Lobos’ 2026 Season Comes to an End in Mesa

The New Mexico baseball team saw its 2026 season come to a close over the weekend at the Mountain West Tournament in Mesa, Arizona, falling to Air Force in an elimination game after a strong postseason push.

The Lobos finished the season 29-24-1 overall and 12-11-1 in conference play, reaching the Mountain West Tournament for the third consecutive season. UNM opened tournament play with a dominant victory over Nevada before losses to San Diego State and Air Force ended the year.

New Mexico began the tournament with one of its most complete performances of the season, defeating Nevada 13-4 on Thursday at Sloan Park. The Lobos exploded for 13 runs over the first four innings and never looked back in the win, earning the program’s first Mountain West Tournament victory since 2017 and giving head coach Tod Brown his first conference tournament win at UNM.

Lenny Junior Ashby led the offense with a three-run home run in the first inning and finished 3-for-4 with five RBI. Antonio Gianni added a home run and three RBI while Akili Carris and Brodey Williams each recorded multi-hit games. Ryan Castillo worked through early trouble on the mound to earn his eighth win of the season before Cooper Corkrean shut the door with 3.1 scoreless innings for the save.

The Lobos carried that momentum into Friday’s matchup with top-seeded San Diego State, building an early 5-0 lead behind RBI hits from Gianni, Williams, Luke Mansy and Ashby. Mansy finished 3-for-4 with a double, stolen base, RBI and two runs scored while Williams and Khalil Walker each added two hits.

San Diego State answered with a surge in the middle innings, however, scoring three runs in the fourth, three more in the fifth and four in the sixth to erase the deficit and pull away for an 11-6 victory. UNM finished with 10 hits in the loss but stranded 11 runners on base.

Facing elimination Saturday morning against Air Force, the Lobos were unable to generate offense in an 11-1 loss that ended the season. Luke Mansy recorded both of UNM’s hits and drove in the team’s lone run in his final collegiate game, while Khalil Walker scored the Lobos’ only run in his final appearance in cherry and silver.

At the conclusion of the tournament, Mansy and Castillo were both named to the Mountain West All-Tournament Team. Mansy hit a team-best .667 across the three games while Castillo earned the victory in Thursday’s opener against Nevada.

Samuel Continues Historic Season at LA Track Fest

While baseball wrapped up its season, Habtom Samuel delivered another historic performance for New Mexico track and field at the LA Track Fest.

Competing against a professional field loaded with Olympians, Samuel ran 12:57.23 in the men’s 5,000 meters at UCLA, setting a new collegiate outdoor record, Eritrean national record and world-leading time. Samuel became the first collegiate outdoor runner to break the 13-minute barrier in the event and now owns the three fastest outdoor 5K performances in NCAA history.

The performance came just days before NCAA West Regionals, where Samuel headlines a group of 26 Lobos competing in Fayetteville, Arkansas, May 27-30. Samuel enters the meet ranked No. 1 in the West Region in both the 5,000m and 10,000m while fellow standout Pamela Kosgei ranks second in both women’s distance events.

Women’s Track and Field Repeats as Mountain West Champions

The New Mexico women’s track and field team continued its dominance at the conference level by capturing a second consecutive Mountain West Outdoor Championship in Clovis.

The Lobos totaled a program-record 190 points, completing a sweep of Mountain West cross country, indoor and outdoor championships for the second straight year. UNM became the first women’s program since BYU in 2004 and 2005 to sweep all three conference titles in back-to-back seasons.

Ajia Hughes captured the conference title in the long jump while Kosgei won the women’s steeplechase. The Lobos piled up points across the sprint, distance and relay events throughout the weekend as the women’s program secured its sixth consecutive Mountain West championship overall across cross country, indoor and outdoor competition.

The men’s team also turned in a strong performance, finishing fourth in the conference standings with 107 points.

Men’s Golf Finishes Season at NCAA Bryan Regional

The New Mexico men’s golf team saw its season conclude at the NCAA Bryan Regional in Texas after climbing from 13th place to finish 11th overall.

The Lobos struggled through the opening round but responded with an even-par second round and a 2-under final round. Johnnie Clark led New Mexico with a tie for 26th place at 2-under par overall after shooting a 3-under final round.

Mesa Falleur, Thayer Plewe and Emil Albers each finished within striking distance as the Lobos narrowly missed advancing to the NCAA Championships despite entering postseason play ranked No. 21 nationally.

Earlier in the week, Plewe was named Mountain West Freshman of the Year while Falleur, Clark, Plewe and Albers all earned All-Mountain West honors, tying a program record with four all-conference selections.

Lobo Soccer Finalizes 2026 Schedule

The New Mexico women’s soccer team officially finalized its 2026 schedule as the Mountain West prepares to welcome UC Davis, UTEP and Hawai’i into the conference.

Under first-year head coach Karley Nelson, the Lobos will open conference play at home against San José State on Sept. 24 before hosting Nevada three days later.

The full schedule includes 10 home matches overall, highlighted by non-conference contests against Northern Arizona, Gonzaga and Cal State Northridge along with road matches at Colorado and New Mexico State.

Briones and McKenzie Earn Academic Honors

Two members of the New Mexico softball team earned recognition off the field as Gabrielle Briones and Miracle McKenzie were both named CSC Academic All-District selections.

Briones, who graduated with degrees in criminology and psychology, finished the season batting .346 while starting all 55 games for the Lobos. McKenzie earned First Team All-Mountain West honors after leading the team with 16 home runs, 49 RBI and a .716 slugging percentage.

With spring sports coming to a close, several New Mexico programs head into the offseason carrying momentum after conference titles, postseason appearances and nationally recognized performances throughout the 2025-26 athletic year.