ENMU trio hope to make mark at D-II indoor nationals

PORTALES — A trio of Eastern New Mexico track and field athletes will do their best to represent both themselves and the Greyhound program at Friday and Saturday’s NCAA Division II Indoor Track Championships in Pittsburg, Kansas.

Sprinters Marcus Parker and Danee Bustos, along with high jumper Kenneth Lloyd, will all represent the Hounds this weekend, as they try to achieve their dreams of becoming a national champion.

“It’s been a pretty exciting indoor (season),” ENMU coach Jeff Kavalunas said. “Marcus has competed at the national championships before, but didn’t have the consistency. I thought he was capable of having (his current) success before.

“Ken is very similar to Marcus in that he’s been at the national championships before, but he lacked a bit as far as coaching and adjustments go. To get over those 6-11 heights and into the 7-foot club is pretty exciting. (Danee’s) kinda been the surprise. Past coaches had her high jumping a lot, and she had some early season struggles this year with her hamstring, so she hasn’t raced a lot.”

Parker is arguably the best track and field athlete that the Greyhounds have, as the sophomore standout has frequently brought home strong finishes at each and every event this season.

After posting a time of 21.29 seconds to win the men’s 200 meter dash at the season--opening Texas Tech University Red & Black Open, Parker went on to become the only Greyhound this season to qualify for two national events, as his 6.67 second time in the 60 meter dash at the Lone Star Conference Championships won him both a league title and automatically qualified him for nationals.

For Parker, part of his newfound consistency comes with a new diet and focus on more power in his sprinting during his training sessions this year. As for where he’s improved to become a national threat, Parker says, “For the 60 meters, my block starts. Compared to last year, (they’re much better), because last year was just ok.

“For the 200, staying down and driving more (off the line). I have high expectations for myself, and I really push myself. (At nationals) I think it’s gonna take who wants it more. There’s a lot of good competition, and you gotta dig deep.”

According to Parker, he’ll need to run at least a 6.65 to finish top three in the 60, while running somewhere in the 20.0-20.9 range to give himself a shot. As for Lloyd, he qualified for nationals by taking first place in the high jump at the LSC Championships with a jump of 7-0.5.

For Lloyd, a jump in the 7-1 range will probably be needed to win it all, but he’s surely confident he can do it. It took the senior awhile to crack the 7-foot mark, as getting past 6-11 proved to be an exercise in futility.

However, with the help of assistant coach Aaron Gordon, Lloyd was able to take his craft to the next level. According to Lloyd, having a new voice helped, especially after failing to qualify for nationals for the only time in his collegiate career in 2017.

“We both had an understanding on the event, and hearing it from a different person helped a lot,” Lloyd said of Gordon. “(Getting over 6-11) was a mental thing. I’ve always worked extremely hard and rarely have a true offseason.

“It was definitely monumental for me (to do 7-0.5 and win LSC title). As a high jumper, to be part of that elite club to get to 7-feet, I knew I could do it, I knew I had this gift. It was a barrier I needed to get over, as my previous personal best was 6-10. I know I can do big things, and I’m going out this weekend expecting to win.”

Bustos, meanwhile, will be the only ENMU female athlete at the event. The junior from Belen used to be a jumper only, but now sprints, as well. Ironically, her new event is where she qualified for nationals, as she ran a 24.52 second time in the 200 meters at the LSC Championships to place third, ranking her 18th nationally, in the process.

The early-season hamstring woes prevented her from competing in the team’s first event (Red & Black Open) of the year. In time, she got herself on track, as overcoming the adversity of an injury, not to mention, self-admitting that she’s a better outdoor track athlete, thanks to the longer season, made her qualification for nationals that much more gratifying.

Bustos says that running in the low 24-second range will give her a shot to compete with some of the best, which she said can be achieved by having better starts at the beginning of races.

“When I did find out I was going to nationals, and to still make it (despite the injury), made it really exciting,” Bustos explained. “It was one of my goals this year, but I just didn’t know if it would happen with indoor.

“I don’t want to set expectations too high at nationals, but I’d like to try to get Second Team All-American (9th-12th place finish).”