the running events and seeds for the field events, the Lobos are slated to finish with 168 points, which would easily outdistance the field. Conversely, Wyoming, which is currently in fourth place, is on pace for 67 total team points, considerably lower than everyone else.
In between are Air Force, Boise State and Colorado State, which should battle it out for second, third and fourth. Currently, the Broncos are projected to get 112 points to 109 for Air Force and 108 for Colorado State. Of course, anything can still happen, and perhaps the home crowd can push the Broncos over the top.
Here is what Boise State must do to make up ground and win the championship:
1. The Broncos will have to take care of business in the events they are expected to do well just to hold their projected position of second. In the 400, Boise State is slated to score 25 points. The quintet of Jordin Andrade (47.78), Manoah Wesson (48.68), Bret Scheve (49.06), Jeff Daw (49.26) and Paul Robertson (49.48) did their part in qualifying. There are two Lobo student-athletes in the mix. If everyone runs as they did in preliminaries, Boise State will score a little under projection. The five Broncos mentioned above can do a lot for their team's chances if they can relegate the two New Mexico runners to the bottom, but they are both upperclassmen and it appears it will be tough to do that.
In the 60-meter hurdles, Rolando Trammel and Justin Malnes are seeded 2-4 for 12 team points. New Mexico isn't much of a factor here, so Trammel and Malnes need to at least do that well tonight.. In the 200, Daveon Collins, Wesson and Robertson are projected to score 19 points to 8 for New Mexico. Again, the Broncos will be doing well just to keep pace with that projection, but could pick up a few more points if they can finish ahead of the Lobo sprinter. Chase Sexton and Will Lohman are projected to score 14 in the shot put, a 2-3 finish.
Obviously, there's not much room for improvement when you're already expected to do as well as those four events. Realistically, there's only a net difference of 10 points either way in the three events. But Boise State must at least score 70 points in those three events to have any chance at a team title.
2. Boise State has to have someone step up and upset a Lobo in an unexpected event. Head-to-head performance is the best chance to make a difference in a team championship but unfortunately, the events that New Mexico is best in are events in which Boise State has little chance, and vice versa. Boise State will have to score about 28 points more than projection and New Mexico will have to score about 28 points less for the Broncos to win. Admittedly, it's a tall order.
The three best events to make a dent are the 800, the mile and the high jump. New Mexico is projected to score 22 in the 800. Bryce Bergevin and Andy Robertson are Boise State's qualifiers in this event. The Broncos' only real hope is for Bergevin and Robertson to turn the seeds upside down and go 1-2 in the 800 and dominate the Lobos, plus have Alexander Lindsay of Air Force finish ahead of the New Mexico runners. That would be a plus 17 for Boise State and a minus 15 for New Mexico.
Drew O'donoghue McDonald and Jeff Howard are Boise State's best hopes in the mile, and will need to score heavily (at least 14 points) for the Broncos to have a chance at winning the Mountain West championship. Boise State's other best chance to pick up points is in the high jump, where New Mexico is slated to score 14. Roderick Townsend is projected to score one point here, and will need at least a second-place finish to give his team a chance.
Come on out to Jackson's Track and be the difference the Broncos need to win this thing.
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