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Sports

UNM women’s cross country shows potential to win another national championship

Matthew Salcido | September 6

Women’s cross country is always expected to be in contention for a national title at the University of New Mexico, and this year expectations are already high. UNM women’s cross country was ranked fourth in the nation by the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association NCAA Division I Women’s Cross Country National Coaches’ preseason poll, behind only Brigham Young University, North Carolina State University and Stanford University. The team was also picked to finish first in the Mountain West Conference in the 2021 preseason poll. If UNM women’s cross country hopes to win their third national championship this year, they will have to follow the recipes that gave them titles in 2015 and 2017.

Sports

UNM football wins first game of season

Spencer Butler | September 3

On Thursday, the University of New Mexico football team kicked off their 2021-22 season with a 27-17 win over NCAA Division I Championship subdivision opponent Houston Baptist University. After a 642-day gap for the Lobos playing at University Stadium, a large crowd welcomed their players back. Early on in the game, the Lobos dominated the Huskies as quarterback Terry Wilson passed for two touchdowns — one to tight end Kyle Jarvis and another to wide receiver Trace Bruckler — while the defense held Houston Baptist to zero points. Momentum swung to the Huskies in the second quarter after a 44-yard punt return by wide receiver Tyson Thompson and a 44-yard field goal by kicker Gino Garcia.

Sports

Kentucky transfer Terry Wilson steps into UNM’s starting quarterback role

Spencer Butler | August 30

Terry Wilson, a senior from Oklahoma City and a transfer from the University of Kentucky football program, won a spirited battle to become the starting quarterback for the UNM football program. As a high school player for Del City, Wilson was ranked as a three-star recruit and the 40th-best player in the class of 2018 by 247Sports. At Kentucky, Wilson recorded a number of milestones for a program not known for having great football teams; he is the only quarterback in school history to have 3,000 passing yards and 1,000 rushing yards, and is one of three Wildcat quarterbacks to get 20 career touchdowns.

Sports

UNM football to face tough season after start in September

Spencer Butler | August 30

UNM football will begin their 2021-22 season on Thursday, Sept. 4 against Houston Baptist University, an NCAA Division I Football Championship subdivision opponent, at University Stadium. It comes after a tough 2020 campaign, which saw the Lobos go 2-5 during a season that was shortened due to the COVID-19 pandemic, but also saw the team end the program's 14-game losing streak. Houston Baptist, who went 1-3 last season and averaged 33.75 points per game, will give UNM football a tough first game. Moving forward, things won’t get any easier.

Sports

UNM volleyball team to face trials at Titan Classic

Matthew Salcido | August 26

The University of New Mexico’s women’s volleyball team will begin their season in Fullerton, California this weekend at the Titan Classic, where they will face Fordham University and California State University, Fullerton on Friday, Aug. 27, and the University of California, Riverside on Saturday, Aug. 28. All four teams participating in this year’s Titan Classic could be judged in the low-to-mid-tier skill rankings based on preseason polls and past performance. This is to be expected for a UNM team that finished 4-10 last season and is predicted to finish next to last in the Mountain West preseason coach’s poll.

Sports

Mountain West releases UNM basketball conference schedules

Matthew Salcido | August 16

The Mountain West Conference released the University of New Mexico’s men’s and women’s basketball conference schedules on Friday, Aug. 13. For a women’s program that finished on top of the conference standings in regular season play, the new schedule could act as a roadmap to a tournament win; for a men’s team that finished last in its own said standings, conference play will be just one of many challenges for the team. Women’s basketball finished 11-3 in conference play, losing to only three teams: the University of Nevada, Las Vegas; California State University, Fresno; and the United States Air Force Academy.

Sports

New Mexico United hosts first public meeting on proposed soccer stadium

Matthew Salcido | August 10

On Tuesday, New Mexico United held what is promised to be the first of many meetings with the public to discuss the construction of a multipurpose soccer stadium in Albuquerque, hosted on Zoom by majority owner/CEO Peter Trevisani and Director of Communications David Carl. Many concerns that were brought up by attendees related to how this stadium will impact the local community. These meetings come after a study from Creative Artists Agency ICON that was commissioned by the city to explore the idea of a stadium for NM United, who currently play at Isotopes Park.

