Sports

Sports

Men's Basketball: Mountain West tourney seeding on the line against the Aztecs

Isabel Gonzalez | March 4

The UNM men’s basketball team will host the San Diego State Aztecs on Saturday night to close out the regular season. There will likely be some added pressure to the game with conference tournament seeded still at stake on “senior night”, and head coach Craig Neal said he is not taking it lightly. “It’s senior night, which is always difficult emotionally,” he said. “Then if you win, you are in the fifth (spot), so you play on Thursday. There’s a lot on the line and I think our guys understand that. We’ll prepare accordingly.” The Mountain West Tournament starts next week, and Saturday’s match will determine the No. 5 and No. 6 seeds, an important difference because only the top five teams get a pass straight through to the Thursday quarterfinals.

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Sports

Beach Volleyball: Lobos feast on Redhawks 5-0 in season opener

Bo Yu | March 2

It was the first match of the season, and New Mexico beach volleyball looked sharp in a 5-0 shutout of Benedictine University at Mesa on Thursday in Arizona. The No. 18 Lobos (1-0) did not find much difficulty in the match, as all five pairs won in straight sets against the fledgling Redhawks (1-6-1). “I think it was a great start to the season,” head coach Jeff Nelson said in a release. “Everyone got out and played and played well at times. We didn’t drop a single game...I think it’s always good to have a match where we can work the jitters out.”

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Sports

Baseball: Lobos travel to Air Force looking to regain footing

Matthew Narvaiz | March 2

The Lobo baseball team will open Mountain West play on Friday afternoon as they travel to Air Force for a three-game series. The series matchup is the 182nd matchup between the two teams, with the Lobos (4-3) holding a dominant lead of 134-47 against the Falcons (4-3). According to golobos.com, the Lobos have won the last 10 series in Colorado, with the Falcons’ last home series win coming in the 2002 season. The Lobos also won the season series last year, taking two of the three games on the road.

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Sports

UFC: Welterweight championship on the line in rematch at UFC 209

Robert Salas | March 2

The rematch between Tyron Woodley and Steven Thompson for the Ultimate Fighter Championship welterweight belt is almost here as the two battle this Saturday in Las Vegas, Nevada. Both fighters on the main card for UFC 209 will be fighting to settle last year’s unfinished business. At UFC 205, reigning champ, Tyron “The Chosen One” Woodley held his title against No. 1 ranked Stephen “Wonderboy” Thompson with a majority draw decision, although the UFC reported Woodley as having a higher amount of total strikes during the fight, 113 to Thompson’s 60. Saturday’s fight will test both fighter’s ability to adapt and employ the lessons they learned from their first match.

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Sports

Women's Basketball: Lobos hope to close regular season out on a strong note

Matthew Narvaiz | March 2

The Lobo women's basketball team will play its final regular season game on Friday, taking on San Diego State on the road. New Mexico (15-13, 10-7 MW) beat San Diego State with ease earlier in the season on Dec. 31, 2016. The Lobos took down the Aztecs, 85-42, in WisePies Arena. as they will take on the likes of San Diego State – a team they beat with ease on the last day of 2016 and in its second Mountain West Conference game of the season, 85-42, at WisePies Arena. Both teams will be looking to finish the season with a bang and gain some much-needed momentum heading into the Mountain West Basketball Tournament.

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Sports

Men's Tennis: Lobos seek to defend Mountain-Pacific Invitational title

Matthieu Cartron | March 2

After winning five matches in a row the Lobos will travel this weekend to Stockton, California to defend their title in the Mountain-Pacific Invitational. The Mountain-Pacific Invitational an annual event that is in its third season and is sponsored by the Rietsch family and hosted by Pacific and co-hosted by UNM.

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Sports

Men's Basketball: MacDougall works hard, plays hard

Isabel Gonzalez | March 1

His whole life, UNM basketball player Connor MacDougall has been reaching for new heights — and not just physically. MacDougall, listed as a 6’9” player on the UNM roster, was a highly recruited power forward from the 2014 class. After playing four years at Corona del Sol High School, where he earned a Division I state title his senior year, the Arizona native got an offer from head coach Craig Neal to play with at UNM. However, MacDougall opted to play with the Sun Devils at Arizona State. He was there for the 2014-2015 season, but after a shoulder surgery, he transferred to South Mountain Community College, where he earned his associate’s degree in psychology while also being named NJCAA Division 2 All-American.

