Sports

Sports

Track and Field: Men's distance runners pace string of strong Lobo performances

Bo Yu | February 12

Eyeing the Mountain West and NCAA Championships in a few weeks, a squad of Lobo Track and Field runners shined this weekend in preparation for regionals and national competition. Redshirt freshman Josh Kerr posted a pace-setting performance with his title in the men’s one-mile run at the Albuquerque Convention Center on Saturday. Kerr’s new personal record of 4:03.34 — good for second in the conference — moves him up to No. 8 in the event’s national rankings.

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Men's Tennis: Lobos to take on Cal Poly and Loyola Marymount in California

Matthieu Cartron | February 11

After two weeks without any matches, the Lobos are back on the road to take on Cal Poly and Loyola Marymount in San Luis Obispo, California. The Lobos (1-4) are coming off of an impressive 4-0 victory against Boise State (1-6). The Lobos have developed a rivalry with the Broncos and will be hoping to carry the momentum from that match into the weekend. Cal Poly (2-2) also recently played Boise State, winning 6-1 back on January 23rd. But the Mustangs are coming off of a 7-0 loss to Oregon, and have so far been unable to put together consecutive wins.

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Sports

Men's Basketball: Logwood steps up as Lobos improve to .500 on the road

Isabel Gonzalez | February 9

The Lobos stayed hot on the road and took a 74-67 victory over the Air Force Falcons on Wednesday night, New Mexico’s first win in Colorado Springs in over five years. The win improved the Lobos’ record to 15-10 overall and 8-5 in the Mountain West conference, and dropped Air Force to 15-10, 8-5 MW. Several factors played a role in New Mexico’s success. “We didn't turn the ball over tonight," UNM head coach Craig Neal said in a release. "We made timely shots and made some threes."

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Sports

Baseball: Lobos picked to finish first in the Mountain West

Matthew Narvaiz | February 9

The Mountain West released its annual season preview on Wednesday, setting high expectations for UNM baseball. New Mexico was voted the preseason conference winners for the 2017 season. Three Lobos were also voted preseason All-Conference. The Lobos, who won the Mountain West tournament in the season prior, picked up four first-place votes, narrowly beating out Fresno State, which received three first-place votes. Last season the Lobos finished 39-23 on the season and reached the NCAA postseason for the fifth time in the last seven years, according to GoLobos.com.

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Sports

Women's Basketball: Lobo guard Cherise Beynon posts triple-double in big win over Air Force

Robert Maler | February 8

Lobo junior guard Cherise Beynon finally has flirted with a triple-double on several occasions this season, but she finally pulled off the feat in a convincing win over Air Force Wednesday night. Beynon recorded 20 points, 12 rebounds and 12 assists to help lift her team to an 81-64 victory over Air Force at WisePies Arena aka the Pit. The Albuquerque Journal’s Ken Sickenger reported that it was the first triple-double for the UNM women’s basketball team since 1979. New Mexico (14-10, 9-4 MW) strengthened its hold on third place in the conference standings as Air Force (3-18, 1-10 MW) continued to muddle through a tough season.

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Sports

Track and field: Lobos host Don Kirby Invitational, eyeing big competitions

Bo Yu | February 8

“We want to make progress, get some people slowly climbing the ladder on the conference rankings, and get prepared for the conference championships.” Joe Franklin, head coach of the New Mexico track and field team, had that to say on Tuesday, leading up to the Lobos’ fourth straight home meet of the season. New Mexico will host the Don Kirby Invitational this Friday and Saturday at the Albuquerque Convention Center. The goal for the team for the last home meet before the Mountain West Championships is an obvious one — post as many qualifying marks as possible.

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Men's Basketball: Lobos look for first win at Colorado Springs since early 2012

Isabel Gonzalez | February 8

The Lobos are looking to lift up their spirits on the road as they take on the Air Force Falcons for the first and only time this season in a Wednesday night matchup. New Mexico leads the all-time series 57-22 against the Falcons.

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Women's Basketball: UNM can't afford to look ahead

Matthew Narvaiz | February 8

The Lobo women's basketball team might be in third place in the Mountain West standings, but the team still has zero room for error—at least, that's what head coach Mike Bradbury seems to believe. “I don't think we're good enough to look past anybody,” Bradbury said in response to whether Air Force will be a test for them Wednesday night. “I think we've made that clear to our team. I don't think we have any more talent than Air Force has.” The Lobos (13-10, 8-4 MW) are entering Wednesday night’s contest at WisePies Arena 18-0 at home against Air Force, while also leading the all-time series with a dominating 38-2 mark. Air Force is 3-17 and 1-9 in the Mountain West thus far, but still poses an offensive threat against the Lobos.

