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The Bill Pickett Invitational Rodeo

Francesca Cicconetti | February 26

The rodeo – the quintessential showcase for cowboys and cowgirls. Anyone can be a cowboy, but the rodeo hasn’t always been considered an inclusive space for Black Americans. The search results for “famous cowboys” include names like Billy the Kid, Jesse James, or Buffalo Bill. The similarity between these individuals is that they’re all white. Bill Pickett, also known as the Dusky Demon, came along and changed that. Born in 1870, Pickett was an African American cowboy who introduced bulldogging, or steer wrestling, to the modern rodeo, according to Britannica. Today, most rodeos in the United States and across the world showcase this event. Pickett was one of the first Black cowboys to break into the traditionally white space of western rodeo.

Sports

New Mexico United shatters the land of entrapment stereotype

Nate Bernard and Jaymes Boe | February 19

The narrative of the Land of Entrapment is being challenged by New Mexico United’s team and fanbase, through the work the team does off the field. The documentary Underdog Uprising, which highlights United’s unique and committed fanbase, will be available for streaming on the Very Local app on Feb. 28. The documentary covers the work United and its supporters do to impact their community and how they challenge the underdog identity, according to Carlos Tenorio II, President of New Mexico United’s supporters’ group, The Curse. “We’re at the bottom of the good lists and the top of the bad lists… It doesn’t always have to be like that,” Tenorio said.

Sports

Isotopes manager Pedro Lopez shares hopes for 2024 Season

BillyJack Davidson | February 19

Pedro Lopez is at the helm once again as the manager for the Albuquerque Isotopes 2024 season. Before he went off for Spring Training in Arizona, Lopez hosted a brunch where he expressed gratitude and explained what he wanted to achieve in the coming season. The event took place on Feb. 17 at the clubhouse in Isotopes stadium where the guests were served a diner-style breakfast array of foods, all of which were made by the head chef of Isotopes park. During the meeting, Lopez talked about the new and upcoming prospects that the Isotopes have on their hands going into this season, with high aspirations for Bradley Zimmer and infield players.

Sports

Women’s basketball: Lobos cruise to a win against San José State

Rodney Prunty | February 19

The women's basketball team took care of business against the San José State Spartans as they blew them out 72-51 on Wednesday, Feb. 14. The Lobos remain in third place in the Mountain West conference with five games left of the regular season. Last time these two teams met up, the Lobos beat them on the road 65-54. With their latest win, the Lobos have now swept the Spartans – improving their record to 18-8 and 9-4 in conference play.

Sports

Men's Basketball: Lobos miss out on taking their revenge on UNLV

BillyJack Davidson | February 12

The Lobo men’s basketball team hosted the University of Nevada, Las Vegas’ Runnin’ Rebels on Saturday, Feb. 10. They came into the match tied for the #1 team in the Mountain West Conference after defeating the Wyoming Cowboys. The Rebels were able to take down the Lobos for the second home loss of the season at 80-77. The Lobos had hoped to take their revenge on the Rebels after the Jan. 9 83-73 loss, but came up short.

Sports

Women's basketball: Lobos get back in the win column with victory over Colorado State

Rodney Prunty | February 12

The women’s basketball team defeated the Colorado State Rams 62-46 on Saturday, Feb. 10 for a conference battle. Coming into the game, the Lobos had dropped two straight games, losing to UNLV and San Diego State. Last time these two teams faced off, the Lobos fell short, losing to the Rams 61-55. This time around, the Lobos were able to get their revenge and improve their record to 17-8 overall and 8-4 in conference play. They are in third place in the Mountain West with six games remaining in the regular season.

Sports

Isotopes: Team announces 2024 coaching staff

Thomas Bulger | February 9

Pedro Lopez will return as the Isotopes manager for the 2024 season – his second season at the helm. Last year the team went 68-82 overall and finished second place in their division in the second half of the season. Last year the Isotopes started their roster with Nolan Jones and Brenton Doyle who quickly got called to the Colorado Rockies after hot starts to the year. Lopez has been a minor league coach for 20 seasons and has an overall record of 1047 - 1059, according to Minor League Baseball. This will be his fourth season on the Isotopes staff.

Sports

Splat and splash

Elizabeth Secor | February 5

Last semester, The University of New Mexico Esports Club put together a team of seven players to compete in the Collegiate Cephalopod Association's Division 5 Championship for Splatoon 3. After two months of competing and a record of 7-1, the team won the national championship in December. Fernando Loya Avila – gamer tag “Bean” – started the team. The experience of playing competitively, they said, was different from casual play with friends where there are no prizes and it is just for fun and leveling up.

Sports

Women's basketball: Lobos play tough against UNLV

Thomas Bulger | February 5

The University of New Mexico’s women's basketball team lost to the University of Nevada Las Vegas 62-56 on Saturday, Feb 3. Both teams were on winning streaks, UNLV improved to four straight wins and ended UNM’s five-game winning streak. UNM fell to 16-7 overall and 7-3 in conference play – putting them in third place in the standings past the halfway mark of the season. The Lobos played well but fell a couple shots short of sweeping the back-to-back conference champs. Going back to the 2022-23 season, the Rebels are 30-1 against Mountain West opponents, including the conference tournament with their one loss coming from the Lobos a few weeks ago.

Sports

Men's basketball: Broncos responsible for the first home loss

BillyJack Davidson | February 2

The Lobo men's basketball team hosted the Boise State Broncos on Wednesday, Jan. 31 and saw the end of their four-game winning streak. The Broncos won 86-78 and are the only team this season that have been able to take down the Lobos at home. The Lobos fell to 18-4 overall and 6-3 in conference play. They are in third place in the standings through Feb. 1. The game started off with the Lobos breaking away with the score in the first five minutes.

Sports

Men’s Basketball: Lobos bring home their fifth straight win

BillyJack Davidson | January 30

The University of New Mexico’s men’s basketball team played their seventh conference match of the season at The Pit against the Nevada Wolf Pack and took home a sound victory for their fifth win in a row. The Lobos put on a dominant performance with five players scoring double figures and closing the game out with a 34-point lead at 89-55. On Monday, Jan. 29, the team swept the weekly conference awards with Jaelen House (#10) earning conference player of the week and JT Toppin (#15) earning another “Freshman of the Week” award. The team also improved to the #19 place in the Associated Press’ poll and now stands 18-3 overall, 6-2 in conference play and 11-0 at home.

Sports

Men’s Basketball: Lobos charge into the Top 25 rankings

BillyJack Davidson | January 29

On Wednesday, Jan. 24, The University of New Mexico men’s basketball team won their second road game of the season against the San José Spartans. Two days before, the Lobos jumped onto the Associated Press' Top 25 and took 25th place, landing them on the national level. The victory over the San José Spartans came only four days after they defeated the Air Force Falcons. During both games, the Lobos left their opponents in the dust when it came to scoring – 19 points over the Falcons (85-66) and 20 points over the Spartans (95-75). They are looking to dominate as they come home for their game against Nevada Wolf Pack, going into the match with a 17-3 seasonal record and a conference play of 5-2.

Sports

United promotes Luke Sanford

Thomas Bulger | January 29

New Mexico United announced Luke Sanford will be promoted to first assistant coach in a press release on Jan. 25. Sanford first joined the team in Jan. 2022 and has held a variety of positions. He has served as an assistant to the team but has acted as the head coach of both the U-23 team and the United Academy. He also served as the director of the Academy, according to the press release. United’s Sporting Director, Itamar Keinan, said in the press release that Sanford has earned his promotion due to his leadership.

Sports

Women’s basketball: Lobos defeat Fresno State 84-77

Thomas Bulger | January 26

The University of New Mexico women’s basketball team took down the Fresno State Bulldogs 84-77 on Wednesday, Jan. 24, making the Lobos third straight win. The Lobos are now 14-6 overall and 5-2 in conference play. The Lobos had a very balanced offense against the Bulldogs with four Lobos scoring in double-digits. Nyah Wilson led the team in scoring with 24 points and went 10-12 at the free throw line. Wilson is going through Mountain West play for the first time this season. After the game, she talked about how fun it is to play against teams that have different styles.

Sports

Opinion: Lobo football transfers to watch

Francesca Cicconetti | January 22

After what felt like a mass exodus via the transfer portal for Lobo football at the end of the 2023 season, the official mid-year transfer class was announced on Tuesday, Jan. 16. Hailing from the Power 5, Football Championship Subdivision and Junior University College, 19 players have been added to the Lobos roster. With the spring semester in full swing, the new coaching staff has wasted no time whipping the team into shape on the field and in the training room. In no particular order, here are five new rostered athletes to watch in spring ball and the 2024 season later this year.

Sports

Men's basketball: Lobos defeat the giants of the Mountain West

BillyJack Davidson | January 19

The Lobo men's basketball team went up against the top ranked Mountain West team, the Utah State Aggies, on Tuesday, Jan. 16 – taking a victory. They improved to 15-3 overall and 3-2, and gave the Aggies their second loss of the season, falling to 16-2. It was a hard-fought victory for the Lobos as they took the game 99-86. "It's great to have back-to-back wins against Division I teams. It was special, and we broke their 15-win streak," Head Coach Richard Pitino said. The game started off evenly matched. Nelly Junior Joseph (#23) scored quick in the match with a layup and a dunk, assisted by guards Donovan Dent (#2) and Jamal Mashburn Jr. (#5). In the first 12 minutes, the Lobos put on a solid offensive display passing into the paint, allowing for players like Junior Joseph and JT Toppin (#15) to pick up basket after basket

UNM women's basketball vs. University of Wyoming

Sports

Women's basketball: Lobos end Cowgirls undefeated streak

Thomas Bulger | January 19

On Wednesday, Jan. 17, the Lobos took down the Wyoming Cowgirls in a 68-61 win. The Cowgirls were one of the two undefeated teams in the four conference games of the season. The Lobos are now 12-6 overall and 3-2 in conference play. In a game where the Lobos missed seven of them, free throws were a huge factor in the game. The Lobos went 21-28 from the free throw line that came from constantly driving to the basket. The Cowgirls shot five free throws in the entire game and missed two. From the three-point line, the Cowgirls shot 7-30 but made a couple late to keep the game close. The Lobos went 3-10 in the game.

Sports

Men's Basketball: Lobos make a statement win

BillyJack Davidson | January 15

The University of New Mexico men’s basketball team took on No. 19 San Diego State University this past Saturday, Jan. 13 and earned a statement win – defeating the Aztecs 88-70. The team came in after a 83-73 loss against the University of Las Vegas, but rallied hard for fans. The Pit saw a record breaking 15,437 fans pack the seats – the most since 2009. The Lobos improved to 14-3 overall and 2-2 in conference play. The team remains undefeated in their nine home games. The game was a hard one from the beginning. San Diego State fell to a record of 14-3. This was the first time the Lobos faced the Aztecs since their March Madness title run last season.

Sports

Men’s basketball: living legends show for New Mexico’s birthday game

BillyJack Davidson | January 8

This past Saturday, Jan. 6, the University of New Mexico men’s basketball defeated the Wyoming Cowboys 77-60. The game took place on the 112th anniversary of New Mexico’s statehood and living legends came to celebrate it with fans. Former Lobo and Los Angeles Laker Michael Cooper and former Laker Shaquille O’Neal were present in The Pit supporting the Lobos in their gold and red jerseys. The Pit felt electric even before the game started and kept growing as the game went on. The first half started off strong with Nelly Junior Joseph (#23) stealing a pass and securing the first points of the game. From then on, the Lobos explosiveness, led by Jaelen House (#10), brought a strong offense and defense presence.

Sports

JT Toppin claims his Lobo fame

Francesca Cicconetti | January 8

JT Toppin has been named the Mountain West's Freshman of the Week four times this season and was recently ranked at #12 in Andy Katz’s top freshmen. However, he said basketball wasn’t always his sport of choice. He started playing football but after watching basketball with his grandparents, he decided to switch it up. From Dallas, Texas, freshman forward for the Lobo basketball team, Toppin, has been making his mark at The Pit. With his ability to produce on both ends of the court, Toppin has a talent that is helping push the Lobos basketball ahead this season. Toppin has continued to excel on the court and work to make a name for himself. With 17 points and 11 rebounds at No. 13 Colorado State on Tuesday, Jan. 2, Toppin is the second Lobo freshman to get a double-double against a ranked opponent.