Sports - The Daily Lobo

Sports

UNM football shows potential ahead of 2022 season

Thomas Bulger | August 29

The University of New Mexico football team is looking to improve after an abysmal 2021 season, having gone 3-9 for the season. If the Lobos hope to improve, stepping up their offense would be a step in the right direction; last season, the Lobos finished last in scoring in the Mountain West by a margin of 94 points. They were also bottom three in first downs and in most passing and rushing stats.

Sports

UNM volleyball takes down Highlands University 4-0

Thomas Bulger | August 22

The University of New Mexico volleyball team started play in an exhibition game against the New Mexico Highlands University Cowboys on Saturday, Aug. 20. The team won 4-0, showcasing a dominant performance that demonstrates potential for the season ahead. The Cowboys are a Division II volleyball team and finished the 2021 season with a record of 11-18 and ninth in their conference. They lost last season’s leading scorer Lisi Langi, who transferred to Lewis-Clark State.

Sports

Women’s fall sports preview

Thomas Bulger | July 25

Fall sports are right around the corner at the University of New Mexico and there is a lot to be excited about. This year’s women’s fall sports features dominant and competitive teams that deserve attention and are looking to build on previous successes and continue to be a force in the Mountain West.

Sports

OPINION: Lobo sports’ most important new student-athletes

Matthew Salcido | May 16

Recruiting is as unique and important to college sports as any aspect of the game itself, sometimes even more so. Recruiting can stress fans, break coaches and change programs forever. The hardest thing about recruiting is that it’s never done; a player can come, go or hold out for as long as an offseason can go. With this in mind, Daily Lobo sports editor Matthew Salcido has broken down some of the most important student-athletes making their way down to the University of New Mexico, at least for now.

Sports

Isotopes split series to Sacramento River Cats 3-3

Thomas Bulger | May 1

The Albuquerque Isotopes split their home series against the Sacramento River Cats 3-3. The series went from Tuesday, April 26 to Sunday, May 1. The Isotopes are now 10-14 and fourth in the Pacific Coast League East. After a tight 7-9 loss on Tuesday, Albuquerque won the Wednesday and Thursday contests 6-3 and 13-2 respectively. The Isotopes were then thrown a curveball on Friday when third baseman Elehuris Montero, one of the team’s best hitters, was pulled up to the Isotopes’ major league affiliate, the Colorado Rockies, to replace Kris Bryant. Missing a key part of their offense, the Isotopes dropped the Friday game 12-8.

Sports

Isotopes player Montero called up to major leagues

Zara Roy | April 29

Editor’s Note: This article was updated on May 1. Elehuris Montero, previously an infielder and designated hitter for the Albuquerque Isotopes, was called up to play for the Colorado Rockies, taking the place of injured Rockies’ infielder Kris Bryant, on Friday, April 29. Montero is listed as available off the bench and is expected to make his major league debut this weekend during the Rockies’ three-game series opener against the Cincinnati Reds. Montero was a long-standing top prospect for the Rockies. In his time with the Isotopes, he proved to be an astounding hitter for the team, batting a personal record 28 homers in the 2021 season between his time with the Hartford Yard Goats and the Isotopes.

Sports

NM United loses to San Antonio FC 1-0, stands at 2-2-2

Mackenzie Schwartz | April 24

New Mexico United lost to San Antonio FC 1-0 Saturday, April 23 at Isotopes Park. The last time the two teams met up was Oct. 20, 2021, where United was able to beat them 4-2. NM United is now 2-2-2 and in eighth place in the United Soccer League Western Conference. United ended the game with 11 attempts at the goal while San Antonio had 13 attempts. United started with the ball at the beginning of the match. Both teams were kicking around the ball, not making much progress until United’s Justin Portillo kicked San Antonio’s Connor Maloney in the face. The incident seemed to spark something within the teams as they finally started going at it and playing hard.