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Sports

Men's Soccer: Lobos ink four new players for 2017 season

Isabel Gonzalez | February 5

Last February, head coach Jeremy Fishbein and the rest of the Lobo men’s soccer staff got what Top Drawer Soccer ranked as the fifth-best recruiting class in the country. The head coach said he feels just as confident about this year’s signings. Four new players signed National Letters of Intent and will be ready to join the University of New Mexico in the fall: Nick Barreiro, Bailey Letherman, Nicolas Taylor and Alex Vedamanikam “Every class you bring in is an A+, you gotta believe that,” Fishbein said. “You believe in theses guys, you’re excited. They are our future, so yeah, I think they are all going to be stars. You don’t bring them in if you don’t feel they are capable of that.”

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Sports

Women's Soccer: Lobos sign 13 players for the 2017 season

Matthieu Cartron | February 5

Wednesday’s national letter of intent signing day was an eventful one for UNM women’s soccer, adding 13 new potential players to their roster. Future Lobos Brianna Rudolph, Madison Hirschman, Delaney Markham, Bella Starkweather, Kate Browning and Leilani Baker are all from New Mexico high schools. The duo of Brianna Rudolph and Madison Hirschman finished their high school careers with Eldorado while Delaney Markham and Kate Browning played for rival school La Cueva. Bella Starkweather played for Hope Christian and Leilani Baker ended her high school career at Rio Rancho. The heavy in-state recruitment demonstrates UNM head coach Heather Dyche’s faith in New Mexico youth soccer, which has produced many current and ex-Lobo players.

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Sports

Track and Field: Individuals shine at NM Classic & Multis

Bo Yu | February 5

The Lobo track and field team demonstrated that the New Mexico Classic & Multis was more than just a tuneup for them this weekend. New Mexico garnered one individual title and 22 top-10 finishes to provide evidence of the team’s focus on the Mountain West Championships. “It just shows they continue to get better,” head coach Joe Franklin said. “Even though it’s an off week, they are still competing very hard, taking it seriously.” Official team scores were not counted at the meet, but UNM posted impressive individual marks in several events.

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Sports

Women's Basketball: New Mexico uses big 3rd quarter to blow past San Jose State

Matthew Narvaiz | February 5

A halftime deficit wasn't going to stop the University of New Mexico women's basketball team from bringing home a win on Saturday afternoon as one Lobo put up a career high in points. Senior center Richelle van der Keijl notched a career-high 31 points as New Mexico (13-10, 8-4 MW) clinched another conference win, 82-72, on the road over San Jose State (7-15, 4-6 MW). Three Lobos ended the night with double-digit scoring performances, but none more impressive than the near-perfect 13-for-17 shooting from the field. She also reeled in 13 rebounds, giving her a double-double – her seventh of the season. Lobo junior guard Cherise Beynon scored a good amount from the floor, too, putting up 18 points against San Jose State, on 7-of-15 shooting.

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Sports

Men's Basketball: Lobos lose to SJSU for first time in 12 tries

Isabel Gonzalez | February 5

The Lobos’ second game without two key starters turned out to be more difficult than expected. New Mexico (14-10, 7-5 MW) suffered a 78-68 loss to San Jose State on Saturday evening at WisePies Arena, the Lobos’ first ever loss to the Spartans. They had previously been 14-0 against the team dating back to 1961. The victory had some additional significance for San Jose State, as the program hasn’t reached reached 10 wins since the 2010-11 season. They got their 11th of the season against a team that was 9-2 at home going into Saturday’s matchup.

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Men's Basketball: Lobos hanging around the top of the MW standings despite being short-handed

Isabel Gonzalez | February 4

New Mexico is half a game away from first place in the Mountain West again, and the team could have a chance to move up in the conference standings this weekend. “These guys have to understand that you’re a half-game back and we have to get better,” UNM head coach Craig Neal said during Friday’s press conference. “That’s the method to the madness, that’s what I’m telling them. We have to get better, we have to keep winning at home.” The Lobos are hosting the San José State Spartans on Saturday afternoon. The two teams first faced each other back in 1961, and the Lobos have yet to see a loss.

