Sports

Sports

Baseball: Runs hard to come by on the road, Lobos drop a 2-1 decision to San Jose State

Matthew Narvaiz | April 8

A late inning comeback wasn't in the works for Lobo baseball in game one of a three-game series at San Jose State. Instead, strong pitching from the Spartans’ bullpen stopped the Lobos from gaining control, as New Mexico (18-12, 11-2 Mountain West) fell, 2-1 on Friday night. The loss to San Jose State (12-17, 6-7 Mountain West) is UNM’s second conference loss this season – the first coming against Fresno State – and puts the team at a two-game losing streak. For the Spartans, the win marks their first against the Lobos this season after being swept last month in Albuquerque to start conference play.

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Sports

Lobos to face Boise State and Utah as Conference play continues

Matthieu Cartron | April 6

After a mixed start to their 2017 Conference campaign, the Lobos will be hoping to reassert themselves as Conference contenders in the upcoming fixtures. The Lobos lost a close match at home to Fresno State last Friday, but bounced back two days later, beating Nevada 4-1 in a dominant display. UNM (8-10, 1-1 MW) will face Boise State (4-18, 1-2 MW) and Utah State (14-7, 2-0 MW) in their next pair of Conference fixtures; the Lobos beat the Broncos earlier in the season 4-0, but have yet to face Utah State. All three teams have Conference ambitions, and they know well that each match from now until the end of the season is crucial—and could potentially define the remainder of their season. Although not traditional rivals, Boise State and UNM have developed a rivalry over the last decade. They have encountered one another in the Conference tournament several times, and their matches are typically close with little to separate the two sides.

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Sports

Lobos fall to another ranked opponent against San Diego

Matthew Narvaiz | April 6

The Lobo baseball team couldn't capitalize when it had the chance in a single-game matchup at San Diego on Wednesday evening. UNM stranded 14 base runners on its way to a 7-2 loss at Fowler Park. Head coach Ray Birmingham seemed frustrated with how his team performed on offense, especially knowing that his team was in scoring position plenty of times – including two stints where the bases were loaded. “We had a lot of at-bats tonight,” Birmingham said in a press release. “I'm not real pleased about it and it's something we better fix before we start our series at San Jose State on Friday.”

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Sports

Track and field: Lobos aim to find their positions at Sun Angel Classic in Arizona

Bo Yu | April 6

The New Mexico track and field team will travel to the Sun Angel Classic in Arizona, but the level of expectation now may not be as high as some might think. “A lot of times, when you least expect it something good happens,” head coach Joe Franklin said. Franklin said that the team will look to make improvements as they head in to each meet, but had that to say following the Don Kirby Tailwind Invitational. It was always a true philosophy for a head coach to relieve the stress of the team at the beginning of the season, and gradually put his athletes on the right track.

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Sports

Beach Volleyball: Lobos expect a winning home weekend

Bo Yu | April 5

The Lobo beach volleyball team will host its only two home matches of the season on Friday and Saturday at Lucky 66 Bowl. Taking on the familiar team Colorado Mesa twice this week, the Lobos are aiming at two easy wins, as they achieved in the 4-1 victory one month ago in Arizona. “I am looking forward to play at home,” head coach Jeff Nelson said in an interview. “We played them earlier this year. We have to be more focused and ready to go, because they keep improving and their coaches are doing a good job.” The Division II school doesn’t seem to bring much threat to UNM, as New Mexico dominated in all four matches between the two teams so far.

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Sports

Baseball: Lobos get another chance to beat a top-25 team against San Diego

Matthew Narvaiz | April 5

Wednesday night will boast another tough test for Lobo baseball as the team plays a one-game stint in California against No. 19 San Diego at Fowler Park. New Mexico (18-10, 11-1 MW) enters Wednesday’s game having won seven out of its last nine games. The Lobos earned series wins over conference opponents UNLV and Fresno State as well as a victory over in-state rival New Mexico State. During the stretch, two Lobo wins really stood out above the rest. After losing a sixth straight game, the Lobos showed they had plenty of fight by exploding for 25 hits en route to a 22-3 victory over Grand Canyon on Mar. 22.

