SR Elmar Engholm (1:49 800; 4:00 Mile; 8:46 3K Steeple; 78th NCAA XC ’14)

SR Matthew Bergin (3:44 1500; 13:54 5K; 29:52 10K)

SR Dan Milechman (8:10 3K; 14:19 5K)

FR Alexander Palm (8:17 3K; 14:34 5K, 9th Euro U-23 XC ’14)

JR Graham Thomas (9:07 3K Steeple)

Dan Milechman via Harvard University (8:10 3K; 14:19 5K)

Alexander Palm via Sweden (8:17 3K; 14:34 5K, 9th Euro U-23 XC ’14)

Josh Kerr via Scotland (1:53 800; 3:44 1500)

Adam Cotton via Harvard University (1:48 800; 4:01 Mile)

David Banwell-Clode via Great Britain (1:50 800)

The New Mexico Lobos only return one runner (Elmar Engholm 78th) from last year’s 14th place squad. However, the Lobos remain a top 25 team for one reason and one reason only… recruiting. Head Coach Joe Franklin does a remarkable job finding unknown talent overseas and 5th year transfers. The Lobos every year seem to find a way to withstand losing big name talent with incoming first year NCAA athletes.

 

The projected top five is hard to determine due to lack of NCAA cross country experience, however a few names stand out starting with two seniors in Elmar Engholm and Matthew Bergin. Engholm will be a strong #1 for the Lobos in 2015 bringing solid PBs and championship experience to the table. Bergin will also be a great top 3 runner with his decent 13:54 5K PB but more importantly he ran well later in the season. Bergin was the first man out of the tough West Regional 5K and was 8th at the Great Britain National Championship 5K in July.

 

However, the main tipping point on New Mexico’s 2015 success will be on the new guys. Franklin brings in five impact recruits/transfers for the 2015 season. Two men from Harvard, Dan Milechman and Adam Cotton bring NCAA experience and decent track PBs. (Side Note: Adam Cotton ran 3:41 at the age 19, however he struggled with injuries at Harvard he could become a sleeper transfer)

Josh Kerr and David Banwell-Clode are solid mid-distance guys. But, the one man to look out for is Alexander Palm from Sweden. Palm was 9th at the Euro U-23 XC Championships, just 6 sec behind Tulsa’s NCAA All-American Marc Scott. If Palm has a smooth transition to the NCAA look for him to be a breakout star for the New Mexico Lobos.