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Women's Basketball: Team looks to rebound from UNLV loss against San Jose State

Matthew Narvaiz | February 4

Injuries have plagued the Lobos in the month of January, and it had an impact in the team’s first game of February, losing to UNLV by nine points at home. It was the Lobos’ first game since losing sophomore Jaisa Nunn after she suffered a torn ACL against Northern New Mexico on Sunday. And the squad had already lost Emily Lines earlier in the season. On Saturday, New Mexico (12-10, 7-4 MW) will travel to California to play the San Jose State Spartans in the first and only regular season conference meeting, though they could face each other again in the Mountain West tournament in March.

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Men's Basketball: UNM hangs on for a hard-fought victory to stay in MW hunt

Isabel Gonzalez | February 2

The Lobos were dealt a bad hand with some injuries prior to Wednesday night’s game, but they worked with what they had and pulled off an 80-77 victory over the UNLV Rebels. The Lobos improved to 14-9 overall and 7-4 in the Mountain West conference and sit just below Nevada and Boise State in the conference standings. UNLV remained at the bottom with a 10-13 record, just 3-7 in league play. "We were able to make plays and spread the floor tonight," UNM head coach Craig Neal said in a release. "I am proud of our guys." The win did not come easy though, as New Mexico was missing senior forward Tim Williams, who had been a key member of the Lobo offense while averaging 17.9 points per game.

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Track and Field: Lobos expect "tuneup" weekend

Bo Yu | February 2

The Lobo track and field team could be easing the throttle on the engine after posting two big weeks of performances, as it hosts a third straight home meet with the New Mexico Classic & Multis on Friday and Saturday. “Quite honestly, not a lot (are) happening this week,” head coach Joe Franklin said about the upcoming event. “This is more a tuneup week, rest week and training week.” The Lobos were still taking hard training sessions each day, will also aiming to recover from the past competitive weekend. Last weekend, the New Mexico track and field team managed to post a remarkable four individual titles and 13 top-three finishes at the New Mexico Team Invitational.

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Women's Tennis: Lobos shut out in Georgia, now seek first victory in Colorado

Robert Maler | February 2

UNM women’s tennis (0-2) left the state of Georgia without picking up a single point over two matches, but the team showed good signs against some tough competition. The team gave Georgia, which was ranked No. 6 in the nation, all it could handle on Saturday in doubles play. UNM doubles partners Andrea Leblanc and Diana Wong bowed out early, falling to Caroline Brinson and Kennedy Shaffer, 6-1.

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Women's Basketball: Lobos fall behind early, unable to climb out of hole

Matthew Narvaiz | February 2

The Lobo women’s basketball team trailed big at the half and, although it picked up the pace in the second half, wasn’t able to complete the comeback bid and fell to UNLV Wednesday evening. New Mexico (12-10, 7-4 MW) entered the locker room down 16 points. The team played better in the second half, but the deficit proved too much to overcome as UNLV (15-7, 6-4 MW) took a 61-52 victory in WisePies Arena aka The Pit. The Lobos saw three players score in double digits against the Rebels. Junior guard Cherise Beynon led the way with 20 points on 8-of-17 shooting from the field, while also bringing down nine rebounds for a near double-double. It was Beynon’s ninth game this season scoring 20 or more points in a game. UNLV earned a season sweep over UNM and she said not focusing on the little things is a big reason why. “I don't think we pay enough attention to details,” Beynon said. “Like I said, we defended them well, but we were told to rebound. They have good offensive rebounders, and since we didn't do that off the jump, they got a lot of second-chance points.”

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Men's Basketball: Williams is injured - what next?

Robert Maler | February 1

Injuries are part of the game, and the New Mexico basketball team has been hit with the injury bug on several occasions this season — but none bigger than the news that broke Tuesday. Head coach Craig Neal said the Lobos will be without senior forward Tim Williams for the foreseeable future, due to a foot injury sidelining the second-leading scorer on the team. “It’s with my great regret that I have to announce that Tim Williams is going to miss a substantial amount of time,” Neal said in a release. “We don’t know how long he will be out, but he has a stress reaction in his left foot.” Neal said the important thing was the overall health of his star forward, as they work to get him healthy.