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Sports

Beach Volleyball: No. 18 New Mexico kicks off season in Arizona

Bo Yu | March 1

The UNM beach volleyball team will take on Benedictine University at Mesa in its 2017 season opener in Mesa, Arizona on Thursday. The Lobos just established their beach volleyball program two years ago, but have already enjoyed the fruit of success. Thanks to the impressive 17-6 record of the team last season, the latest preseason DiG Magazine Poll placed UNM at No. 18 in the national ranking. “We really have a handle on what we need to do to be successful,” head coach Jeff Nelson said on Media Day. “In the past, we’ve been learning. Now we’re playing better ball...because we have so much experience.”

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Sports

Sports communications director receives Rising Star award

Isabel Gonzalez | March 1

A member from the UNM men’s basketball program was recognized this week — but this member happens to be female. Chelsey Chamberlain, an Associate Communications Director at UNM, has been named the College Sports Information Directors of America Rising Star award winner for Division I. “I am extremely honored to be receiving this award,” she said. “There are so many people that have been a part of this journey and I can't thank them enough for the opportunities they have given me.”

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Sports

Baseball: Lobos can't muster runs past first inning in loss to Texas Tech

Matthew Narvaiz | February 28

After garnering a first-inning lead, Lobo baseball couldn't produce any more offense, going 1-for-9 with RISP as they fell to No. 10 Texas Tech in Lubbock, Texas on Tuesday afternoon, 7-2. Junior Carl Stajduhar was able to blast a two-run home run in the top of the first inning, but that's all the Lobos (4-3) would get as TTU (9-1) would score seven runs of their own in the innings to follow. Junior Luis Gonzalez got the start on the mound for the Lobos, but he wasn't as polished as expected. He allowed a TTU home run in the bottom of the frame, but things really began to unravel in the third, when he allowed four runs to give the Red Raiders a 5-2 advantage.

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Baseball: Lobos move on to face another tough opponent on the road

Matthew Narvaiz | February 28

For the second week in a row, a Lobo baseball player was named Mountain West Player of the Week. Junior Luis Gonzalez – who plays in the outfield and also pitches for the Lobos (4-2) – was recognized for his performance over the weekend at Dallas Baptist, despite the Lobos dropping two of their three games against the Patriots. Gonzalez gave DBU problems all weekend, going 8-for-11 (.727) at the plate, while also contributing a home run, two doubles, three runs and two runs batted in as part of his efforts.

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Track and Field: Lobo men and women both take fourth place at Mountain West Championships

Bo Yu | February 26

New Mexico track and field head coach Joe Franklin said there will be several Lobos heading to the NCAA Championships after the men and women’s teams both placed fourth at the Mountain West Indoor Championships on Saturday. New Mexico will be sending its distance medley relay team, men’s runner Josh Kerr and jumper Jannell Hadnot to College Station, Texas to compete in the NCAAs on March 10-11. The Lobo men scored 78.5 team points and the women racked up 72.5 at the three-day conference championship, buoyed by with 15 top-three performances, including wins in four events.

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Sports

Baseball: Lobos lose game, and series, after DBU blasts walk-off home run in extras

Matthew Narvaiz | February 26

Most would say that junior Hayden Schilling was the New Mexico baseball team’s saving grace on Sunday afternoon, but the tide didn't turn the way the Lobos (4-2) would have hoped. After Schilling tied the game in the top of the 9th on an RBI single, he continued playing the part of hero in the top of the 11th, where drove in a run to give the Lobos their first lead. But Dallas Baptist (5-2) hit a 3-run walk-off homer to grab a win on Sunday afternoon at Horner Field. Despite the end score, Lobo pitching was on point — especially from starting pitcher Johnathon Tripp, who struck out six while allowing six hits and three runs in his six innings on the mound.

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Men’s Tennis: Lobos extend unbeaten run to five matches

Matthieu Cartron | February 26

After three consecutive victories away from home against top teams in the region, the Lobos faced yet another test of their strength and character. But this time, the setting was a bit more familiar. The Lobos (6-5) faced both Texas-San Antonio and New Mexico State on Saturday in their first of three weekend home matches this season, and picked up wins against both. The squad seemed eager to battle in front of their home fans, and perhaps felt some additional pressure hosting arch-rival NMSU — a team it had not lost to in three years.