Sports

UNM student Andrea Howard swings for the fences around the world

Shelby Kleinhans | July 27

University of New Mexico student Andrea Howard has been a player to be reckoned with ever since she started playing softball for the University back in 2017, but she has truly shined in 2021. This has been a year of personal bests in batting averages and home runs, but more importantly, it’s the year Howard became an international champion. Howard has been a player with the Italian National Team since 2017 as a dual citizen and helped lead the team to victory in the 2021 Women’s European Championship earlier this month, which allowed them to qualify for the World Games 2022.

Sports

Lobo Sports Takes: Preview Edition

Gino Gutierrez , Shelby Kleinhans and Matthew Salcido | July 25

The UNM women’s basketball team had a highly successful 2020-21 season, finishing with a record of 15-5 and at the top of the Mountain West conference. The Lobos men’s basketball team had a dismal 2020-21 season, finishing 6-16 and struggling to assert any kind of successful offense. The UNM football team struggled to find anything positive during their 2019-20 season. The University of New Mexico softball team had a rocky 2020-21 season with a record of 10-36 thanks in no small part to a brutal first half of the schedule facing top teams including the University of Oklahoma, the University of Arizona and Oklahoma State.

Sports

37 fouls called during NM United match with El Paso Locomotive

Gino Gutierrez | July 25

It’s not often that an official takes center stage during a soccer match, but that was the case in the New Mexico United matchup against El Paso Locomotive FC on Saturday night at Isotopes Park in Albuquerque. The game ended in a 0-0 draw after 37 fouls were issued throughout the game to each team, with 23 going to United. Three yellow cards were also shown in the match — two for El Paso and one for New Mexico midfielder Andrew Tinari; United midfielder Juan Pablo Guzmán received a red card after the second half, putting the team down a player. Of the crowd of 10,303 fans at the game, many repeatedly voiced their displeasure with the officiating.

Sports

Lobo women’s soccer schedule announced for 2021-22 season

Matthew Salcido | July 22

The University of New Mexico women’s soccer team’s recently released a schedule for the upcoming 2021-22 season. The new schedule includes two exhibition games, nine home games and eleven conference games. The first home game is an exhibition match on Aug. 16 against Fort Lewis College. Matches to look forward to include the return of the University of Washington, former recurring competitors who also went to the NCAA tournament last season, and Northern Arizona University, who was one COVID-19 incident away from a conference championship and a berth to the NCAA tournament as well.

Sports

NM United edges Charleston Battery 2-1 in teams’ first matchup

Gino Gutierrez | July 13

New Mexico United defeated Charleston Battery with a score of 2-1 Monday night at Isotopes Stadium. This was the first time that United has faced Charleston and only the second match that they have ever played against an Eastern Conference team. This edition of “Monday Night Fútbol” at Isotopes park began tentatively as the teams got familiar with each other. The clubs exchanged minor advances, but not much action went beyond the midfield line. The first real scoring opportunity came from NM United in the 7th minute, but Charleston was able to deflect the ball out of play before it reached the goaltender.

Sports

NM United snatches win at home game against Colorado Springs

Gino Gutierrez | July 10

After about an hour of weather delay, the New Mexico United bested the Colorado Springs Switchbacks with a score of 3-1 on Friday at Isotopes Park. The two squads spent the opening minutes of the match feeling each other out. After NM United missed three early scoring opportunities, the first goal of the match came off of a free kick by Sergio Rivas late in the 16th minute that put NM United up 1-0. The match quickly became contentious, and both teams received yellow cards in the first half.

