If you are an athlete and love to compete, UNM offers an array of options beyond their varsity athletic teams. The two main forms of these are Recreational Services’ intramural and club sports.
Intramural sports range from single-day competitions to recreational leagues that span several weeks. Single-day competitions include: golf doubles and singles, a football skills challenge, a duathlon, tennis doubles and singles, archery doubles and singles, grass volleyball and a free-throw contest. If you prefer the feel of a team setting and more sustained competition, the recreational leagues include: basketball (3-on-3, 5-on-5), soccer (indoor and outdoor), volleyball (6-player, 3-player, co-rec), dodgeball, flag football and even bubble soccer.
If you’re really craving the feel of a league sport — complete with a regular team, scheduled practices and perhaps some competition outside of the University — you may find a fit among the available club teams.
Some club teams compete locally and regionally, such as aikido, lacrosse, golf and ultimate Frisbee. Others include full-blown intercollegiate competition. The UNM tennis club, for instance, competed in several scheduled tournaments this school year, as well as hosting their own, and qualified for Nationals. The UNM men’s and women’s water polo clubs compete in the Collegiate Water Polo Association, with their official season in the fall.
Two teams that closely model the feel of a varsity sport are ice hockey and men’s and women’s rugby. Ice hockey competes in Division III of the American Collegiate Hockey Association and enjoys a wide fan base, having existed since the 1960s. The men’s and women’s rugby teams compete in the highest divisions of USA Rugby, D1A and D1 Elite, respectively, as rugby gradually transitions into an NCAA sport. Women’s rugby in particular has had high-level success, advancing as far as the final four of the National Championships in recent years.
Virtually all these options require little to no experience, even the competitive club teams. For a full list of recreational and club sports, visit the UNM page on imleagues.com. Get playing, Lobos!
Gabriella Rivera is a news reporter for the Daily Lobo. She can be reached at news@dailylobo.com or on Twitter as @gabbychlamps.
