Lobo men's golf is tops in the nation for the first time in the program's history.
UNM is ranked No. 1 in the latest Golfweek/Sagarin Performance rankings, just a few points ahead of No. 2 Auburn, which UNM recently beat to take the top spot in the Topy Cup in Japan.
It was also announced this week the Lobos are ranked 7th in the Golf Coaches Association of America coaches' poll.
Head coach Glen Millican said the two rankings are similar to those in college football.
"The Sagarin poll is like the BCS," Millican explained. "It factors in head-to-head play and strength of schedule and those types of things to come up with a points ranking. The GCAA is like the USA Today/coaches' poll voted on by the coaches."
Millican said early in the year, the GCAA poll is a better barometer for where a team stands.
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"The coaches' poll makes more sense to watch this early," he said. "The Sagarin is more accurate after teams have played in about four tournaments."
The top spot was awarded after just one tourney for the Lobos - the Topy Cup, played in Japan two weeks ago, which they narrowly won.
The team was supposed to play the Carpet Capital Classic in Georgia last week, but the tournament was postponed due to hurricane concerns. The tournament features 12 of the nation's top-25 teams and will be played in early November.
"We were really looking forward to that tournament," Millican said. "It's a big deal, and it was an honor to be invited. Our guys should be proud of themselves."
The brightest spot for the Lobos this young season has been Spencer Levin. Levin, a preseason All-American, is the nation's No. 1-ranked golfer. Golfweek and Golfworld magazines picked the junior as the No. 2 player before the start of the season.
Also basking in a top-10 ranking is senior Miguel Griego, at No. 9.
Millican said his players deserve their early high rankings.
"When we were in Japan, those guys played awesome," he said. "Those two and Charlie (Beljan) were great for us. All three of them had a chance to win the tournament. The more guys we have doing that, the better our team will be."
As far as the rankings go, the team will just take it in stride.
"Not every team has played, so that ranking can be deceiving," Millican said. "And nothing could happen right now to give us more pressure than we put on ourselves. We want to be one of the top teams, and (being No. 1) won't change anything as far as how we approach playing this season."
