The UNM men's tennis team showed it deserved its myriad awards by cruising past Air Force 4-0 in the first round of the Mountain West Conference Tournament on Thursday. Lobo head coach Alan Dils was named MWC Coach of the Year on Wednesday while three singles players and two doubles teams were named all-conference.
What a turnaround. Last year, after the Lobo baseball team limped out to a 28-30 overall record and a 12-12 Mountain West Conference mark under former head coach Rich Alday, Athletics Director Paul Krebs decided to make a change. His selection was a reliable and proven winner from New Mexico Junior College - Ray Birmingham.
Welcome to another edition of "From the Sports Gutter." This week, the topic is NBA Playoffs. The Spurs have been the team of the decade. But with a stacked Western Conference, it will be hard for them to repeat. The Celtics should roll through the Eastern Conference, as long as they don't piss off LeBron James too much.
Wide receiver Marcus Smith produced one of the most stellar senior seasons in UNM football history. He broke records. He played in the Senior Bowl. He was invited to the 2008 NFL combine and is a likely pick for this weekend's NFL draft. But through it all, the most important part of his success was missing.
NEW ORLEANS - Chris Paul had 32 points and a franchise playoff-record 17 assists, leading New Orleans to a 127-103 victory over the Dallas Mavericks on Tuesday night that gave the Hornets a 2-0 lead in their first-round series. David West scored 27 points and Peja Stojakovic 22 for New Orleans, which took a double-digit lead in the second quarter, led by as much as 25 in the third and never looked back.
There wasn't much competition out on the golf course this weekend. The UNM women's golf team cruised to a 19-stroke victory at the Mountain West Conference Championships on Saturday. The Lobos shot a three-day total of 888 - 12 strokes over par. Sophomore Jodi Ewart won the individual title, shooting even for the tournament.
The UNM softball team had its opportunities over the weekend but struggled to drive in runs when it needed to. The Lobos lost a doubleheader to No. 22 San Diego State on Friday before losing to UNLV on Saturday and Sunday at Lobo Field. The Lobos fell to 20-8 overall and 4-6 in the Mountain West Conference.
Before hosting a clinic for some of Albuquerque's youth, the UNM baseball team put on a clinic for Utah, sweeping the Utes in the weekend's three-game series. UNM opened the weekend Friday with a thrilling 12-inning 5-4 victory. On Saturday, the Lobos allowed fans to catch their breath as they eased past the Utes 13-3.
Riding a four-game winning streak, including a dominating series sweep against Air Force, the UNM baseball team built some momentum heading into a two-game series against Arizona. But momentum wasn't enough, as the Wildcats took both games from UNM this week at Isotopes Park.
Staff report The UNM women's golf team got off to a great start at the Mountain West Conference Championships on Thursday, taking a first-round lead. The Lobos took a nine-shot lead at 6-under par at the UNM Championship Golf Course. Sophomore Jodi Ewart is the overall leader, shooting a 1-under 72.
The No. 55 UNM women's tennis team defeated two higher ranked teams this weekend to close out its regular season schedule. The Lobos beat No. 54 Utah and No. 38 BYU before falling to No. 24 TCU on Sunday at the UNM Tennis Complex. UNM finishes its regular season 14-8 overall and 6-2 in the MWC.
Former UNM women's basketball standout Dionne Marsh will get the chance to take her basketball career to the highest level. Marsh was invited to attend the Sacramento Monarchs' training camp, where she will have a shot to land a roster spot. Marsh said she was let down when she wasn't selected in Wednesday's WNBA draft but will take advantage of her opportunity with Sacramento.
After dismantling CSU 15-4 on Saturday, the UNM softball team took the field looking to replicate the success. Coming off a day accented by 13 hits, Sunday was a different story but resulted in the same ending - a 4-1 Lobo victory. UNM head coach Ty Singleton said Sunday's victory boosted the Lobos' chances at winning the Mountain West Conference "We can continue to control our own destiny," he said.
Track and field Lee Emmanuel established himself as one of the fastest distance runners in the nation Saturday at Arizona State's Sun Angel Classic. The junior clocked a time of 3:40.77 in the 1,500-meter run, which is the fastest time recorded by a collegiate runner this season.
The UNM women's golf team made progressions as the season went along and will get a chance to make its biggest progressive impact next weekend. The Lobos will host this season's Mountain West Conference Tournament, which will be played at the UNM Championship Golf Course.
The UNM track and field team is enjoying one of its most successful seasons and is now getting some national attention. The Lobo women were listed as the No. 24 team in the country by the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association. UNM debuted at that spot in the first Division I Outdoor Track and Field Rankings for the 2008 outdoor season.
Senior tailback Rodney Ferguson enjoyed a fine season in 2007, rushing for 1,177 yards and 13 touchdowns for the UNM football team. But the then-junior missed the biggest game of the season, failing to participate in the New Mexico Bowl due to academic ineligibility.
Welcome to another edition of "From the Sports Gutter." This week, the topic is Major League Baseball. The American League has been putting a beating on the National League for the past decade-plus. Will any NL team step up to the plate and win the World Series this year? Maybe if the AL has an off year.
UNM head football coach Rocky Long said his team goes through cycles of experience and youth - and 2008 happens to be a year where inexperience will rule. So that makes the spring season, which begins this week, that much more important if the Lobos are going to continue to make strides in the program.
The UNM tennis team clawed its way to victory last weekend, racking up wins against Utah, Air Force and San Diego State. The Lobos beat Utah 4-3 on Friday before following up the win with a clean sweep against Air Force, 7-0 on Saturday. The Lobos closed out the weekend by defeating San Diego State 5-2 on Sunday.
Solutions by The State News
