The Eastern New Mexico men’s indoor track and field team will enter the 2019 indoor track and field season as the 18th-ranked team in NCAA Division II according to the USTFCCCA Indoor Track and Field Preseason Poll.
As a team, the Greyhounds finished fifth last year in the Lone Star Conference Indoor Championships and went on to have a pair of runners earn All-American honors at the NCAA Division II National Championships in the 60-meters, 200-meters, and the high jump.
The Hounds return junior middle distance runner Ivar Moinat, who placed third in the 800-meter run at the 2018 Lone Star Conference Indoor Championships in Lubbock, Texas. Moinat set a personal best 1:54.05 in the prelims before coming out in the championship heat and broke the school record with a 1:53.24. Moinat also broke the ENMU 600-meter indoor record at the Don Kirby Elite held in Albuquerque on Feb. 9-10 when he finished with a 1:20.81. On top of setting individual records, Moinat was also a member of the 4×400-meter relay team that broke the school record with a 3:18.81 at the New Mexico Classic on Feb. 4, 2017.
Senior distance runner Shane Walsh also makes his return to the squad after finishing fifth at the LSC Championships in the Mile with a personal-best of 4:22.79 and placed 10th with a 9:08.48 in the 3000-meter run.
Senior Garrett Meyer and junior Louis Bolander will also provide some depth for the Hounds in distance races as the two competed in the 3000-meters and both were part of the distance medley relay team that finished fifth at the LSC Indoor Championships with a 10:52.68.
In the short distance, junior Travonne Armstead makes his return after competing in the 60-meter, 200-meter, 400-meter, and the 4×400-meter relay last season. Armstead has produced very well in the 4×400-meter relay during his Greyhounds career, helping the team come away with a victory at the Martin Luther King Invitational in 2017 as well as a second-place finish at the 2017 LSC Indoor Championships.
Competing in the 400-meters, the Hounds will be looking forward to the debut of freshman Brandon Chavez. The Silver City, N.M. native joins the squad after finishing second at the 2018 New Mexico High School 4A Outdoor State Championships.
The Hounds will open the season on Friday, Jan. 18, 2019 at the Red Raider Invitational held in Lubbock, Texas.
