Colorado Mesa State has one more shot at getting a point against New Mexico. On the first day of New Mexico’s only home tournament of the season, the Lobos cruised past the Mavericks in a 5-0 sweep on Friday afternoon. It is the second time UNM has swept CMU (0-8).
Women’s basketball in New Mexico will have a different feel in 2016. Less than 48 hours after UNM was bounced out of the first round in a 75-67 loss to Weber State in the Women’s Basketball Invitational, Vice President of Athletics Paul Krebs announced that Yvonne Sanchez has been relieved of her duties as head coach. “I believe that five years is enough time for a head coach to really develop and produce a quality program,” Krebs said in Friday’s press conference. “I think the logical question is why extend coach Sanchez’s last year?”
The New Mexico softball team improved to 13-8 on the season with a doubleheader sweep over UTEP Tuesday in El Paso, Texas. The Lobos jumped ahead early in the first game behind a six-run opening inning that included three straight hits.
Going into the first round of the Women’s Basketball Invitational, New Mexico knew Weber State was fond of shooting the ball from beyond the arc. The Wildcats did not introduce any surprises and solid 3-point shooting bounced UNM out of the tournament with a 75-67 win on Wednesday night.
New Mexico’s women’s basketball season has not come to a close yet as the Lobos have opted to play in the Women’s Basketball Invitational beginning on Wednesday. For the second straight year UNM will be entering postseason play, this year as the No. 2 seed in the tournament.
The New Mexico men’s tennis team continues its hot streak, earning another sweep at home Monday against Northern Arizona. Windy conditions forced the event to be held at the Linda Estes Tennis Center in lieu of playing outside underneath the lights at McKinnon Family Tennis Center.
The UNM men’s tennis team, playing perhaps its best tennis of the season, finished Saturday as the last team standing in the Mountain-Pacific Invitational on Saturday. The Lobos knifed through the competition, surrendering just one total point against the competition over the two day event, although many of the matches were tightly contested.
In the second road trip of the season, New Mexico picked up three wins yet again to improve to 6-3 on the year. The weekend provided a change of scenery as UNM took from the Arizona desert sand to play on the Newland Street Courts on Hunnington Beach in California.
Just a weekend after being swept by Dallas Baptist, the Lobos had a chance on Sunday to the same against Nevada. Although the Lobos couldn’t win the final game in Reno, Nevada, UNM took the conference opening series by winning two of the three games against the Wolfpack.
The New Mexico women’s tennis team earned a split again on the road gutting out a victory over North Texas Friday and taking UT Arlington the distance on Saturday. The Lobos traveled to North Texas to start the last leg of its road trip in Denton, Texas. As rain swept through the area, the match was forced to be moved to a different venue.
In a season filled with criticism from one segment of the New Mexico fan base, point guard Cullen Neal will transfer from the University, the Athletic Department announced in a email sent Monday morning. The announcement followed a tumultuous run for Neal in his redshirt sophomore campaign.
The last 30 days have not been ideal for amidst New Mexico football's offseason. Towards the end of February, the UNM Police Department excersized a warrant to search the apartment of cornerback Nias Martin for an alleged rape on a 19-year-old UNM student.
For the second year in a row, New Mexico went one-and-done at the Mountain West Tournament in Las Vegas, Nevada. UNM, the fourth seed in the tourney, suffered a 64-62 loss to No. 5 seed Nevada in the quarterfinals of the tournament at the Thomas & Mack Center.
Colorado State punched its ticket to the conference championship game after Wednesday’s 60-42 win over New Mexico, potentially the Lobos' final game of the season. The victory solidified the Rams' national ranking as they remain undefeated against Mountain West opponents. The Lobos (17-14) only saw CSU once before Wednesday night’s contest, and the game came down to a final shot which fell to the floor as time expired. The Rams didn’t allow the semi-final round of the Mountain West tournament to be as close of a contest.
The New Mexico track and field team set a school record by sending the largest amount of female athletes in its history to the NCAA Indoor Championships. Three individual athletes and a distance medley relay team set the new mark which also extends a record eight consecutive years in which New Mexico has sent at least four athletes to the national championship.
Heading into just the second tournament of the season, New Mexico already has as many wins as they did all of last season. In 14 matches during UNM’s inaugural season, the Lobos collected a 3-11 record against tough opponents. Head coach Jeff Nelson said he saw it as a growing experience to start the program off with a competitive edge.
The New Mexico women’s tennis team looks to build on its first road victory, while the men’s team stays home to host the Mountain-Pacific Invitational. Women’s head coach Kelcy McKenna said getting the first victory on the road could be a pivotal moment in the team’s current road trip. The Lobos were able to salvage a split by defeating Rice after failing to close out the previous match against Houston.
The UNM Police Department exercised a warrant to search the Lobo Village apartment of Nias Martin, a junior cornerback for the UNM football team, on February 21. While no charges have yet been filed, an alleged sexual assault and kidnapping incident occurred between Martin and a 19-year-old female student who also attends UNM. The 19-year-old reported the incident on Feb. 20, with her father and sister.
New Mexico didn’t get off to the start it wanted on Tuesday, and paid the price despite assembling a late rally. In the bottom of the third, UNM (6-5) found itself in a 7-0 hole to start, something the potent offense could never quite recover from as the squad fell to NMSU 9-6. The contest was played on a neutral site in El Paso, Texas.
The last time New Mexico faced off against San Jose State, the Lobos fell to the Spartans on a last second shot from beyond the arc. UNM didn’t offer a chance for the Spartans to write a heroic script this time around as they won handily 65-51 in Tuesday’s contest.
Solutions by The State News
