Cohen, Kelati, Kurgat and Prouse attempt to become first female foursome since Wisconsin in 1993 to achieve top-four finish at national finals with only points from distance events

By Erik Boal, DyeStat Editor

Adva Cohen, Weini Kelati, Ednah Kurgat and Charlotte Prouse stood on the podium with their New Mexico cross country teammates Nov. 17 at the Thomas Zimmer Championship course in Madison, Wisc., adding another chapter to the Lobos’ legacy as one of the nation’s most storied programs with a runner-up finish at the NCAA Division 1 final.

It has become a common occurrence for New Mexico to be showcased on the podium at the national championship meet each November, with the Lobos capturing a pair of women’s cross country titles in the past four seasons and making four podium appearances as part of a streak of nine consecutive years finishing in the top 10.

But for all its distance running success achieved each fall, New Mexico has yet to translate those efforts into securing a team trophy in the winter or spring at the indoor and outdoor national track and field finals.

Little did the Lobos’ talented quartet know it at the time, but Cohen, Kelati, Kurgat and Prouse could find themselves linked to Wisconsin again this week, albeit for different historical reasons.

Relying on its four distance running standouts, including Cohen, Kelati and Prouse all competing in multiple events, New Mexico has the potential to achieve the program’s first podium finish at the NCAA Division 1 Outdoor Championships in Austin, Texas.

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“We might be small in numbers, but we’re pretty mighty when we get out there and we’re not afraid to lay it out on the line,” Prouse said. “We’re really building something at New Mexico and that’s really exciting to be a part of.”

The last women’s team to earn a podium finish at the Division 1 outdoor championship meet relying solely on four distance runners was Wisconsin in 1993, with Clare Eichner, Sara Renk, Kim Sherman and Amy Wickus accumulating 41 combined points in the 800, 1,500 and 3,000 meters to place second overall.

Since then, only SMU in 1997, Florida in 2010 and Georgia in 2016 have made the women’s podium with just four scorers, but all three teams relied significantly on athletes in field events to earn their respective top-four finishes.

New Mexico, which tied for 17th place last season with Kelati, Kurgat, Prouse and Alice Wright combining for 16 points, has more options this time around in its attempt to keep pace with reigning Division 1 indoor champion Arkansas and last year’s outdoor winner USC.

Kelati and Kurgat are in the 10,000-meter final Thursday, with Cohen and Prouse also in the 3,000-meter steeplechase semifinals earlier in the day. Cohen, Kelati and Prouse are also entered in the 5,000 championship Saturday.

“I will be thrilled if we make the track and field podium and I strongly believe we will,” Cohen said. “As a team, we all worked very hard to get to this point and I will be very proud to be part of UNM track and field history.”

New Mexico offered a preview at the Division 1 indoor final in March in Birmingham, Ala., of what could be possible during the outdoor season when Kelati, Kurgat and Prouse combined to finish fifth overall with 23 points.

“Indoors was incredibly exciting. I think for the three of us to come away fifth as a team was something super special, and I don’t think we all totally understood what it meant or how special that was until we were back home and out of the chaos of the meet,” Prouse said. “It was also a bit bittersweet being that close to a trophy and knowing that there were multiple girls back home that could have been at the meet, like Kieran (Casey), Hannah (Nuttall) and Adva on the DMR, but I think in the end, it only brings fuel to the fire for us from now on, especially knowing we host indoor nationals next year and have another chance to do something incredible.”

With Cohen – who placed fifth in the 3,000 steeplechase for Israel at the European Championships in Berlin in August in a personal-best 9:29.74 – competing in her signature event this spring, in addition to qualifying for the 5,000 final, the added depth has also given New Mexico an opportunity to produce another historical performance Saturday.

Cohen, Kelati and Prouse will attempt to become the first trio from the same Division 1 school to all make the women’s 5,000 podium in the same year.

“I feel really blessed to have them all at nationals. It feels great to know they are always by my side and I’m so proud of them for helping make this happen,” Kelati said. “Everyone on the team is excited for the challenge and to bring something great for the team, not only in cross country, but on the track as well.”