Opinion

OPINION: Systemic racism continues to prevail in U.S. Olympics

Maddie Pukite | July 6

Sha’Carri Richardson, the fastest woman in America, has faced injustice in her month-long suspension at the Olympic Games due to cannabis use, causing her to miss the 100m at the Tokyo Olympics on July 30. By enforcing this suspension, which started on June 28, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) is supporting racist policies and displaying a lack of grace and compassion towards those participating. The test was administered by the U.S Anti-Doping Agency to ensure a level playing field without drug use. However, it is important to note that cannabis is not considered a performance-enhancing drug by The Journal of Sports Medicine and Physical Fitness; therefore, it should not be a reason to penalize athletes.

Sports

Bill Dotson, former UNM wrestling coach, passes away at 81

Emma Trevino | July 5

Bill Dotson passed away on Saturday at the age of 81 surrounded by family and friends. Dotson is survived by his wife Linda and his children Charlie, Chad, Scott and Stephanie. As coach of the University of New Mexico’s wrestling team from 1980-1999, Dotson trained five UNM athletes that competed at the Division I level. Although the program was cut by UNM in April of 1999, Dotson was a powerful influence during his tenure as coach. According to Dotson’s son Charlie, Dotson was a good man who liked to laugh. “He was a man’s man, he was UFC before there was UFC or before UFC was the UFC

Opinion

OPINION: Five remarkable Lobo Olympians of the past

Matthew Salcido | July 1

Every two years, the Olympics gives nations around the world the opportunity to showcase their best athletes, and Lobos from the University of New Mexico have had more than a few chances to shine. Here’s a look at five notable Lobo Olympians from over the years. Cathy Carr Cathy Carr, the only athlete on this list to have an individual medal, holds the distinction of being the first athlete from the University of New Mexico to win an Olympic gold medal in 1972. At the age of 18, Carr won not one, but two gold medals at the 1972 Summer Olympics in swimming— the first, in the 100 breaststroke and the second, in the 4x100 medley relay.

Sports

Current and former Lobos advance at U.S. Olympic Trials

Matthew Salcido | June 24

University of New Mexico alumna Courtney Frerichs won a spot on the U.S. Olympic Track and Field team in the 3000m steeplechase and current Lobo student Abdirizak Ibrahim advanced to the semifinals for the men’s 1500m at the U.S. Olympic Track and Field Trials on Thursday night. Frerichs, who graduated from UNM in 2016, finished in second place in the finals for the 3000m steeplechase with a time of 9 minutes, 11.79 seconds, securing herself a spot at the Tokyo Olympics. Frerichs earned a spot in the final round after finishing in fifth place of the first round last Sunday.

Sports

Tod Brown introduced as new UNM baseball coach

Matthew Salcido | June 17

Tod Brown, a former head coach at North Dakota State University (NDSU), was announced as the new head coach for the University of New Mexico baseball team on Thursday. Brown will be replacing former head coach Ray Birmingham, who announced his retirement in April after 14 seasons with the Lobos. UNM Athletics director Eddie Nuñez said that Birmingham was involved in the process to select a new coach. “When we set out to find a new head coach for our Lobo baseball program, the vision and the goal was to continue to build our program that Birmingham built and elevate it,” Nuñez said.

Sports

New Mexico United duels Austin Bold FC, ends in 0-0 draw

Gino Gutierrez | June 13

Under a smoldering Albuquerque sun, New Mexico United returned to Isotopes Park on Saturday, June 12 for a 0-0 draw against Austin Bold FC. Alongside the game, the night was themed “Pride on the Pitch,” supported by 9,288 fans that came to show their pride; the game was completely sold out within its 75% maximum capacity restriction. A tentative game to start, both teams spent the majority of the first half feeling each other out, trading good scoring opportunities at both ends of the field. The ball was skyed on more than one occasion by each team, as the respective defenses swarmed the player who possessed the ball.

Sports

Isotopes get back into the swing of things as games reopen to the public

Maddie Pukite | May 16

Isotopes Park, just a short drive from the University of New Mexico, has been opening its doors to more and more visitors as Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham gradually lifts COVID-19 restrictions. Just across the street from the University Stadium and The Pit, this minor league team is playing in front of crowds again. The Isotopes returned for their home opener on May 8, over 200 days since they were last able to play at Isotopes Park due to the coronavirus pandemic.