Lobo Round Up 11/7
The 2023-24 college basketball season tipped off in style for the New Mexico men’s basketball team as they crushed the preseason SWAC favorite, Texas Southern, with a score of 92-55. This resounding victory marked the Lobos’ largest season-opening win against a Division I opponent since the 2011-12 season.
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Lobo Round-up: MW Honors and a new Transfer
New Mexico Basketball Adds Transfer Forward Deraje Agbaosi
The New Mexico men’s basketball program has recently welcomed a new addition to its team. Deraje Agbaosi, a transfer forward from North Alabama, has joined the program as a non-scholarship athlete. Agbaosi, hailing from Union, New Jersey, stands at 6 feet 7 inches tall and weighs 215 pounds. He brings with him experience from playing the past two seasons for the North Alabama Lions.
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Lobos announce All-Americans in track, baseball
Track Round-up
Twelve New Mexico athletes earned a total of 15 USTFCCCA All-America honors over the weekend at the 2023 NCAA Outdoor Track & Field Championships hosted by the University of Texas at Mike A. Myers Stadium.
All five Lobo women who qualified for the championships advanced to the finals on Saturday, while the seven men each earned All-America honors as well. “We have been building this for more than a decade, and we are now competing with the best schools in the country on a regular basis,” said UNM head coach Joe Franklin. “On the women’s side everybody got through to the finals which is the first goal, and to then have people score was fantastic. Those women have been doing that for a long time, and it is nice to see that our men are now making those same steps. They are just around the corner from scoring at the national championship. We are not far off from where we have been, and we are moving in the right direction.”
Amelia Mazza-Downie and Gracelyn Larkin each earned a pair of All-America honors, with both competing in the finals of the 10,000 meters on Thursday and the 5,000 meters on Saturday. Mazza-Downie cruised to a fourth-place finish in the 10,000 meters, running a time of 32:51.90 minutes to get onto the podium. The third-year Lobo followed with a ninth-place finish in the 5,000 meters, finishing with a time of 15:56.35 minutes. Competing alongside Mazza-Downie, Larkin placed 14th in the 10,000 meters in 34:00.22 minutes and 15th in the 5,000 meters in 16:08.22 minutes.
The Lobos also had two representatives in the steeplechase, with Elise Thorner earning first-team All-America and getting onto the podium with a fifth-place finish. Thorner ran a time of 9:42.95 minutes on Saturday evening to lead the way. Qualifying for the national finals in her first season with the Lobos, Maisie Grice earned second-team All-America by virtue of a 12th-place finish with a time of 10:11.62 minutes.
Senior Abigail Goldstein raced her way into the finals of the 1,500 meters and earned second-team All-America with a ninth-place finish in the event on Saturday. In the final race of her collegiate career, Goldstein turned in a time of 4:11.86 minutes.
The men’s competition on Wednesday was highlighted by the 4×400-meter relay team’s 19th-place finish, as the Lobos posted a time of 3:06.04 minutes. The school-record-breaking combination of Jevon O’Bryant, Jovahn Williamson, Victor Akhalu, and Brodie Young finished just behind their season-best time of 3:04.13 minutes, as the quartet earned honorable mention All-America recognition.
In addition to his All-America nod as a member of the relay squad, Williamson also earned an honorable mention in the 400-meters as he finished in 17th place on Wednesday night. Williamson capped his six-year collegiate career with a time of 45.78 seconds, earning All-America status for the second year in a row.
Competing in his first national championship meet as a Lobo, Awet Yohannes kicked off the meet on Wednesday night by earning honorable mention All-America status in the steeple chase. The third-year Lobo ran a time of 8:57.86 minutes, finishing in 20th place among the field of 24 competitors. The top-20 national finish capped a memorable year for the senior, who won the 2023 Mountain West Championship title in the event.
Each making their national championship debut on Wednesday, Lokesh Sathyanathan and Jake Burkey each leapt to All-America honors. Sathyanathan finished in 15th place to earn second-team recognition, finishing his standout freshman campaign with a jump of 7.66 meters (25’ 1.75”). Burkey followed with a leap of 7.54 meters (24’ 9”), earning honorable mention status with an 18th-place finish. During the 2023 spring season, the duo combined for two Mountain West titles, four all-conference marks, and three All-America finishes.
New Mexico Lobos – 2023 Outdoor Track & Field All-Americans
First Team All-Americans
Amelia Mazza-Downie – 10,000 Meters – 4th Place – 32:51.90
Elise Thorner – 3,000 Meter Steeplechase – 5th Place – 9:42.95
Second Team All-Americans
Abigail Goldstein – 1,500 Meters – 9th Place – 4:11.86
Amelia Mazza-Downie – 5,000 Meters – 9th Place – 15:56.35
Maisie Grice – 3,000 Meter Steeplechase – 12th Place – 10:11.62
Gracelyn Larkin – 10,000 Meters – 14th Place – 34:00.22
Gracelyn Larkin – 5,000 Meters – 15th Place – 16:08.22
Lokesh Sathyanathan – Long Jump – 15th Place – 7.66m (25’ 1.75”)
Honorable Mention All-Americans
Jovahn Williamson – 400 Meters – 17th Place – 45.78
Jake Burkey – Long Jump – 18th Place – 7.54m (24’ 9”)
Jevon O’Bryant, Jovahn Williamson, Victor Akhalu, Brodie Young – 4×400 Meter Relay – 19th Place – 3:06.04
Awet Yohannes – 3,000 Meter Steeplechase – 20th Place – 8:57.86
Baseball
Capping his collegiate career with a top academic honor, New Mexico senior Dylan Ditzenberger was named a first-team Academic All-American by Collegiate Sports Communicators on Wednesday.
Combining a stellar statistical season with excellence in the classroom, Ditzenberger was among 12 players nationally to receive first-team recognition. The honor comes after he was 1 of 5 Lobos named to the CSC academic all-district team.
Ditzenberger finished his final collegiate season ranked third in the NCAA with a batting average of .437. While injuries limited him to 37 games, Ditzenberger managed to rack up 59 hits, 42 runs scored, nine doubles, and 27 RBIs while hitting primarily out of the leadoff spot. He added an on-base percentage of .490 and a slugging percentage of .563, while going a perfect 6-for-6 in stolen base attempts.
Defensively, Ditzenberger was stellar at third base in 78 chances. He committed just two errors for a fielding percentage of .974, and he totaled 62 assists to rank third on the team. Ditzenberger carried over a 14-game reached base streak from the end of his career at Kansas in 2022 and extended it to a season-high 37 games at the outset of the 2023 campaign. He also maintained a hit streak of 19 games from Feb. 24-March 31.
Academically, Ditzenberger maintained a GPA of 4.16 while completing his liberal arts degree. He is the 13th player in New Mexico history to earn CSC (formerly CoSIDA) Academic All-America honors and is the first since Jared Mang earned second-team honors in 2019. Ditzenberger is the sixth player in school history to be a first-team selection, and the first since Alex Estrella in 2015.
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.