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.
Media members predicted the New Mexico men’s basketball team to finish sixth in the Mountain West this season, according to a poll the conference released on Tuesday.
New Mexico was swept by Colorado State and Wyoming this past week. UNM started a new lineup at Wyoming, but the Lobos still fell 0-3 on Saturday as they had on Thursday against CSU. Middle blocker Simone Henderson started at outside hitter, Mercedes Pacheco at libero, and Cassie House was put into the front row late in the match. The moves weren’t enough to kick start UNM’s offense.
New Mexico had its fair share of chances at Nevada. However, the Lobos weren’t able to take advantage of those opportunities in a 35-17 loss to the Wolf Pack in Reno, Nevada on Saturday. The missed opportunity that ended any chance of a Lobo comeback came when wide receiver Dameon Gamblin fumbled the ball at the 1-yard line as he was fighting for a touchdown. Nevada recovered the ball in the end zone for a touchback, making the score 28-17 going into the fourth quarter.
The Lobos have ranked in the top 15 in attendance nationally every season since 2001, when the NCAA began keeping attendance statistics. In 2014, New Mexico ranked eighth with a total of 25,038 spectators in 11 games, and an average of 2,276 per game. It’s no secret that the Lobos like to see the UNM Soccer Complex packed for home matches. But it’s the job of one guy in particular to get that crowd going. His name is Travis Campbell, the director of operations for the Lobo men’s soccer program.
The New Mexico men’s soccer team lost its third Conference USA match 2-0 against the No. 11 Old Dominion Monarchs on Saturday night. The Lobos have yet to win a conference match this season. Their regular season was off to a promising start with a 5-1-1 record in the first seven matches. The one loss was against then-No. 1 UCLA. New Mexico was ranked as high as No. 7 in the NCAA Coaches’ Poll this season. However, the Lobos have dropped three of their last four games. Saturday’s match brought their record to 6-4-1 overall and 0-3-0 C-USA.
New Mexico women's soccer remains unbeaten in three meetings with Colorado State following Sunday's 2-1 victory in Fort Collins, Colorado, putting the Lobos back in the win column. UNM lost to UNLV last weekend and tied Wyoming in a scoreless draw on Friday. Goals from midfielder/forward Lindsey Guice and forward Quincy Slora against the Rams ensured that trend didn't continue. All 22 Lobos on the road trip saw playing time against either Wyoming or Colorado State.
New Mexico duo Rodolfo Jauregui and Augustus Ge walked away winners in doubles competition at the Balloon Fiesta Invitational on Sunday. The Lobos performed well in individual competition as well, with each player reaching the final or consolation final in his respective draw. Jauregui and Ge defeated the University of Arizona’s doubles team of Will Adkisson and Trevor James in the one set final, 8-4. “We played solid,” Ge said.
New Mexico’s run defense had no answer for Nevada’s pistol offense, allowing the Wolf Pack to rush for 351 yards in a 35-17 rout in Reno, Nevada on Saturday.
Solutions by The State News
