There's probably no grander event in cross country in New Mexico outside of the state meet.
When I try to come up with a short list of the big event kind of meets in the southwest region, the UNM Lobo Invite always ends up high on the list. Utah has the BYU Autumn Classic, Colorado has Liberty Bell, Arizona has the Desert Twilight, and New Mexico has the UNM Lobo Invite.
One thing that especially intrigues me about the UNM Lobo Invite is the under-the-lights concept added this year. Late in August, going under the lights only makes sense. All the more so when the summer has been as hot as this one has.
But, you can't go under the lights just anywhere. To go under the lights, you need a course with a lot of regular, even footing. The North Golf Course at the University of New Mexico has exactly that. This is a course ideally suited to nighttime competition. Oh, and the near full moon won't hurt the concept in the least.
And it's clear that I'm not the only person who agrees about that. Thirty-eight teams are converging on the course for Friday's night's competition. And, honestly, the college meet seems almost like an afterthought in view of how special the high school meet will be. I feel fairly safe in saying that because I know most college teams are running a race this weekend solely because there's an NCAA requirement of competing in a meet within x (I'm not sure of the exact number) days of the start of practice. Sounds like an archaic rule in need of a little modernizing to me, but, for now at least, it is what it is.
So, the University of New Mexico needs a meet, has a great place to hold it, but they make the big show the high school event. What a cool concept! I wish more colleges in Colorado would jump on this idea, but most college courses in Colorado aren't nearly as well suited to the idea as UNM's North Golf Course.
Of the thirty-eight teams coming to the meet, only two are coming from outside the state. And that's a bit of a shame. It is likely Colorado would be sending more teams down were it not for the unveiling of a new state meet course, and all the more so since it's a course that's going to demand some strategizing on the part of coaches and athletes alike. Another issue is that Albququerque is very centrally located in New Mexico. It's at least three hours' drive to a state border in any direction. That will tend to limit your out-of-state participation.
What really makes the event special, however, is the fact that almost all of the best teams in the state have bought into the concept. There is barely a single high-profile large school program in New Mexico that is not on the list of attendees. And, even down through 3A, a very large percentage of the state's top programs will be in attendance. High school cross country doesn't get much better than this. A huge round of applause to the University of New Mexico for the concept and for taking the lead in making this a special event!
Friday night lights cross country? Who needs football, anyway?