The Los Alamos Invitational offers New Mexico runners a rare opportunity to compete on a grassy course. Photo by Blake Wood.
There are a lot of great meets in New Mexico. But as one who tries to keep a finger on the pulse of New Mexico cross country, there are some meets that you know you must pay attention to. And, as someone who is somewhat on the outside looking in, I'm not in the usual line of rumors to keep me abreast of all that's news in New Mexico cross country. So, I have to lean heavily on reading the stories that the meets tell. And, the stories told at certain meets can't be ignored. Here's my short list of the top five meets, with a few honorable mentions thrown in:
The Fab Five
1. UNM Lobo Invitational
It helps that this meet is a very early season meet, but this meet doesn't really need much help. If you have the weapons to do it, this is the meet you go to to strike fear in the heart of your opponents from the start. It's fast, it's a neutral site, and it's fun. On top of that, almost all of the state's top teams--and especially from the larger schools--show up here.
2. Albuquerque Academy Invitational
Although not quite as large as the UNM Lobo Invitational, this meet serves much the same purpose as the Lobo, only about three or four weeks later. It's a means for everyone to check back in again and see how things have changed. With Albuquerque Academy showing signs of returning to its former glory, this meet could be even more attractive this year.
3. Rio Rancho Jamboree
Of course this one rates! Aside from being a monster-sized invitational, it's also the pre-state meet. Get your familiarity with the state course here! And, probably more than any other meet in the state, this one draws in teams from every corner of the state. Not quite everyone comes to this meet yet, but if you're not coming to the meet, you're probably on the outside looking in where state is concerned.
4. Gallup Curtis Williams Invitational
This one has probably lost a little of the luster from the days when Gallup ruled the roost of New Mexico high school cross country, but it's still a great meet, a great location, and a great collection of teams. You'll get a little sand in your flats here, but you'll also get a good measure of how you stand up against western New Mexico's best and a sense of history as you traverse the course.
5. Los Alamos Invitational
This one is likely the grassiest cross country course in all of New Mexico. It's also one of the highest elevation courses and late in the season. Although the meet is not especially large, if you have something left to show late in the season, there's no better showcase in late October than this showcase. And, don't let the size of the meet fool you--the competition is top-tier.
Honorable Mention
Socorro Stampede
This one runs on the New Mexico Tech golf course. There are some vagaries associated with when the course will be available on any given year, so the Stampede has the dubious distinction of going head-to-head with the UNM Lobo Invitational this fall. I'm guessing they're hoping for a more favorable date next fall.
Centennial Hawks XC Challenge
This may be the biggest meet in all of southern New Mexico, and it has a reputation of being on the high end of spectator friendly. The Las Cruces area needs a signature meet, and this one probably holds the most promise of all to become that kind of meet.
Zuni Patason Amesoli Invitational
Possibly even more than the Gallup Curtis Williams Invitational, this one may offer an authentic feel of western New Mexico. It's smaller than the Curtis Williams meet (at least in terms of large schools), but still a special meet in its own right, and pretty competitive, too.
So, now that you know which meets I'm looking most closely at, tell me what I'm missing--make a case for the meet of your choice in the comments section below.