Adrian Doerfler
Daily Lobo
Lars Loeseth was one of the brightest and most successful athletes UNM has seen in
recent years.
And now, he is being recognized for it.
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Last week, ESPN The Magazine named Loeseth to the Academic All-American At-Large First Team. He was on the men's ski and soccer teams.
Loeseth said he is proud of his classroom achievements.
"It is great that the NCAA honors achievements in sports as well as in the classroom," he said. "It honors what college athletes are all about. You have to perform well in school and whatever sport you are doing."
Loeseth, the 2007 Rocky Mountain Intercollegiate Ski Association Men's Skier of the Year, compiled a 3.92 GPA during his four years at UNM. This will be his third Academic All-America honor.
A native of Oslo, Norway, Loeseth was a part of some of the most successful teams in Lobo history.
A four-time All-American on the ski team, Loeseth came to UNM as a highly recruited skier and helped lead the team to a national championship in 2004, the only NCAA championship in school history.
As a junior, Loeseth earned a scholarship on the soccer team and was a solid contributor to the 2005 team that finished runner-up at the NCAA Championships. Later that year, he led the ski team to a second place finish at the national championships. He was also a part of two NCAA men's slalom team championships in 2004 and 2006.
UNM head soccer coach Jeremy Fishbein said Loeseth was a strong asset to UNM.
"In the Sweet 16 of the national tournament, we had a penalty kick in overtime to win the game," Fishbein said. "There was a ton of pressure, and Lars was the guy we had slotted for that spot. He handled it and hit the shot and won the game."
It is impressive for a student athlete to receive the academic and athletic achievements that Loeseth has accumulated over his career.
For Loeseth, it didn't come easy.
"It is basically a 24-hour job," he said. "I wake up early and start training or studying. Then I go to classes and, after that, I start training or studying again. Somewhere in between I try to get some food in me. Basically, it's all work until nine o'clock. After nine in the evening, I am so tired. I relax for a couple of hours and go to sleep."
Loeseth will graduate with a degree in finance after completing a few online classes in the fall. He plans on competing for the Norwegian National Ski Team. He has already made the National Developmental Team and is looking forward to skiing with the pros and competing for a spot in the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver.
Even though Loeseth will be moving on from UNM, his accomplishments as a Lobo will not be forgotten.
"It was great having Lars on our team," Fishbein said. "He brought diversity, being from another country and competing in a different sport besides soccer. He was a great student and a real pleasure to work with."
