We’re Back!!! Lobo Lane’s 2018-2019 Year in Review

by Zach

We’re Back!

It has been a while since we have connected through our blog, and it is great to say that we are back and ready to get the 2019-2020 Season underway. The last year was difficult for me (Zach) to focus on writing with a difficult year at work, and I needed time to regroup and recharge so I can give you everything that I have to Lobo (and Mountain West) sports coverage. I am pleased to say that the batteries are recharged and you will be hearing (reading) a lot of Lobo Lane Coverage this year, and we are excited about the things to come. [ed. note: Jono might also be dropping in from California every once in a while to complain about uniforms or whatever else he does. -Jono]

Saying Good-bye To 2018-2019

2018-2019 was a year field will many different stories, emotions, success, failures, gains, and losses for the UNM Athletic Department and teams at UNM. Here are some of the stories that captured our attention during the 2018-2019 Season, roughly in chronological order:

  • Another Great Year for Women’s Cross Country: Like seeing the leaves change color or watching the arrival of pumpkin spice everything, seeing Lobo Women’s Cross Country dominate has become a fall tradition. Once again, it was to no one’s surprise that Coach Franklin’s team would be the class of the Mountain West and would be in the conversation for a National Title. While they did fall just short in the National Championship Meet (finished second behind Colorado), it was great to see this program continue their national dominance, with signs that their future is just as bright. If you question what the best program at UNM is, maybe take a look in their direction.
  • The Year of Weini Kelati: The sophomore runner for the Lobos put up one of the best seasons for a Lobo athlete ever and will have a chance to leave an even bigger mark on the program in the next couple of seasons. Kelati won three of the five cross country races, including a Mountain West Championship and a West Regional Championship. In the two races she didn’t finish first, she finished second, including a National Runner-Up at the NCAA National Championship Meet. During the indoor season, Kelati didn’t disappoint, winning races at the Mountain West Championships (and setting records while doing so) and finishing second at the NCAA Championships in the 5,000m, and finishing third in the 3,000m. Kalati finished the season with a fantastic outdoor season, with a National Championship in the 10,000m and the finish became a viral sensation, Kalati came back a couple of days later and finished fifth in the 5,000m.
  • Women’s Soccer Season: It didn’t take long for Coach Dyche to put a stamp on the program, as they had a very strong season, finishing with a 13-6-2 record, winning a share of the Mountain West Title (7-2-2 record), and making the Mountain West Tournament Title Match before falling to SJSU 1-0. The Lobos will be a force in the Mountain West and will make their way to the NCAA Tournament soon. Do yourself a favor and make a point to get to a match or two (more would be better) this season.
  • Another Seven-Game Losing Streak: For the second straight year, the Lobo Football Team struggled down the stretch of the season, once again finishing their year with a seven-game losing streak to finish the season 3-9. The Lobos did suffer from key injuries and bad luck in some cases, but it was rough no matter how you measure it. The 2019 season is very important for the program and the Athletic Department as a whole, given the general importance that football has in college sports. Another terrible season will be hard to recover from.
  • Jeff Nelson out,  Jon Newcomb-Gonchar in: The Volleyball Program at UNM certainly had highs and lows during the Nelson Era, sometimes making you question what the ceiling of the program is. With three straight .500 seasons (the last two of which came in the first two years of Eddie Nuñez being in charge of the Athletic Dept.), it was no surprise that his contract wasn’t renewed. The were questions about what direction the new hire would go, but all roads pointed to Newcomb-Gonchar who has spent time in the region (played at Northern Arizona), spent time as a rising assistant at very good P5 schools (Arkansas, Iowa State), and spent time with the USA National Program. Maybe, just maybe, the ceiling of the program was raised a little. If so, then fun times could be on the way in Johnson Gym.
