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.
Less than a week entering the nation’s top 25, the Lobos couldn’t generate a win and have fallen out of the Collegiate Baseball Newspaper’s national rankings. However, Dallas Baptist completed a sweep over New Mexico this weekend and have now entered the nation’s elite teams.
Going into New Mexico’s opening weekend, the Lobos’ goal was to garner two wins against fierce competition. Upon leaving, head coach Jeff Nelson said UNM wanted to get four.
So much for the New Mexico softball team needing come-from-behind victories this weekend. The Lobos offense struck early in its home-opening series and held leads to the end. Previously this season, the Lobos had allowed their opponents the first run in 12 games, but UNM scored first in all three of its games against Northern Colorado Saturday and Sunday, resulting in a sweep over the Bears. The Lobos’ offensive output led to final scores of 7-3, 8-3 and 10-1.
The New Mexico men’s tennis team extended its winning streak to five matches after an epic battle against BYU Friday and after besting Air Force twice in a doubleheader on Saturday. Head coach Bart Scott’s prediction came to fruition Friday when New Mexico and BYU engaged in a duel that lasted more than three hours. The tightly contested match saw several lead changes throughout the night.
New Mexico heads into the Mountain West Basketball Championships as the fourth seed following the Lobos' 71-66 victory over Nevada Saturday night in Reno, Nevada. The Lobos were assured at least a sixth seed heading into the regular-season finale, but San Diego State's 92-56 rout over UNLV ensured UNM would receive a first-round bye.
The New Mexico softball team captured two wins in a home-opening doubleheader against Northern Colorado on Saturday afternoon. The Lobos (10-7) struck first in both games, resulting in a 7-3 victory in Game One and a 8-3 win in the second contest.
The Lobos’ Mountain West tournament scenarios are simple: should San Diego State beat UNLV, the outcome of Saturday’s New Mexico-Nevada contest will determine what colors those teams will wear in a rematch next week. UNM will finish either fourth, fifth or sixth in the Mountain West standings regardless of any other outcome in this weekend’s regular-season finale. As long as the Aztecs beat the Runnin’ Rebels, UNM and Nevada will jockey for the fourth or fifth seeds.
Forward Khadijah Shumpert led the surge in her final game at WisePies Arena on Friday night, propelling UNM to a 66-42 victory over Nevada. The game was back and forth until late into the third quarter. With a 36-36 tie, Shumpert decided enough was enough. The senior scored 12 of UNM’s 14 points at the end of the third and into the start of the fourth quarter.
The No. 24 New Mexico baseball team knew it would have its hands full with Dallas Baptist coming into town. The Lobos’ offense has been outstanding giving the team’s starting pitching plenty of cushion to work with. However, in the opening game of a three game stand against the Patriots (6-3), the offense fell quiet against DBU’s starter, Collin Poche.
After three straight out-of-state tournaments, the New Mexico softball team gets its first taste of home competition this weekend. The Lobos (8-7) host Northern Colorado for its home opener after playing in events in Arizona and California to open the season. Saturday’s doubleheader begins at 1 p.m. with one more game in the series Sunday at 10 a.m.
New Mexico isn’t satisfied with just an entry among the nation’s best 25 teams. Head coach Ray Birmingham said it doesn’t mean much at this point in the season and that New Mexico warrants talks of being a premier team each season.
Solutions by The State News
