Hounds start at home

PORTALES — What better way to follow up a successful indoor track season than with an outdoor one.

Eastern New Mexico’s track and field team is hoping to carry some of its indoor momentum outdoors and make this a memorable spring. It will already be memorable enough by the Greyhounds hosting the Lone Star Conference championship meet in early May. A title in friendly surroundings would be nice. Making noise at the national meet later in the month, even better.

“We’re really excited coming off the indoor conference meet; the women performed pretty well,” Eastern’s second-year head coach Jeff Kavalunas said. “And we had some young men, some freshmen, really step up at that conference meet.”

Now the Hounds will be competing on the track where they trained all winter for indoor competition anyway.

“We’re back in our element, training outdoors,” Kavalunas said. “We have a lot more experience running on that track.”

In addition to gaining momentum from the winter, Eastern is hoping to do so from last spring, too. Especially the women’s team, which notched a top-eight finish in the nation. “And we think we’re even a lot stronger this year,” Kavalunas said. “A couple of women have really gotten stronger, so we’re going to get them in a big meet ... and hopefully get them qualified right off the bat.”

In the early stages, Eastern’s team seems to be coming together.

“Everything is very positive,” Kavalunas said. “We just kind of got back into it (Monday) after spring break, and a lot of men and women looked really good after the break.”

While Kavalunas is confident in both ENMU teams, he acknowledged the women’s team has more depth. Danee Bustos, Kandice Myles, Maijah Mathis and Lateria Slaughter are all strong short-distance and relay runners. Mason Swanson is solid in middle distance, placing second in the LSC indoor 800. “She was one of the best middle distance runners in our conference,” Kavalunas said.

Among the Greyhounds’ long distance runners is Mercy Rotich — who’s originally from Kenya and came to Eastern by way of El Paso Community College. Named an All-American and LSC Runner of the Year in 2018, Rotich is a natural for distance running in track season, though did have to adjust when competing indoors this past winter.

“She had actually never competed indoors before,” Kavalunas noted. “She’s a little more comfortable, and running a lot stronger on the outdoor track. She should be in position to get a national championship spot, but still inexperienced on the track.”

On the men’s side, Ivar Moinat — originally from Amsterdam, Netherlands — is a standout middle distance runner who finished seventh at the NCAA Division II Indoor Track championships earlier this month

“He’ll continue to be up there and compete for a conference championship,” Kavalunas predicted.

Kavalunas also expects big things from Travonne Armstead, Brandon Chavez and 2018 Portales High graduate Andrew Villegas.

Senior Colby Bagwell is a Greyhound expected to have a good spring in the decathlon.

“He’s a pretty good decathlete,” Kavalunas said. “He’s doing a great job, but it’s really tough in our conference to be in the decathlon. It’s extremely competitive. He’s one of our key guys and a great team leader for us.”

Kavalunas is optimistic with the team overall.

“It’s a good group,” he said. “My assistant coaches (Aaron Gordon and Adilene Adame) are doing a great job. Aaron Gordon has really kept that strong group developing. Adilene has been doing a great job.”

Whatever the Greyhounds accomplish this season, the highlight may be hosting that LSC meet from May 2-4.

“It’s a big deal for us,” Kavalunas said. “We’re really excited to be hosting that. We’re going to have almost 600 athletes and coaches coming in over the three days. We’ve been getting great support from the community. ... We’ve been working hard planning for it for over a year now. I think it’s the first time the university has ever hosted it. We’re a little new at putting track meets on, but we’re pretty organized so far. And I think it’s going to be a great experience. It’ll probably be the first time a lot of these track and field programs have been to Portales.”