Kelati will be the catalyst for the Lobos throughout the week, with the possibility of capturing her first career individual title, if not becoming the fifth female athlete in Division 1 history to achieve the distance double by capturing both 5,000 and 10,000 national championships.

“Every great runner who makes it to nationals wants to double,” Kelati said. “I’m ready for it.”

Kurgat, who captured the 2017 national cross country championship, is only entered in the 10,000, seeking her first career All-America honors in the event after previously achieving first-team recognition in the 3,000 and 5,000 indoors, along with the 5,000 outdoors.

Kelati and Kurgat are also motivated to become only the third female teammates in Division 1 history to take the top two spots in the 10,000 final, joining Brigham Young’s Tara Rohatinsky and Marty Hernandez in 2000 and Iowa State’s Lisa Koll and Betsy Saina in 2010.

“It means more to do something as a team than anything else,” Kurgat said. “I will give everything I have to help the team because we have the chance to do something very special.”

The performances of Cohen and Prouse in the 3,000 steeplechase will be crucial to New Mexico’s podium pursuit, especially with Boise State junior Allie Ostrander trying to become the first female athlete in Division 1 history to win three consecutive titles in the event.

Prouse placed runner-up last year and Cohen boasts the fastest time of any individual in the field with her national-record performance last summer in Germany, both looking to deny Ostrander’s bid for history, in addition to becoming only the second teammates since the event was added to the championship schedule in 2001 to both place in the top three in the national final in the same year.

“I am excited before every race because it is always an opportunity to prove to myself that my hard work pays off,” Cohen said. “That said, the NCAA championships are special to me because it is another major stepping stone in my career as an athlete, as well as a member of the UNM Lobos team.”

The biggest obstacle will be saved for last Saturday, with Cohen, Kelati and Prouse all returning to the track for the 5,000 championship. For Cohen and Prouse, it could be less than 90 minutes after the conclusion of the steeplechase final.

“People always say 90 percent of the battle is mental in sports and I totally agree with that. I think that the mental side of this week will for sure be something I will put my intentions into, so I can represent the Lobos and my supporters and family proudly,” Prouse said. “I know all the hard work and ‘hay’ is done and looking at this week not as something daunting, but rather being excited for what I can accomplish.

“I think changing how I perceive the challenge that is the NCAA finals is an opportunity to perform and do something special, rather than dwelling on how daunting it may seem. Step one of the weekend is to make it out of the heats of the steeple and then refocus after that, just planning to take it one hurdle, one lap and one race at a time.”

For Cohen, who became the first female athlete in National Junior College Athletic Association Division 1 history to win titles in the same year in the 3,000 steeplechase, 1,500 and 5,000 last season at Iowa Central Community College, she’s ready to embrace the next big challenge in order to test her limits once again.

“There is a lot of pressure in competing in two main events in such a short time,” Cohen said. “From race to race, you learn to prepare yourself mentally and psychologically. My focus is on doing my best, and first and foremost, meeting my own goals and expectations. If I manage to do so, that would be best for the team success.”

Which is exactly why all four athletes are so invested, physically and emotionally, in the quest to stand together once more on the podium proudly displaying their turquoise uniforms Saturday at Mike A. Myers Stadium in Austin, taking the Lobos from the altitude of Albuquerque to heights they’ve never reached before.

“I have been very fortunate with my individual performances after joining the Lobos, but the memories and most prideful moments I have come from the accomplishments I have had with my fellow ladies in turquoise,” said Prouse, a member of the 2017 national championship cross country lineup, along with Kelati and Kurgat.

“I will never forget the moment in Louisville when Kieran (Casey) and I made eye contact after she had crossed the line and we knew we had won. That is a moment I would never replace with any amount of individual success, because doing it with people you care for both on and off the track makes it bigger than yourself.

“Helping UNM get on a podium against huge powerhouse schools would be something that would not only be an unforgettable moment for us four women, but also the rest of the team and community back in Albuquerque.”