Sports

Sports

Women's Soccer: Lobos set to take on NMSU and UTEP

Matthieu Cartron | August 23

Experiencing a mixed start to the 2017 campaign, the Lobos (1-1) will be hoping to put a couple of wins on the books on the road against New Mexico State and UTEP. After beating CSU Pueblo in an exhibition game last week 3-1, UNM lost to the University of San Francisco 1-2 and beat Grand Canyon University 1-0 during the Lobo Invitational. In the previous season, the Lobos also split their first two games of the season. How the Lobos respond on the road in the next couple of games will be crucial to the rest of the season. During the 2016 season, the Lobos were unable to increase their momentum from impressive and important victories — their largest winning streak was two games.

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Sports

Men's Soccer: Preseason rankings recognizes defender as one of top players in nation

Matthew Narvaiz | August 22

Lobo men’s soccer has something to be proud of—specifically, junior defender Aaron Herrera has something to be proud of. Herrera was named to the Preseason Top Drawer Soccer Best XI list, Top Drawer Soccer announced on Monday, a release said. He was listed to the second team, projecting him as one of the top players in NCAA men's soccer. Herrera said the recognition felt good, but his goals are more focused on starting the season well and seeing his team achieve success throughout it.

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Sports

University President addresses letter from Higher Learning Commission

Robert Maler | August 21

Several sources have confirmed that the Higher Learning Commission sent a letter to the University of New Mexico electronically on Aug. 15 expressing concerns over the University's recent financial oversights, which are a part of a current investigation by State Auditor Tim Keller. Daniel Lidbit of NM Fishbowl reported on the nature of the electronic communication and how UNM's accreditation could potentially be at risk depending on several factors.

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Sports

Women’s Volleyball: Cherry tops Silver in exhibition match

Aaron Cowan | August 21

With 22 practices under their belt, Lobo players made final pre-season preparations, hosting their Cherry vs. Silver intrasquad exhibition match, Saturday at 6 p.m. in Johnson Center. Cherry came out on top, dominating all three sets and racked up scores of 25-17, 25-20 and 25-16. Head Coach Jeff Nelson offered his take on the game saying, "I was actually quite happy with how we played. We have nine new players. I thought they were nervous...They had to step up, and they did." Sophomore outside hitter Lauren Twitty echoed Nelson’s views, saying, “Overall I thought the energy and effort was good. I think it was a good chance to get the nerves out of the freshmen and to get them some playing time.”

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Sports

Women's Soccer: UNM earns split at Lobo Invitational to start season

Cameron Goeldner | August 20

The Lobos women’s soccer team (1-1-0) won their first game of the season on Sunday morning, as they defeated Grand Canyon University (0-2-0) by a score of 1-0.  New Mexico completely outplayed the Lopes, out shooting them 20-5 on their way to victory.

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Sports

Baseball: Former Lobo joins "the show" after getting called up by Minnesota Twins

Cameron Goeldner | August 20

Former Lobo baseball player Mitch Garver was promoted to the Major Leagues by the Minnesota Twins late Thursday night. Garver was called up to take the place of outfielder Robbie Grossman, who was placed on the 10-day disabled list with a fractured thumb. So far this season, Garver is hitting .291 behind the plate with a .386 on base percentage and 541 slugging percentage. He has also cranked out 17 home runs and 45 RBI for the Triple-A Rochester Red Wings, according to baseball-reference.com.

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Sports

Men's Soccer: New Mexico cruises through exhibition slate

Robert Maler | August 20

The New Mexico men's soccer team remained perfect, finishing up the exhibition schedule by shutting out Grand Canyon on Saturday. The Lobos looked sharp in their first two exhibition matches, dispatching of both Air Force and Colorado School of Mines by a final of 3-1. UNM put the defensive clamps on against the Lopes and preserved the shutout late in the match--something head coach Jeremy Fishbein seemed to take note of.

