Richard York, a senior at the University of New Mexico, played a major role in leading his team to a first-place finish at the 2013 Mountain West Indoor Track & Field Championships in Nampa, Idaho.
The Lobos scored a program-record 185 points to claim the team’s first-ever Mountain West indoor men’s title. It’s the men’s first conference track crown since winning a Western Athletic Conference outdoor title in 1967.
“To accomplish something that hasn’t happened in 47 years and never in the history of the school indoors really shows (the athletes’) commitment to each other, getting better and trying to win championships,” New Mexico Head Coach Joe Franklin said on the school’s website, www.golobos.com. “Across the board, everyone performed really, really well.”
York, a St. Clair High School graduate, won his second Mountain West heptathlon title in three years (he won in 2011), scoring 5,590 points, which stands as a new school record.
In addition to his two victories, York finished second in the Mountain Track & Field Championships in the heptathlon in 2012 and 2010.
As part of the heptathlon , York placed first in the pole vault, 60-meter dash, long jump and shot put.
York’s results in the heptathlon were:
• Pole vault — 15-5 (first)
• 60-meter dash — 7.06; (first)
• Long jump —22-9; (first)
• Shot put — 44-4 1/4; (first)
• High jump — 6-6 3/4 (second)
• 1,000-meter run — 2:46.88 (second); and
• 60-meter hurdles — 8.7 (sixth)
York also tied for fifth place in the regular high jump event, clearing 6-5.
