Lobos Earn Top 10 Finish at NCAA Women’s Golf Championship
SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. – The New Mexico women’s golf team concluded its run at the 2023 NCAA Women’s Golf Championship with a strong fourth round Monday at Grayhawk Golf Club, finishing tied for ninth place. The Lobos shot a 1-under round on Monday to finish at 11-over for the event, earning the program’s first top-10 finish in 25 years.
The Lobos earned its best finish at NCAAs since a T-8th in 1998, but just missed qualifying for the match play quarterfinals. Stanford (19-under), Texas (14-under), Wake Forest (13-under), South Carolina (1-over), USC (2-over), Florida State (3-over), Texas A&M (4-over), and Pepperdine (8-over) were the eight teams to qualify for match play. New Mexico and Arizona tied for ninth at 11-over, three shots behind Pepperdine for the final quarterfinal spot.
During the event, the Lobos shot the three best rounds at an NCAA Championship in program history. During Friday’s opening round, UNM shot 1-under, the first under-par round at NCAAs in school history. The Lobos shot even par in Saturday’s second round before matching the school record with a 1-under fourth round on Monday.
Lauren Lehigh shot the low round of the day for the Lobos with a 2-under 70, highlighted by an eagle on No. 7. She finished the tournament T-21st on the individual leaderboard at 1-under.
Jenny Lertsadwattana was UNM’s top individual finisher at 2-under, T-18th on the individual leaderboard after a 1-under 71 on Monday. Her T-18th finish was the best individual finish at NCAAs by a Lobo since Jodi Ewart was T-15th in 2010. Lertsadwattana and Lehigh are the third and fourth players in school history to finish an NCAA Championship under par, joining Ryley Webb (1-under in 1998) and Caroline Keggi (3-under when she won the 1987 NCAA individual title).
Myah McDonald, who also had an eagle on No. 7, shot 1-over on Monday, as did Maria Caparros Levin. Lisa-Marie Pagliano shot 78 on Monday to round out the lineup.
“They battled today right to the end,” said head coach Jill Trujillo. “We had a few bogeys late in the round and bounced back with eagles. What more could you ask for? This team has proven they are really great golfers and they earned a lot of respect this week from other teams. Every final round we have had recently, they have competed and shot a low score. Today was no different and it was fun to watch. I can’t say enough about this team. They make straight A’s, they play great golf and they love each other. They fought for each other again today and that makes me so proud to coach them.”
Women’s Basketball Game between UNM and San José State on 12/28 postponed due to COVID-19
Today’s women’s basketball game between San José State and UNM has been postponed due to COVID-19-related concerns within the San José State women’s basketball program.
According to UNM’s website: Fans with tickets to the San José State game should hold onto their tickets and parking. If the game is rescheduled, the original tickets and parking will be valid. If the game ends up not being rescheduled, ticket holders can contact the UNM Ticket Office.
If the game cannot be rescheduled, it will be declared a no-contest.
The Lobos’ next game is a road matchup against Boise State on New Year’s Eve.
UNM vs. CSU on December 28th postponed due to COVID-19 related concerns
The Mountain West Conference announced on Wednesday that Tuesday’s game between the UNM Lobos and the Colorado State Rams has been postponed “Due to COVID-19-related concerns within the Colorado State men’s basketball program.”
Per the release, the game will declared a no contest if the game cannot be rescheduled.
Kendric Davis scores 33 as SMU routs UNM 90-72
With five games of over 20 points scored on the season on his resume, including 29 against Mizzou back on November 21st, the Lobos and head coach Richard Pitino knew they had their hands full with SMU guard Kendric Davis on Sunday afternoon at the Pit.
Knowing that they need to shut down Davis and completing the task are two different things, especially for a defense like the Lobos, who have struggled at times defensively against elite guards like Davis.
Davis, the No.19 ranked scorer in the country entering Sunday, would end the day higher on the list after posting a season-high 33 points, as the Mustangs beat the Lobos 90-72 in a lopsided victory.
SMU came out of the opening tip red hot, taking an early 19-7 lead with just over 12 minutes to play in the first half. UNM, conversely, was anything but hot, falling behind from the start and entered halftime down 16 points.
UNM would cut the second-half deficit to eight with a 9-1 run, only for the Mustangs to counter with a 9-0 run of their own. The Lobos would mount one final 7-0 run in the closing minutes, but it was too little too late, and SMU came out on top 90-72.
Jamal Mashburn Jr. led the Lobos with 25 points on 9 of 21 shooting, and Jaelen House added 16 of his own.
“SMU is a very good team. I think they are a NCAA Tournament team and they have veterans, 1,000-point scorers, seniors, they are old. We still cannot find a way to get a stop when we need to,” said UNM Head Coach Richard Pitino.
“We cut it to eight or nine in the second half a couple of time and couldn’t get a stop. I love the fight in the second half, but give SMU credit. They are where we want to be in a couple of years.”
With the loss, the Lobos fall to 6-6 on the season, while the Mustangs improved their record to 9-3.
UNM will look to get back in the win column with a home matchup on Tuesday against Norfolk State before kicking off Mountain West Conference play on 12/28 against Colorado State.
Lobos add 24 players on National Signing Day
The University of New Mexico Lobos added 24 players on National Signing Day, including a talented collection of some of the top athletes in the state.
The signing class included 19 high school seniors, three junior college transfers, and two division I transfers.
Head Coach Danny Gonzales and his coaching staff added a collection of talented in-state athletes, including NM Player of the year, RB Zach Vigil from Rio Rancho High School. The addition of Vigil is the third year in a row in which UNM landed the New Mexico Player of the year, with Vigil joining QB Isaiah Chavez and WR Luke Wysong.
The signing class also includes former Los Lunas High star Tyler Kiehne, who is returning to the state after spending a redshirt freshman season with UCLA.
Coach Gonzales joined TEAM Talk on #NationalSigningDay to discuss the recruiting class. You can hear the full interview below: