The Mountain West announced on Monday wide receiver Carlos Wiggins received MW Special Teams Player of the Week recognition. Wiggins ran a 100-yard kickoff return for a touchdown in UNM’s 28-27 comeback victory over Hawaii on Saturday. It's Wiggins' first such honor of his career.
Head Coach Heather Dyche called Friday’s overtime loss particularly hard because it had been the best New Mexico has played this year. The Lobos made sure on Sunday that their best resulted in a win. UNM’s offense clicked into a gear not seen since the Sept. 3 Idaho State game, scoring three first-half goals en route to a 5-1 victory over Fresno State at the UNM Soccer Complex. The game saw the most Lobo goals scored this season, and the most they’ve had since netting four against the Bengals during nonconference play.
Head Coach Jeff Nelson’s newly added zone blocking scheme has rejuvenated New Mexico’s defensive muscle, translating to a jumpstart in the Lobos’ offense. For the first time since Oct. 6, 2011, the Lobos garnered a home victory over the UNLV Rebels. Coming into Saturday’s 3-1 victory, New Mexico had a 1-5 record for the previous six meetings between the clubs.
If anyone is questioning the No. 1 ranking of the New Mexico women’s cross country team, they are still searching for reasonable doubt. The UNM women’s cross country team not only took first place at the Wisconsin Adidas Invitational on Friday, but it dominated the field in the six-kilometer race and won by 156 points. The Lobo men, meanwhile, finished in 23rd place.
The Lobos kept grinding and finally got their reward. After losing its first three Conference USA matches this season, the UNM men’s soccer team (7-4-2, 1-3-0 C-USA) got a much-needed “w” in a 3-2 home victory over the University of Alabama at Birmingham, Sunday night.
Quarterback Austin Apodaca proved he’s ready for any situation. After sitting on the bench the entire game, Apodaca was inserted to construct an 80-yard drive with just 2:14 left in the game and trailing Hawaii 27-21. The Lobos had the opportunity to win the game after Hawaii missed a short field goal attempt that would have sealed the victory. Apodaca came through when he hit wide receiver Dameon Gamblin for a 28-yard touchdown off a double-move for a 28-27 win over Hawaii at University Stadium on Saturday. The quarterback finished the drive 6 of 10 for 70 yards.
For the second consecutive home game, New Mexico’s defense stepped up in the second half, eventually earning the team a late victory. Head coach Bob Davie said the game was a lot like the New Mexico State game on Oct. 3, where the Lobos didn’t come out with enough fire in the first 30 minutes of play.
Call the San Jose State Spartans overtime warriors. New Mexico became their latest victim. Forward Dorthe Hoppius scored a game-winning goal in overtime to lead first-place San Jose State to a 2-1 victory over the Lobos Friday night at the UNM Soccer Complex.
To get the freshmen acclimated to the ambiance of WisePies Arena, aka The Pit, everyone is required to take part in the annual dance at the Lobo Howl. Barring injury, this is non-negotiable. For incoming freshman guard Emily Lines, the dance was the most worrisome part of her introduction to New Mexico fans.
Craig Neal definitely knows how to make an entrance. At the annual Lobo Howl, the men’s basketball team began its portion with Lobo Louie dancing through the decades to various hit songs. The crowd of 6,676 erupted when Louie took off his head to reveal himself as the team's head coach.
New Mexico and San Jose State are both trying to position themselves to knock off three-time Mountain West women’s soccer champ San Diego State. After this Friday's game, one of them could have an inside track against the Aztecs. The third-place Lobos host the Spartans, who are tied with San Diego State atop the standings, in a potentially pivotal contest Friday night at the UNM Soccer Complex. Only two points in the standings separate UNM (6-6-1, 4-1-1 MW) from the two co-leaders at the conference’s midway point.
The Lobo cross country team is ready to compete at the Wisconsin Adidas Invitational on Friday. The women’s team showed why it is worthy of its No. 1 national ranking, winning in dominant fashion at Notre Dame. The event saw five Lobos finish in the top 12 and senior Courtney Frerichs receive Mountain West Cross Country Athlete of the Week honors.
All season, Nelson has been trying to find a way to limit the errors and find a rotation that worked to his advantage. He may have just found some answers. With a new blocking scheme, a unique look at the libero spot, and limited errors, the Lobos took down Fresno State 3-0 Thursday night at Johnson Center.
No one has questioned Khadijah Shumpert’s valued role as a forward on the New Mexico roster. Now, the senior forward is getting recognition across the Mountain West after being named to the College Sports Madness’ All-Mountain West First Team. The Lobo captain averaged 10.8 points per contest (16th MW) and a team-high 5.8 boards per game (15th MW). Shumpert had a successful season while gutting out an ankle injury for a greater part of the 2014-15 campaign. Shumpert’s ability to make her presence, emerging as one of the UNM leaders, came in her sophomore season where she finished among the top-15 conference players in rebounds and blocked shots. With a healthy ankle in mix with her final season in Cherry and Silver, the 6-footer from Minnesota has the potential to make some noise in the Mountain West this year. Liam Cary-Eaves is the sports editor for the Daily Lobo.
Alyssa Coonrod: an attacking midfielder who has been playing at a left back defensive position. Jennifer Muñoz: listed at midfielder/forward seeing time at the center back spot. Quincy Slora: a forward who has been at about every position possible. Several players on the New Mexico women’s soccer team are getting action outside their natural positions. In some cases those players are thriving in their new roles, head coach Heather Dyche said.
A season ago, the New Mexico women’s basketball team overcame adversity to finish second in the conference with an NIT bid. This year, the Lobos have their sights set higher. The 2014-15 campaign saw a preseason ranking of ninth, the loss of UNM’s only true center and a shaky 1-7 start in head coach Yvonne Sanchez’s contract year. Yet the team finished second in the Mountain West and made it to the MW Championship game.
The No. 23 UNM men’s soccer team fought through double overtime and finished its last nonconference match of the season with a 1-1 draw with Valparaiso Wednesday night. “That was a good opponent.
At the halfway point of the season, New Mexico is still trying to work out the kinks in its offense. UNM's’ triple-option attack hasn’t been as precise as it has in the past. Good teams have figured out how to snuff out the Lobos' threat on the edge and stop them from gaining yards up the middle.
New Mexico’s misfortune on the road warrants a need to foster wins in front of a home audience. Away games have been a bit of a sore spot for UNM during the 2015 campaign, as the Lobos have only pieced together a 1-5 record in enemy territory. At Johnson Center and WisePies Arena, New Mexico has been able to garner a 5-3 record.
Head coach Bob Davie announced Wednesday night the suspensions of defensive backs Isaiah Brown and Markel Bryd for violating the team’s class attendance policy. Both will miss Saturday’s game against Hawaii.
Solutions by The State News