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Sports

Baseball: Jared Mang latest Lobo to take home MW Player of the Week honors

Matthew Narvaiz | April 3

For the fifth time this season, a Lobo baseball player was named Mountain West Player of the Week. This week it was sophomore outfielder Jared Mang who took the reigns. Mang hit .471 last week -- including a weekend series with Fresno State and a game at in-state foe New Mexico State. The healthy batting average was also accompanied by more impressive statistics, including eight runs scored and seven RBI.

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Sports

Men’s Tennis: Lobos fall to Fresno, bounce back to beat Nevada at the weekend

Matthieu Cartron | April 3

The Lobos began their Mountain West Conference bid with a narrow loss to Fresno State and a decisive victory over the Nevada Wolfpack. Despite coming away with a split, the Lobos seemed encouraged by the performances over the weekend. The Lobos (8-10, 1-1 MW) played their first Conference match against Fresno State (12-10, 2-0 MW) at home. The Bulldogs beat UNM earlier in the season in a comprehensive 4-1 victory, but this time around, the Lobos made it much more difficult for the Bulldogs.

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Sports

Football: Ex-NFL head coach attends Lobo spring practice

Isabel Gonzalez | April 3

The UNM football team had a special guest step on the field during Monday morning’s practice. “Chip” Kelly, former head coach of the San Francisco 49ers, is “charging the battery” and visiting teams across the nation to see what different programs are doing. He left University Stadium with a lot to say about head coach Bob Davie and the Lobos. “I’ve always wanted to get a chance to get down here and watch practice to see what they’re doing. I’m just really, really impressed with how he is running this program right now,” Kelly said.

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Sports

Beach Volleyball: Lobos win two matches, fall to the Wildcats at Spring Challenge

Bo Yu | April 2

“Overall it was a great win and a solid weekend.” Lobo beach volleyball head coach Jeff Nelson had that to say in a release after the team changed its starting lineup at the last minute due to a migraine, and closed the Wildcat Spring Challenge with a 4-1 victory over Santa Clara on Saturday. The UNM beach volleyball team posted strong performances in Arizona this weekend as it took another win on Friday with its 5-0 sweep against CSU Bakersfield.

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Sports

Baseball: Lobos sweep Fresno with solid pitching, economical hitting

Matthew Narvaiz | April 2

A solid outing from starting pitcher Luis Gonzalez and a subsequent closing appearance from Carson Schneider was all the Lobos needed to grab a second win in its three-game series with Fresno State. Gonzalez, surrounded by a multitude of pro scouts, put on quite the performance on the mound. He pitched seven innings and allowed six hits and two runs, though he struck out five batters. “I love it,” Gonzalez said in response to going head-to-head with Fresno State’s starting pitcher, Ricky Thomas, who allowed two hits and three runs in six innings on the mound – and who’s also another prospect scouts were looking at. “I love the competition. Anytime you can get a good pitcher out there, it just brings out the best in all of us.

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Sports

Track and field: Lobos shine at home on a rainy Saturday

Bo Yu | April 2

Practicing in the rain during the week turned out to be effective as the Lobo track and field team fought off chilling weather to shine on Saturday at the Great Friends of UNM Track & Field Stadium. In the only home meet of the outdoor season, New Mexico posted a strong performance with six titles and 15 top-three finishes in its outdoor season debut. Despite the hot start, UNM had to endure weather conditions that were not ideal, as some light snow flakes fell from the sky occasionally during the events.

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Sports

Baseball: Lobos suffer first loss in league play, falling in extra innings to Fresno State

Matthew Narvaiz | April 1

It was a game of pitching on Saturday night as the Lobo baseball team put their undefeated conference record on the line against Fresno State. Both teams held each other to just eight hits in the game, even after playing a few extra innings. The end result did not favor the home team though, as the Lobos fell for the first time in Mountain West play after winning 10 of them to start the season. The 2-1 Bulldog victory over the Lobos put a stop to the streak, as the pitching duel played out on a cold, damp evening at Santa Ana Star Field.