Sports

Isotopes pitcher Ryan Feltner emphasizes teamwork in baseball

Natalie Jude | April 18

Ryan Feltner, pitcher for the Albuquerque Isotopes, has returned to the minor leagues after a plentiful season with the Colorado Rockies. Anticipating a good season despite its shaky start, Feltner and his team are putting team relationships at the forefront this year. Formerly the Gatorade Baseball Player of the Year for Ohio, Feltner was drafted in 2015 by the Toronto Blue Jays but elected to attend Ohio State University. Feltner was later drafted from Ohio State in 2018 by the Colorado Rockies in the fourth round. Since then, Feltner has worked his way up through the Rockies’ minor league affiliates. Feltner said he carries a deep appreciation for team bonds wherever he plays.

Sports

UNM baseball loses close game to SDSU 11-8

Thomas Bulger | April 17

The University of New Mexico played the San Diego State Aztecs on Saturday, April 16 to finish their three-game series against San Diego State in Albuquerque. The Aztecs swept the Lobos winning all three games in the series. UNM now has a 14-21 record this season and is on a four-game losing streak. In the first inning, the Lobos sent out Matt Haley as their starting pitcher. Haley gave up a single on the first at-bat against San Diego State’s Irvin Weems. Weems then stole second, and Shaun Montoya singled to send him home. Cole Carrigg singled to score two runners, pushing the San Diego State lead to 3-0.

Sports

Lobos softball team pulls off historic 2-1 series win against Fresno State

Shelby Kleinhans | April 17

The University of New Mexico softball team had a troubled start to their conference season coming into their home series against Fresno State 2-7, but they battled for three games and pulled out a series win against the Bulldogs. The series lasted from Thursday, April 14 to Saturday, April 16 and was played at the Lobo Softball Field. The series win bumps the Lobos’ overall record to 24-17, but their 4-8 conference record leaves the Lobos near the bottom of the pack in conference standings. The Lobos played an incredible game Thursday night against the Bulldogs. Despite being out-hit 10-6, they still forced the game into extra innings, even though they did eventually lose.

Sports

Isotopes win series against the Tacoma Rainiers 4-2

Mackenzie Schwartz | April 17

The Albuquerque Isotopes won their first home series against the Tacoma Rainiers 4-2in Albuquerque that stretched from Tuesday, April 12 to Sunday, April 17. Having now played both the Rainiers and Oklahoma City, Albuquerque is now 5-7 in their young season. The Isotopes lost the first game of the series on Tuesday. The loss was especially heartbreaking given the Isotopes’ 8-1 lead over the Rainiers for nearly half the game. The Rainiers were the first team to put a run on the scoreboard during the top of the second inning. The Isotopes were able to respond in the third inning, though, with two runs of the

Sports

UNM men’s tennis dominates Boise State 4-0

Thomas Bulger | April 10

The University of New Mexico men’s tennis team beat the Boise State University Broncos 4-0 Sunday, April 10 in Albuquerque. The Lobos have a losing record of 8-10 on the season but are 2-1 so far in conference play. Boise State is having a strong season with a 13-8 overall record and 2-2 record in conference play. Bronco Simon Arca Costas started the day on a five-game win streak with a 17-8 singles record, but Lobo Rafael Abdulsalam was able to break the streak in their singles match. In the doubles matches, Lobos Alex Maggs and Jan Pucalka went against Broncos James Van Herzeele and Jan Lucca Marquardt.

Sports

Lobos track and field teams go off to the races at spring invite

Mackenzie Schwartz | April 10

The University of New Mexico track and field teams competed in the New Mexico Spring Invitational meet on Thursday, April 7 at the UNM Ssoccer Ccomplex. This was the first outdoor track and field meet that UNM has hosted this season. The spring invite is used by Lobo track and field athletes as a way to find where they need to improve to try to get on the team that travels for the season. A good number of the women’s team was away at the Jo Meaker Classic in Canyon, Texas.

Sports

UNM women’s tennis falls to Air Force 4-0

Thomas Bulger | March 27

The University of New Mexico women’s tennis team lost to the United States Air Force Academy Falcons on Friday, March 25 in their first interconference match of the season. The Lobos are now on a three-match losing streak but still have a winning record of 9-4 on the season. The Falcons have a record of 12-3 and are led by senior Vivian Glozman, who is undefeated this season with 11 straight wins. The Falcons got the upper hand early with their doubles matches. Lobos Maria Sodre and Yue Lin Chen lost 6-2 to Glozman and Karina Chao.

