Another week of competition across the University of New Mexico athletic department delivered a mix of milestone performances, postseason drama, and a few tough lessons as several Lobo programs continued their spring campaigns.
From women’s basketball closing the regular season on a historic shooting night to softball’s explosive offense in Alabama, tennis victories on the road, and track athletes preparing for the national stage, the New Mexico Lobos remained active across nearly every sport.
Women’s Basketball Closes Strong, Falls in Tournament Heartbreaker
The New Mexico Lobos women’s basketball ended the regular season in emphatic fashion before suffering a narrow postseason exit.
New Mexico shot a remarkable 60.7 percent from the floor in an 86–64 victory over Fresno State Bulldogs women’s basketball, the program’s best shooting performance in more than two decades. The Lobos dominated inside, scoring 46 points in the paint while leading for more than 38 minutes of the contest.
Destinee Hooks led the offense with 22 points, while Joana Magalhães added 19 and Cacia Antonio posted 13 points with nine rebounds. The victory capped a strong finish to the regular season as UNM won five straight games to end conference play at 22-9 overall and 14-6 in the Mountain West.
Ahead of the conference tournament, Hooks was named All–Mountain West, while freshman Laila Abdurraqib earned Mountain West All-Freshman Team honors after an impressive debut season highlighted by 34 made three-pointers and eight double-digit scoring games.
In the Mountain West Women’s Basketball Championship quarterfinals, however, the Lobos’ season came to a heartbreaking end. Hooks scored a career-high 29 points as UNM rallied from a 12-point deficit to take a late lead, but Boise State Broncos women’s basketball escaped with a 62–61 victory in the final seconds.
Despite the loss, the Lobos finished the year with one of the program’s strongest regular seasons in recent memory.
Women’s Tennis Wins in Riverside, Falls at Fullerton
The New Mexico Lobos women’s tennis split a two-match California trip, defeating UC Riverside Highlanders women’s tennis before falling to Cal State Fullerton Titans women’s tennis.
UNM opened the weekend with a dominant 4–0 victory in Riverside, improving to 9-3 overall. The Lobos swept the doubles point behind wins from Vivica Corley and Vianca Corley, as well as the pairing of Bente Vandeputte and freshman Yu Yun Kathy Tsai.
Tsai and Vivica Corley both added singles victories before Ramona Petre clinched the match with a straight-set win at No. 5 singles.
The road trip ended with a 4–1 loss at Cal State Fullerton, despite the Lobos claiming the doubles point for the sixth straight match. UNM finished nonconference play 9–4 and now returns to Albuquerque to begin Mountain West competition.
Men’s Tennis Splits at Jack Kennedy Classic, Adds Familiar Face to Staff
The New Mexico Lobos men’s tennis battled through a long doubleheader at the Jack Kennedy Classic, falling 4–1 to No. 71 Denver Pioneers men’s tennis before rebounding with a 4–0 victory over Lubbock Christian.
After narrowly losing the doubles point against Denver, UNM’s lone victory came from Alberto Perez, who secured a straight-set win at No. 4 singles. The Lobos bounced back in the second match as Tyler Waddock, Connor Dils, and Jakub Prachar all captured singles victories to clinch the sweep.
Off the court, head coach Rob Bareford announced the addition of former Lobo standout Aram Noroozian as a second assistant coach. Noroozian finished his playing career with 66 singles wins and helped lead the Lobos to last season’s Mountain West title and NCAA Tournament appearance.
Softball Explodes Offensively at Jaguar Classic
Lobos softball showcased both power and resilience at the Jaguar Classic, highlighted by a 16–1 run-rule victory over the host South Alabama Jaguars softball.
Freshman pitcher Caitlin Benningfield dominated in the circle and at the plate, throwing four strong innings while also blasting her first collegiate home run, a three-run shot that helped spark a seven-run second inning.
DeNae Vasquez-Dickson led the offense with a perfect 4-for-4 performance, while Miracle McKenzie added a home run and three RBI.
The Lobos closed the tournament with a dramatic 4–3 extra-inning win over Samford Bulldogs softball, as McKenzie homered twice and Benningfield struck out 13 batters in 7.2 innings, one of the best freshman pitching performances in program history.
Baseball Hits Rough Patch Against Tarleton State
After opening the season red-hot, the New Mexico Lobos baseball ran into adversity during a weekend series with Tarleton State.
The Lobos appeared poised to continue their home dominance in the opener, leading 11–3 entering the seventh inning, but Tarleton State mounted a stunning comeback with 10 unanswered runs to steal a 13–11 victory.
The momentum carried through the weekend as the Texans swept Saturday’s doubleheader 7–3 and 15–10 before finishing the series with an 8–7 win on Sunday despite a late UNM rally.
The Lobos dropped four straight games to fall to 12–5 overall and will now open conference play on the road against San Jose State.
Men’s Basketball Finishes Third in Mountain West
The New Mexico Lobos men’s basketball closed the regular season with a pair of tough losses but still secured a third-place finish in the Mountain West.
UNM fell 82–74 to Colorado State Rams men’s basketball in the home finale at The Pit before dropping a 94–90 shootout to Utah State Aggies men’s basketball in the regular-season finale.
Freshman standout Jake Hall delivered a historic performance in the finale, scoring 32 points and hitting seven three-pointers, both freshman program records. Hall also broke UNM’s freshman season scoring record and finished Mountain West play with 350 points, the most ever by a conference freshman.
Meanwhile, Tomislav Buljan recorded his 14th double-double, tying the Mountain West freshman record for conference double-doubles.
Football Schedule Highlights 2026 Season
Looking ahead to the fall, the New Mexico Lobos football received their 2026 conference schedule.
Head coach Jason Eck and the Lobos will host UNLV Rebels football, Air Force Falcons football, UTEP Miners football, and conference newcomer North Dakota State Bison football during Mountain West play.
UNM opens the season with home games against Central Michigan Chippewas football and Mercyhurst Lakers football, before road trips to Oklahoma Sooners football and rival New Mexico State Aggies football.
Diving and 🏃 Track Prepare for Nationals
Two Lobos competed at the NCAA Zone E Diving Championships, with Esme Abbadi-Macintosh finishing 43rd and Alice English placing 45th in the 1-meter competition.
Meanwhile, five athletes from New Mexico Lobos track and field qualified for the NCAA Indoor Track and Field Championships.
Among them is reigning NCAA champion Habtom Samuel, who will compete in both the 3,000m and 5,000m, along with Pamela Kosgei in the women’s distance double. Joining them are Evans Kiplagat, Matthew Endrody, and Marion Jepngetich.
The Week Ahead
With conference tournaments and championship meets approaching, the Lobos enter another pivotal stretch of the athletic calendar.
Baseball begins Mountain West play, softball returns to the state for rivalry matchups, tennis opens conference competition, and several track athletes head to the national stage — all while preparations for the 2026 football season are already underway in Albuquerque.
For the Lobos, the spring season continues to deliver both challenges and standout performances across nearly every sport.
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