Sports

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Kelly hopes to reverse trend

by Kenn Rodriguez Daily Lobo If you saw UNM quarterback Casey Kelly on the street, you might not even guess he's a football player. The 6-foot-3-inch, 193-pound junior is way too laid back. He's rangy enough to be taken for an athlete, but his demeanor is about as far from the hyped-up jock stereotype as you can get.

UNM recruit comes up short; denied admission

Days before the fall semester was to begin, the UNM men's basketball team announced Thursday that junior college transfer Shelton Colwell has been denied admission to the University. Colwell, a 6-foot-7-inch, 215 pound forward who signed a letter of intent in the spring to play with the Lobos, failed to meet the admission standards set by UNM.

Judge: NCAA limits to remain

Staff and Wire Reports A federal judge in Columbus, Ohio has ruled that it’s too soon to determine whether the NCAA’s rules restricting participation in certain non-conference basketball tournaments violate federal antitrust laws. U.S. District Judge Edmund Sargus Jr.

New UNM coach sweats the details

The little things mean a lot to Jeremy Fishbein. When Fishbein came to UNM last year as an associate head coach, players took notice of his attention to detail — whether it was helping them understand their roles on the team or thinking about their conduct on and off the field.

Early bird rankings rarely right

Pre-season football rankings count about as much as West Palm Beach ballots with hanging chads. But that doesn’t mean that people don’t take them seriously. Peruse any message board on the Internet and you’ll see sports fans spreading their smack talk based on the picks of prognosticators who haven’t seen one down of actual football played yet.

UNM hoops celebrates 100 seasons

While UNM football season is just around the corner, Lobo men's basketball took center stage last week. Thursday, Athletic Director Rudy Davalos and head coach Ritchie McKay announced this season the University would mark the 100th season of UNM men's basketball.

UNM camp teaches teamwork

The high school basketball season doesn’t begin until fall, but the groundwork for the upcoming season can be found in the summer team camps. Seventy varsity, junior varsity and freshmen teams are in Albuquerque this week laying the foundation for their upcoming seasons at the UNM Men’s Basketball Team Camp.

Women's soccer team to face steep competition this season

The UNM Women’s Soccer team finalized its 2002 schedule last week. To call it a tough slate might be an understatement. The Lobos, who finished second in the Mountain West Conference in 2001 after a poor showing in non-conference games, play six NCAA tournament participants in their 10-game non-conference schedule.

Weber retires after successful stint as head of men’s soccer

The coaching carousel at UNM spun again Monday with the announcement of men’s soccer coach Klaus Weber’s retirement, effective Aug. 31. UNM associate athletics director Janice Ruggiero said the University would begin a coaching search immediately. Weber, 59, began his coaching career at UNM as head coach of the nordic ski team in 1975.

NCAA picks Pit for tournament

In 2000, the UNM women's basketball team rode home-court advantage all the way to the Women's NIT title game. In 2003, the Lobos have the chance to use the power of The Pit all the way to the Women's NCAA Final Four at the Georgia Dome in Atlanta, Ga. The NCAA announced Monday that University Arena was chosen to host the first- and second-round games of the Women's NCAA Basketball Tournament on either March 22 and 24 or March 23 and 25.

Former NAU coach Sliva takes over volleyball post

UNM filled its final coaching vacancy Tuesday with the hiring of Northern Arizona University head volleyball coach Kelley Sliva.

Sports in Brief

Senior tennis player Courtney Choate was one of 15 student-athletes named to the Verizon Academic All-American at-large team on June 13. The group comprises female student-athletes competing in tennis, swimming, golf, rifle, skiing, crew and gymnastics. Choate graduated from UNM in May with a degree in marketing and a 4.03 GPA.

Upstart U.S. team not just lucky

With a well-earned place in the final eight of the 2002 World Cup, the United States soccer team has done the seemingly impossible on two counts.

Newbern named head of Lobos softball team

UNM filled one of its recent coaching vacancies Tuesday with the hiring of Washburn University head softball coach Kim Newbern.

Camping out with Brian

Former UNM football player and Chicago Bear Brian Urlacher gives pointers to children participating in his football camp Tuesday morning at the Lobo practice fields.

MWC board addresses academics, brushes aside rumors of expansion

Academics were on the agenda at the latest Mountain West Conference Board of Directors meeting in Colorado Springs, Colo. - expansion was not.

Golf team shows stability at NCAA Championships

The UNM men's golf team may have struggled to a 26th-place finish at last week's NCAA Championships, but it displayed the same steady play it had throughout the season.

Sports in Brief

UNM center fielder Matt Young, was named to the freshmen All-American team by Collegiate Baseball magazine Wednesday. He was also was a first-team Mountain West Conference pick. Freshman third baseman Josh Mader was named to the honorable mention team.

Sports in brief

The UNM track team finished the season at the Mountain West Conference outdoor track championships May 18. The Lobo men finished fourth in the six-team field, while the women finished seventh in their eight-team field. Top finishers for the team were sophomore Mark Johnson, who won the men's decathlon, and junior Keren Sari-Bentzur, who placed third in the heptathlon. Both are participating in the NCAA outdoor track championships in Baton Rouge, La. this weekend. Also representing UNM at the NCAA championship is freshman high jumper Kelly Myers, who is ranked 11th in the country. The two Lobo women are the first to participate in the NCAA championships since 1998. Brigham Young University captured both the men's and women's championships.