The University of New Mexico Lobos Men’s Golf team season came to a dramatic end on Wednesday. Though the Lobos had an unfortunate Round 2, they began the day in sixth place and had a chance of punching a ticket to the National Championship Tournament at the end of the month in Eugene, Oregon.
The second round of the NCAA Regional Men’s Golf Championship was one that the Lobos Men’s golf team wishes it could have back. The Lobos started today six shots over-par and only eight shots back from the lead. Toward the end of yesterday’s round, the winds started to play a huge factor. Not just for the Lobos, but for the entire field. Today wasn’t any different.
For just the second time all season, the Lobos dropped a conference series and are now at risk of losing a share of the Mountain West crown. Even with a loss at UNLV on Sunday afternoon, the Fresno State Bulldogs will at least own part of the conference title, while UNM must fight for at least a piece of first after falling to Nevada 13-9 on Sunday.
It was a beautiful morning in the Land of Enchantment as the Lobos kicked off the Men’s Regional Golf Championship.
New Mexico’s softball season ended on a sour note, being swept in the final three games of the 2016 campaign. The Lobos were within spitting distance of finishing .500, but after dropping seven of the team’s last eight contests, those aspirations were squashed.
For any sport lover, rivalries are known to have a little bit extra heat, a tad more physicality and possibly some extra jabbering between plays. UNM is no stranger to the culture. Here are some of the most notable rivalries at the University.
New Mexico may have a serious advantage coming into the NCAA Men’s Regional Championship this weekend – the Lobos are playing on a course they’ve practiced at hundreds of times. The UNM men’s golf team will be competing in the Men’s Regional Championship this week at UNM South Championship Course May 16-18. This course is one of six locations that will be hosting the tournament.
It didn’t take San Jose State the full seven innings to take the series from New Mexico on Saturday night. UNM was run-ruled in the sixth inning when the Spartans took a lead greater than eight in the bottom of the sixth inning. San Jose State walked away with a 9-0 victory in its final series of the year.
New Mexico continued its tear against Mountain West competition at home with a 5-4 victory against Nevada on Friday night. The Lobos, now 16-6 at home, have put together an 11-2 record at Santa Ana Star Field in league play. This could potentially bode well for UNM as the MW tournament is right around the corner, and will take place in Albuquerque, New Mexico.
New Mexico will look to build off Sunday’s walk-off win, in addition to ending the season on a high-note. This will not be an easy task when hitting the road to San Jose State this weekend. The Spartans possess big time hitters and strong pitching and currently sit second in the Mountain West with a 14-7 conference record.
The University of New Mexico announced on Tuesday that the athletic department has submitted a request to sell wine and beer at University Stadium and WisePies Arena. If the request is approved, fans of legal age could be drinking an alcoholic beverage at football and basketball games as soon as the upcoming 2016 season.
Obviously, the goal is to win the conference in order to take part in the NCAA tournament. However, head coach Jeff Nelson put together a rigorous schedule to boost potential RPI and open a separate path to place a bid for the postseason.
Senior Lisa Rodrigues waved good-bye to the Lobo faithful by trotting the bases with a walk-off homerun to beat SDSU 3-2 on Sunday. The Lobos improved to 23-24 (8-12 MW) on the season, snapping a four-game skid in addition to bringing a halt to the squad’s nine-game losing streak at home.
New Mexico’s fall will be tested early on, as UNM released its 2016 schedule on Monday morning. The Lobos won’t even be able to showcase the 2016 squad until a month into the season, with their first seven nonconference games being on the road. The first two games will be against nationally ranked opponents.
The ending to New Mexico’s long road trip did not go as planned as the club has watched its first-place lead shrink to just 0.5 games. For the first time in the 2016 campaign, UNM dropped a Mountain West series after being away from Santa Ana Star Field for seven games, the Lobos’ longest stint away from home.
Sophomore Tyler Stevens righted New Mexico’s ship on Saturday afternoon after Friday night’s difficult outing by the Lobo pitching staff. Stevens threw a gem, working in eight innings of one-run ball. While his performance wasn’t flawless, the righty was able to work through some tough jams to keep UNM in the ballgame.
UNM's pitching was much better than Friday night's 23-4 blowout, but it wasn't enough as the Lobos couldn't get the offense going in its 2-1 loss to SDSU on Saturday afternoon. UNM has now dropped its past four games, along with nine straight at home. The final game is set for Sunday at noon. This is a developing story.
New Mexico maintained its 1.5 game lead in first place on Saturday but not in the way they wanted to after falling to UNLV 11-6 on Friday. The Lobos received some help from San Diego State who beat Fresno State with some late game heroics by a final of 4-2.
New Mexico stumbled out of the gates on Friday night in their series opener against San Diego State. The stumble led to a nightmare game for the Lobos who were blown out 23-4 against the Aztecs.
As the season is winding down, accolades are beginning to come in for first place New Mexico. However, junior DH Chris DeVito and senior pitcher Alex Estrella aren’t just getting noticed for their on-field efforts in a tight Mountain West Conference race. They are also dominating in the classroom.
Solutions by The State News