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Sports

Lobos crush Fresno St in series opener

Matthew Narvaiz | April 1

To say it was cold at Santa Ana Star Field on Friday evening would be an understatement. But, for the Lobos, that didn't seem to matter, as they dismantled Fresno State by a 20 run margin – 24-4. Friday's win marked six straight and a perfect win-loss record in the Mountain West for UNM (17-9, 10-0 MW). Friday's win came on the heels of a well-rounded game both offensively and defensively. The Lobos succeeded in snatching 22 hits on 45 plate appearances. On the mound, UNM held Fresno State to four runs on nine hits.

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Sports

Men's Basketball: Neal out after disappointing, injury-riddled season

Isabel Gonzalez | April 1

March Madness came to an end in the most dramatic way possible for a program that didn’t make it to the tourney. On Friday night The LoboLair — an online aggregate of UNM athletics news — tweeted the breaking news of Craig Neal being relieved of his duties as the UNM men’s basketball head coach. A press release sent by Assistant Athletic Director of Communications Frank Mercogliano about 30 minutes later confirmed Neal’s departure. This may or may not have come as a surprise to those who have been following the program.

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Sports

Baseball: Lobos target 10-0 start to MW play against Fresno State

Robert Maler | March 31

The losing streak that the Lobo baseball team was stuck in nearly two weeks ago seems a distant memory, as the team returns home riding a five-game winning streak. New Mexico (16-9, 9-0 MW) looked pedestrian at times during the losing streak, especially with the bats going quiet on the road. But with one exception, the games were competitive against some of the top teams in the nation. But the Lobos have been perfect in conference play and will look to extend their conference record to 10-0 as it hosts Fresno State (14-10, 5-4 MW).

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Sports

Track and field: Lobos open outdoor season at home in Don Kirby Tailwind Invitational

Bo Yu | March 30

It may have been a rare rainy day in Albuquerque on Tuesday, but it was just a normal training morning for the Lobo Track and Field team as it prepared for the first outdoor meet coming up this weekend. Raindrops didn’t dampen the mood of the squad, but rather seemed to bring out encouragement for them to pass on their solid indoor performances to the outdoor season. “It could be raining in Utah, where the conference championship is,” head coach Franklin said in an interview. “We've got to used to run in less than ideal conditions.”

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News

Athletics symposium tackles problems in college sports

Cathy Cook | March 29

College athletes from different sports teamed up Monday at the second Symposium on College Athletics to discuss ideas of equity and fairness both on and off the field. The symposium was sponsored by the Lobo Scholars Program, which brings together the Honors College and athletics department to support students and student athletes. It featured 15 presentations on topics ranging from the challenges created by club sport structure to the societal pros and cons of football. Ryan Swanson, a UNM professor and one of the Lobo Scholars Program directors, said that this year’s symposium was shorter than last year’s because presentations were limited to only seven minutes — but he still thought the event began good conversations.

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Sports

Men’s Tennis: Lobos face Fresno State and Nevada as conference play begins

Matthieu Cartron | March 29

In their previous match two weeks ago, the Lobos beat Northern Arizona 5-2 after a difficult battle. Prior to the NAU fixture, the Lobos had lost four matches in a row, a disappointing run considering that the Lobos had managed to put together a five-match winning streak beforehand. It appears that the Lobos, thus far this season, have been heavily impacted by momentum. The Lobos have had two weeks without matches to prepare for the Mountain West Conference, something UNM head coach Ben Dunbar believed his squad needed.

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Sports

Baseball: Lobos down the Aggies 5-3 in 2nd meeting this year

Matthew Narvaiz | March 29

Tuesday night boded well for Lobo baseball. UNM (16-9, 9-0 MW) managed to play an all-around game in Las Cruces on New Mexico State’s home turf, Presley Askew Field, beating the Aggies (14-12) 5-3 to win its fifth straight game and second over its in-state foe this season. The win also brings UNM’s record to 9-2 over NMSU in the past 11 games. But a victory, at least in the early innings, wasn't immediately eminent. After two scoreless innings to start the game, NMSU put runs in its scoreboard first, on two separate RBI doubles to grab ahold of a quick 2-0 lead.