Sports

Lobos softball team gets swept in home series against Utah State

Shelby Kleinhans | March 27

The University of New Mexico softball team suffered a string of tough losses after Utah State University swept the Lobos in a three-game series from Friday, March 25 to Sunday, March 27 at the Lobo Softball Field in Albuquerque. While the Lobos still have a solid record of 20-12 overall, they have had a rough start to their conference season and are sitting at 1-5 after playing San José State and Utah State. The Lobos almost out-hit Utah State in Friday's game 7-8, and managed to out-hit them 11-7 during Saturday’s game, but Sunday’s game was another story. The Aggies out-hit the Lobos 12-6 and run-ruled the Lobos in the sixth inning.

Sports

Lobos women’s basketball advances to Sweet 16 of WNIT

Matthew Salcido | March 20

The University of New Mexico women’s basketball team beat the University of San Diego Toreros 73-69 Sunday, March 20 at The Pit. The win advances the Lobos to the third round of the Women’s National Invitational Tournament as one of only 16 teams left. Saturday’s win was the UNM women’s 26th in the season, only the third time they’ve reached that many wins in a single season in program history San Diego drew a stark stylistic contrast with the high-octane, sharp-shooting Lobos. Throughout the season, the Toreros have relied on defense and scoring in the paint to win games. The Lobos scored early and got up 5-0 before Sydney Hunter scored San Diego’s first points.

Sports

UNM softball swept in doubleheader against NMSU

Thomas Bulger | March 8

The University of New Mexico softball team lost two games to the New Mexico State University Aggies in a doubleheader on Tuesday, March 8 in Albuquerque. The Lobos went into the first game with a 10-game win streak. In the first of the two games, the Lobos sent out Emma Guindon as their starting pitcher. Guindon had pitched 12 games this season with an ERA of 0.94. Neither team managed to score in the first two innings. In the bottom of the third, though, the Lobos took off and scored five runs behind a three-run home run from outfielder Andrea Howard and scored again on an error. NMSU subbed in pitcher Jordin King, and with the bases loaded, Robinson was walked, leading to another run being scored. NMSU subbed in another pitcher, Kayla Bowen, to get the last out of the inning.

Opinion

Best Of: Sports photos

Sharon Chischilly and Mackenzie Schwartz | March 7

The Daily Lobo photographers have been hard at work all year taking great photos to bring high quality sports coverage to our readers. Here are two photographers’ favorite sports photos from this year. Mackenzie’s picks Photo 1 This was one of the best sports photos that I captured during a football game this year. I was able to get the perfect photo of Bobby Cole and Jace Taylor celebrating Cole’s touchdown against University of Nevada, Las Vegas in November 2021. I captured the moment where they both were jumping in the air celebrating in a clear, perfect picture. In the photo, you can see how happy everyone in the frame is, from the players jumping and celebrating to the fans in the back cheering them on.

Sports

UNM pushes through to defeat UNLV 76-67

Thomas Bulger | March 6

The University of New Mexico men’s basketball team played the University of Nevada, Las Vegas Runnin’ Rebels at The Pit Saturday, March 5. The Lobos won 76-67 behind a team-high 27 points from Jaelen House. The last time these two teams played was Jan. 11 in Las Vegas where the Lobos lost 85-56. UNLV is led by Bryce Hamilton, who leads the Mountain West Conference in scoring with an average of 21.8 points per game. Hamilton also averages 4.9 rebounds and 2.2 assists per game.

Sports

Lobos men’s basketball secures win over Air Force 69-65

John Scott | February 27

The University of New Mexico men’s basketball team secured a hard-fought victory against the Air Force Falcons on Saturday, Feb. 26 at The Pit. The 69-65 final score was much closer than the Lobos’ 91-77 win at Air Force earlier in February. Both teams struggled with fouls; UNM earned 20 fouls and Air Force got 21 by the time the final buzzer sounded. The entire first half was neck and neck between the two teams with the largest lead being six points at the very end of the half when Air Force was up 30-24 against the Lobos. Jaelen House, who put up an astounding 42 points in UNM’s first outing against the Falcons, finished the first half with zero points despite having played 17 of the first half’s 20 minutes.