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Sports

Men's Basketball: Lobos lose third in a row at Wyoming

Isabel Gonzalez | February 25

Three-game losing streaks. One was snapped on Saturday afternoon, but New Mexico now owns one after an 82-71 loss at Wyoming. The win for the Cowboys (17-12, 7-9 Mountain West) put them back into the win column, while New Mexico (16-13, 9-8 MW) fell to 5-7 on the road. "I thought we played really, really hard," UNM head coach Craig Neal said in a release. "We got it down to a one-possession game, but we made two bad mistakes on defense. Instead of keeping our poise, I thought we tried to come back down and hit home runs."

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Women's Basketball: Lobos drop another last-second decision at home

Matthew Narvaiz | February 25

Buzzer beaters were there for the New Mexico at the end of the second and third quarter. But the Lobos did not get the one when they needed it most—at the end of the game. New Mexico (15-13, 10-7 MW) fell to Wyoming (19-8, 11-5 MW) in the closing seconds, 60-58, on Saturday afternoon at WisePies Arena. Head coach Mike Bradbury seemed visibly upset and kept his answer short and simple when asked why his team lost to Wyoming, saying it was his team’s inability to score on open opportunities. “Same old song,” Bradbury said. “When they got open shots, they make them. When we get open shots, we miss them... it's the same old thing.”

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Sports

Baseball: Lobos bounce back to win game two against Dallas Baptist

Robert Maler | February 25

Two heavyweights stood toe-to-toe and traded shots all the way into the final round, but the slugfest didn’t occur in a boxing ring, rather on a baseball diamond in Dallas, Texas. New Mexico (4-1) made it to the final bell and emerged as the winner, outlasting No. 23 Dallas Baptist (4-2) to take a 6-5 victory on Saturday afternoon. The Lobos landed the first blow, scoring in the top half of the first inning. UNM’s Luis Gonzalez laid down a bunt to the third base side to open the game and advanced to second base after a throwing error by DBU pitcher Trevor Conn.

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Sports

Baseball: Lobos dealt first loss of the season

Matthew Narvaiz | February 25

A pitching duel took place between the New Mexico Lobos and the Dallas Baptist Patriots on Friday evening, but the Lobos ended up with the short end of the stick and fell 5-2 in the first of a three-game series. New Mexico (3-1) struck out 12 batters, but Dallas Baptist (4-1) made the most out of the nine hits it was able to muster. Lobo starting pitcher Tyler Stevens had a decent outing, accounted for eight of the nine strikeouts.

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Men's Basketball: First-round bye in MW tourney still a possibility for Lobos heading into Wyoming

Isabel Gonzalez | February 25

With two matches remaining in the regular season, the Lobos are still fighting for a first-round bye that would take them straight to the Mountain West Tournament quarterfinals. On Saturday afternoon, the UNM men’s basketball will take on the Wyoming Cowboys, a team that the Lobos already defeated once this season. “The ‘next ones’ are running out. We are sitting 9-7...lost two in a row,” said UNM head coach Craig Neal. “We’re looking forward to our trip to Wyoming.” Both teams hold the same overall record of 16-12, but New Mexico’s 9-7 in-conference record has outpaced the 6-9 record of Wyoming in Mountain West play.

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Men's Tennis: Lobos to host UTSA and NMSU in first home matches

Matthieu Cartron | February 25

After picking up wins against BYU, Nebraska and Utah in last week’s trip to Utah, the Lobos will be hoping to continue their recent run of form in their first home matches. New Mexico (4-5) will play both the University of Texas at San Antonio and New Mexico State on Saturday. All of the matches for the UNM men’s tennis have been and will be away from home this season.The Lobos are scheduled to have just four more home matches after this weekend, which will be played against Northern Arizona, Fresno State, UNLV and San Diego State. After playing three intense matches in the previous weekend in Utah, the Lobos likely needed a week to recover and prepare for the two matches on Saturday. When asked about the fitness of the team, UNM head coach Ben Dunbar said his team is in top shape and prepared for a heavy schedule.