A football fan's paradise started Thursday with the kickoff of the 2006 football season, and with all the personnel changes, this season looks like it will be a surprising one. Many top players are finding themselves playing for other teams this year.
Ever since the Pittsburgh Steelers won last year's Super Bowl, I have been patiently waiting for the next NFL season to start. There is only so much World Cup, tennis and golf coverage a sports fan can take.
At 5 feet 2 inches, she may not be the tallest player on the team. But what Gayle Tripp lacks in height, she makes up for in talent. Tripp, the libero and defensive specialist for the Lobo volleyball team, uses her high-speed serves and digs to help the team when it needs her most.
Head coach Kit Vela said senior Kaela Kelly is one of the most athletic players on the UNM women's soccer team. "She is a tremendous athlete," Vela said. "She needed to clean up some of her game, but athletically she's outstanding."
The UNM men's soccer team defense has proven to be one thing this season - stingy. The Lobos bounced back from a tough 2-0 loss to No. 10 UCLA on Friday night by shutting out Cal State-Northridge, 1-0, on Sunday.
by David J. Chavez Daily Lobo Without its starting quarterback for most of the game, the UNM football team won the battle of I-25 with a 34-28 victory over the NMSU Aggies. Kole McKamey injured his left knee on the third play of Saturday's game. Backup Chris Nelson stepped in for McKamey and threw three touchdowns.
by Steven Fernandez Daily Lobo After a long offseason, sophomore Max Jones is ready to get back on the tennis court. "I'm really excited," Jones said. "I took pretty much the last three months off, and it's really got my appetite back for this year." Jones is coming into the season ranked nationally for the first time in his career.
by Andre van der Merwe Daily Lobo Junior Lucy Scott knows she will have to be aggressive to help her team get back to the upper echelon of tennis. The women's tennis team advanced to the NCAA Regional tournament last season with the help of Scott. With Scott's development and consistent play, she can play a big part in helping the Lobos get there, said Kathy Kolankiewicz, UNM head coach.
by Steven Fernandez Daily Lobo Juan Ortega has always been one of the hardest workers on the cross country team. He worked so hard that early in his career it would frustrate teammates and coaches because he would suffer injuries from overtraining. Now in his senior year, it seems his hard work has finally paid off.
Junior Travis Brown is the Lobos' top returning receiver and is taking on the leader role with his three years of experience. As a junior, he's taking on the role for most seniors because of how young the receiving corps is.
In his first full season as a starter, he set the UNM record for shutouts in a single season for the men's soccer team. However, goalkeeper Mike Graczyk is much more likely to give recognition to everyone else around him.
The last three games were anything but a cakewalk for the UNM men's soccer team, and the schedule doesn't get any easier with No. 10 UCLA next on the list.Thankfully for the No. 15 UNM Lobos (1-1-1), they will finally have the opportunity to play with the fans behind them.
After losing to underdog Portland State last week, the Lobos aren't going to need any extra encouragement going into Saturday's rivalry with the aggies. "Especially after what happened last weekend, this game is going to be something very important to us," Lobo junior Tyson Ditmore said.
It's one of the biggest meets in the state every year.For UNM's cross country teams, it's also going to be a test of how good the Lobos will be this season.The cross country season gets underway Saturday as UNM hosts the Lobo Invitational at the UNM North Golf Course.
Finally, the offense showed a sign of life. The No. 3 UNM men's soccer team improved to 1-1-1 after its 3-0 victory over the University of Michigan on Sunday in Ann Arbor, Mich.
The UNM women's soccer team rolled in the UNLV Adidas Classic to improve its record to 3-1 on the season. The Lobos began the weekend with a 2-1 win over Oakland on Saturday. Senior Kristine Sweat handled the scoring for UNM with two goals.
The UNM football team's offense struggled in Saturday night's game against Division I-AA Portland State, and the end result was a 17-6 loss that was littered with mistakes.
The Lobos turned out to be their own worst enemy in their season opener. In Saturday's loss to Portland State, mistakes proved to be UNM's undoing as a load of errors led to the team's failure.
The UNM volleyball team ended a four-game losing streak Saturday by defeating Louisiana-Monroe 3-2. The Lobos (2-5) struggled early in the Baylor Clarion Invitational, dropping the first three matches before earning their second win of the season.
First and foremost, the people who put together the New Mexico Bowl wanted the game to be reasonably priced. At a press conference Wednesday, New Mexico Bowl Executive Director Jeff Siembieda announced that tickets are now on sale for the state's inaugural bowl game.
Solutions by The State News
