Iliana Limón Romero is the assistant managing editor for sports at the Los Angeles Times, but before her job at the sixth-most circulated paper in the nation, Limón Romero wore more hats at the Daily Lobo than many people have in their closet at home.
“I was a reporter, I was an assistant news editor, I was managing editor,” Limón Romero said — on top of being a photographer and, during her final year at the Lobo, the editor-in-chief. “I did some copy editing shifts and some design shifts, and tried my hand at a lot of things.”
From 1998 to 2002, Limón Romero studied journalism and Spanish at the University of New Mexico after growing up in El Paso, Texas. She joined the Daily Lobo her freshman year.
The opportunity to join the Daily Lobo early was pivotal in her decision to attend UNM over other schools with more notable journalism programs, Limón Romero said.
“The Daily Lobo was five days a week, and they took freshmen. They let you come in, they let you try, they let you fail,” Limón Romero said. “They let you just keep going and keep trying and learning, and that's the only way you can figure out whether you can do it.”
Limón Romero’s motivation for studying journalism was abundant, as her mother’s family owned a newspaper in Mexico and held a career in journalism in high regard. But her curiosity and penchant for reading, writing and asking questions when she was younger “coalesced” with her family’s background to make it the clear choice, she said.
When asked about memorable moments during her tenure at the paper, Limón Romero recalled decisions made in the newsroom about coverage of the 9/11 attacks. The newsroom had to determine which wire photographs were ethically responsible to publish. The staff also came together to pursue related stories they felt were important to share, including those of ensuing protests, she said.
“I will walk away from UNM with a bachelor's degree, but I credit the Daily Lobo for providing me with an amazing and invaluable education,” Limón Romero wrote in her Daily Lobo farewell in 2002.
Limón Romero went on to cover crime and later sports for the now-defunct Albuquerque Tribune. She then moved to the Orlando Sentinel, contributing to its coverage of the deadly Pulse nightclub shooting in 2016, earning the paper Pulitzer finalist honors in 2017 for Breaking News Reporting.
Limón Romero joined the Los Angeles Times in 2021 after 13 years with the Sentinel, eight of which were spent as editor for college sports and professional soccer.
While she had always kept in touch with sports at UNM and had experience covering high school basketball, Limón Romero’s transition from covering crime to sports came after a longtime high school football and basketball reporter for the paper quit just before football season began, opening up the position for her, she said.
“It took some time, because people expect you to be an expert immediately, and they're critical of you because, in my case, they were used to male sports writers,” Limón Romero said. “So it was that level of criticism and amount of homework that needed to be done, but I really enjoyed it.”
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Limón Romero currently serves as president of the Association for Women in Sports Media, a nonprofit organization that offers mentorships and support to women in sports media.
“It's an area where I think creativity and just embracing of new challenges is really encouraged,” Limón Romero said. “I've been fortunate that I've been able just to continue to move up and lead different groups of people and try dynamic and interesting things.”
Elliott Wood is a beat reporter and photographer for the Daily Lobo. They can be reached at news@dailylobo.com or on X @dailylobo