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Sports

Women's Soccer: Lobos play tough, but fall short in season opener

Robert Maler | August 20

The New Mexico women’s soccer team opened the season with a bang, scoring in the opening minutes of the match — but ultimately came up short against San Francisco on Friday night. UNM’s Emily Chavez, a senior defender, headed in a goal off a corner kick at the 2:37 mark to put the Lobos up 1-0. Many things appeared to go well for the Lobos (0-1-0). The team outshot its opponent 19-14 and ended up with eight shots on goal for the match. New Mexico Head Coach Heather Dyche said she was pleased with what she saw overall and the mistakes the team made are correctable.

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Sports

Women's Soccer: UNM takes exhibition match, look to ride momentum into Lobo Invitational

Robert Maler | August 18

The Lobo women’s soccer team followed suit by picking up a win in its first exhibition game, duplicating the effort of the men’s team and walking away with a 3-1 victory over Colorado State-Pueblo on Wednesday night. New Mexico’s men’s team gave up the first goal in its exhibition match against Air Force, but responded to score the final three goals of the match to win 3-1. The women got the same result, but took a different path in getting there. Senior midfielder Claire Lynch helped the Lobos find the scoreboard first, striking the ball from distance and finding the back of the net.

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Sports

Football: Former Lobo gets another shot at making it in the NFL

Cameron Goeldner | August 17

Former Lobo running back Jhurell Pressley signed to a contract with the Atlanta Falcons on Wednesday following an injury and the subsequent release of running back B.J. Daniels, according to the team's website. Pressley, who was a member of the Falcons practice team last season, originally signed with the Minnesota Vikings as an undrafted free agent following the 2016 NFL Draft. After being released by the Vikings last September, he was claimed on waivers by the Green Bay Packers, but didn't stick there either.

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Sports

Women’s soccer: Lobos open 2017 campaign at home to San Francisco

Matthieu Cartron | August 14

Ambitious. That is the word senior forward Claire Lynch used to describe the UNM women's soccer team, one that is full of new faces and fresh promise. The Lobos will be hoping to improve upon last year’s record of 9-7-3 — and this time, they will have more opportunities to showcase their talent in front of a home crowd. The team is schedule to play on its home turf at the UNM Soccer Complex 11 times this season, compared to just seven such matches last season. In the 2016 campaign, the Lobos fell short of qualifying for the Mountain West Conference Tournament, despite beating conference powerhouses San Diego State and Utah State.

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News

UNM finds interim athletics director

Nichole Harwood | August 13

UNM interim President Chaouki Abdallah has appointed Janice Ruggiero as Acting Director of Intercollegiate Athletics while UNM continues it’s search to fill the position permanently. The transition from Paul Krebs’ term has gone as smoothly as possible and her experience has prepared her for the temporary position, Ruggiero said. “I have been very fortunate to have overseen most departments within our athletic department excluding the external operations,” she said. “I have been here for almost 28 years so I know the different individuals to go to for most situations that may arise.” 

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Sports

Men's Soccer: Lobos finish strong in opening exhibition game

Robert Maler | August 13

UNM’s men’s soccer was unbeaten at home last season and continued to protect home turf with an exhibition win over Air Force on Saturday. Both teams had stretches in the first half where each controlled the ball, but Air Force and New Mexico played to a dead heat, going into halftime tied 0-0 at the UNM Soccer Complex. The Falcons struck first, putting an Austin Dewing shot past the goalkeeper at the 61:11 mark to snag a 1-0 advantage over the Lobos. But the lead was short-lived.

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Sports

Men's Soccer: Lobos begin 2017 campaign with exhibition match against Air Force

Robert Maler | August 12

The New Mexico men’s soccer team has a nearly even split of new and returning players, and they are likely itching to showcase their talents in some upcoming exhibition matches. Head coach Jeremy Fishbein said the coaching staff is just as excited, and all the work that has been put in since January will finally be put into action on Saturday, Aug. 12 against Air Force. “It’s a new season; we’re real excited about the team,” he said. “The returning guys have really put in a lot of work and they are prepared — and I’m excited about these new guys and seeing them get their first college minutes.” Fishbein said there are 27 student-athletes — 13 newcomers and 14 returning players — and each will be looking to make an impact.

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Sports

Men's Basketball Q&A: Keyana Smith reveals how Lobos pursue academic success

Robert Maler | August 11

A recent academic award for the New Mexico men’s basketball team may have had Lobo fans remembering some of the issues and the start of last season and pondering the simple question — how? Former head coach Craig Neal said he was disappointed in several things early on in the 2016-17 season, prompting him to shake up the starting lineup. He cited some of the issues having to do with effort on the court but also said there were players that were failing to meet expectations in the classroom. The players answered the academic call, setting a high standard for others to follow along the way. The team picked up the pace to secure a cumulative grade point average that reached 3.05. Tim Williams, who was a senior last season, said the players realized that if they didn’t take care of things in the classroom, there wouldn’t be basketball. He said they decided to really buckle down to get things corrected.

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Sports

Track and Field: New and former Lobos notch strong showings in international competition

Cameron Goeldner | August 11

Four current and former Lobos track and field athletes are currently competing at the IAAF World Championships in London, England. Current Lobo and reigning NCAA Champion Josh Kerr will represent Great Britain in the 1,500 Meter Run and is joined by Lobo Alumni and Olympians Courtney Frerichs, who will compete for the United States in the 3000-meter women's steeplechase and Jarrin Solomon, representing Trinidad & Tobago in the men's 1,600-meter relay. Armoush, representing Jordan in the women's 1,500-meter run will round out the field for the Lobos. In total, the Mountain West Conference will have 10 representatives in London. Kerr, who, in addition to being named the Mountain West Male Athlete of the Year, completed the indoor/outdoor sweep. He became just the 11th athlete in NCAA history, and the first since 2008, to complete the feat, winning the National Championships in the mile and the 1,500 meter run at the NCAA Indoor and Outdoor championships.

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Sports

Men's Basketball: New assistant coach prepares for ambitious season ahead

Matthew Narvaiz | August 2

His first day on the job was not much different from many others, albeit he is the newest member of the University of New Mexico men’s basketball coaching staff.

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Sports

Men's Basketball: Former Lobo Tim Williams signs deal to play overseas

Robert Maler | July 31

Former Lobo forward Tim Williams worked out for a few NBA teams, but found himself on the outside looking in after the draft. He still found a way to begin a pro career — multiple reports confirmed the big man signed with Atomerőmű SE, a professional basketball team based in Paks, Hungary. Although Williams will be thousands of miles away from the United States and likely adjusting to a vastly different environment, there will also be some familiarity.

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Sports

UFC 214: Jon "Bones" Jones reclaims light heavyweight title

Robert Maler | July 31

“The winner by knockout and now — and again — the new undisputed UFC light heavyweight champion of the world...Jon 'Bones' Jones.” That was the announcement booming from the golden voice of Bruce Buffer after Jones defeated Daniel "DC" Cormier at the Honda Center in Anaheim, California to emerge with the title in the headline fight at UFC 214. Jones has ties to New Mexico in more ways than one. He has trained out of the local Jackson Wink MMA Academy for many years, but he was also stripped of his title in 2015 following an arrest for a hit-and-run accident in Albuquerque. The incident occurred just months after he defeated Cormier in their first championship match.

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Sports

UFC: More than a title on the line for Cormier and Jones

Matthew Narvaiz | July 27

Saturday’s title fight between current light heavyweight champion Daniel "DC" Cormier and the former champion, Jon "Bones" Jones, is a spectacle in its own right. While Cormier has elevated to stardom, Jones has taken the beaten path of sorts after he was involved in a hit-and-run incident in April 2015, which stripped him of his title. Then in July of 2016 he was banned for a year from competing by USADA after he tested positive for a banned substance. The two couldn’t have been on more opposite sides of the spectrum, but at the same time, on equal footing entering Saturday’s rubber match. For Cormier, the fight represents a completion of himself as a fighter, since his only loss in the Octagon was to “Bones.” As for Jones, the fight represents the overcoming of his old self and the subsequent redemption of the new Jones.