This year, spring sports at the University of New Mexico — which include baseball, golf, softball, tennis and track and field — had a lot of highs and lows.
Baseball
The Lobos baseball team finished this season with an overall record of 28-26 going 17-13 in the Mountain West Conference. They finished second in the conference in Head Coach Tod Brown’s third season with the team.
In the Mountain West Tournament, the Lobos lost to the San Jose State Spartans 5-8 and the Fresno State Bulldogs 1-6.
The best players for the Lobos this season were senior catcher Jake Holland, senior outfielder Will Asby, senior first baseman Reed Spenrath and junior outfielder Khalil Walker. Holland, Asby and Spenrath were all named to the first team all-Mountain West and Walker was named to the second team all-Mountain West. Holland also earned “Co-Player of the Year” in the Mountain West Conference.
Golf
The men’s golf team had a great season overall, finishing in first place in two tournaments: the National Invitation Tournament and the William H. Tucker Intercollegiate.
The team also finished second in the Mountain West Championship and 27th in the NCAA Championships. Additionally, senior Bastien Amat was named third team All-American.
The women’s team did not place first in any tournaments during the season, but earned fourth in the Mountain West Championship. Senior Myah McDonald and graduate student Lauren Lehigh tied for a top-20 finish in the NCAA Las Vegas Regional.
Both teams will compete in Inaugural NB3 Matchplay in October, according to a news release by the men’s golf team.
Softball
The Lobos softball team finished on a slightly disappointing note, as they went 16-38, going 8-14 in conference in Head Coach Nicole Dickson’s second season.
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On a bright note, senior infielder Rachael Hathoot was named to the Mountain West all-conference first team. She started at shortstop all season long, and batted leadoff with a .378 batting average; she was also UNM’s Female Student-Athlete of the Year.
Tennis
For tennis, the men’s team had a decent season. They went 14-10 and got past the University of Nevada Las Vegas — beating them 4-0 in the first round of the Mountain West Tournament — but lost in the next round against Boise State University 1-4.
At the end of the season, junior Arda Azkara earned his second Mountain West Player of the Year title in a row, according to a news release by the men’s tennis team.
The women’s tennis team finished the season with an impressive 19-3 record but fell 2-4 to the San Jose State Spartans in the first round of the Mountain West Tournament. Despite the loss, the season was a success as Head Coach Vicky Maes was recognized as the Mountain West Coach of the Year.
Track and Field
Track and field had a good season all around, but it was freshman Habtom Samuel who continued dominating into the spring cross-country season.
Samuel, a rising star, competed in the NCAA outdoor championship and ran his way into first during the men's 10k final. He finished the race in 28:07.82, beating second place by less than a second and becoming the first Lobo to win an NCAA title in outdoor track since 2019.
For the Mountain West indoor championship, the women’s team finished fourth and the men’s team finished fifth. For the Mountain West outdoor championship, the women’s team finished fifth and the men’s team finished sixth.
While some UNM teams underperformed and others thrived this spring, most can consider it a success, while others will grow from their losses. No matter what, these sports can build upon this season moving forward.
Rodney Prunty is a freelance sports reporter at the Daily Lobo. He can be contacted at sports@dailylobo.com or on twitter @Rprunty05