  • Beating Nevada by 27: It was the first game the Wolf Pack had played in The PIT since their incredible comeback during the 2016-2017 season (Neal’s last season), so the Lobo fans and players from that team (Mathis, Kuiper) were looking for payback. They got it in a big way. The Wolf Pack were undefeated and ranked in the top 10 at the time, which made the win even more impressive. For the Wolf Pack, this game raised questions about how good their team actually was (which, uh, doesn’t speak highly of the Lobos this season either) and could have single-handedly dropped the Wolf Pack down to a 7-seed in the NCAA Tournament. As an added bonus for the Lobos, they also wore the yellow Zia uniforms, which were one of the best looking uniforms in College Basketball last season. [ed. note: Zach actually wrote this, not Jono! -J]
  • The NunnStoppable Senior Season of Jaisa Nunn: How do you top a great junior season? You become even better and make it impossible for teams to guard you. Nunn capped off her Lobo career being named Mountain West Player of the Year after averaging 17.5 points and 9.6 rebounds per game. Nunn was the focus of every single scouting report and would face double-teams in the post on almost every possession, but still dominated. She was worth more than the numbers show and opened things up for her teammates to have big games. I hope you enjoyed Jaisa Nunn’s career, because it was one of the best ever for a Lobo.
  • Aisia Robertson’s Injury: The 2018-2019 Women’s Basketball Team was the most talented team in the Mountain West and was a team that teams didn’t want to draw in the first round of the NCAA Tournament (if the Lobos got there). That all changed when Robertson’s ACL tore during the final home game of the season against Wyoming. Robertson was the player that made the Lobos so dangerous. When the injury happened it changed the direction of the MW Basketball Tournament and possibly the first round of the NCAA Tournament. Such a bummer.
  • Justin Slaten’s Incredible Year: While it wasn’t a banner year for Lobo Baseball this season, it was for a member of the pitching staff. After a disappointing sophomore season, Slaten rebounded with one of the best seasons for a Lobo. It started with a great start against a very talented Oregon State team, including the number 1 pick in the 2019 MLB Draft. Slaten finished the year with a 5-5 record, with a 2.51 ERA, 98 strikeouts in 82 1/3 innings, and limiting hitters to a .215 batting average. Slaten, for some reason, was left off of the first-team All-Mountain West (maybe some people still look at wins), but that didn’t stop him from getting drafted in the third round of the MLB Draft by the Texas Rangers, signing for $575,000. It will be a blast to watch him work his way to the Majors.
  • The death of Jackson Weller: We were all shocked to hear that Jackson Weller, who was red-shirting the 2019 Season for the UNM Baseball Team, was shot and killed on May 4th. Weller’s death is tragic and will have a lasting impact on the UNM Baseball Team, UNM Athletics, UNM, and the city of Albuquerque as a whole. Awful stuff.
  • Anthony Mathis Waiver and Transfer: Mathis put Lobo fans in a glass cage of emotion when he received a waiver for the 5th year of eligibility and stayed around New Mexico for a just few weeks before announcing his transfer. A grad transfer was always on the table (Oregon being the logical choice), but many people lost sight of this possibility and were blindsided by the news. It shouldn’t have been a surprise after his best friend (and basically brother), Payton Pritchard, announced he was returning for his senior season at Oregon. Tough to see him leave UNM, but happy that he gets to play closer to home for a season.
  • The Official Cutting of Men’s Soccer, Skiing, and Beach Volleyball: This isn’t the place to get into the whole situation and impact that cutting these sports will have on UNM. However, it was heartbreaking to watch one of if not my favorite program taken away (Men’s Soccer), and watching the emotions that the program went through during the 2018 Season (note: I will have more on the Men’s Soccer Program at a later date). Skiing is one of the two programs (the other being Women’s Cross-Country) that have won team National Titles at the University, so it being taken away was also a tough pill for people to take. Beach Volleyball was a sport that was never given a legit shot and while it was understandable why it was one of the sports cut on paper, I was disappointed to see this program lose its spot at UNM and wish that they have been given real facilities (Johnson Field maybe). All in all, it always felt like this could have been avoided, even if that’s not the message that was coming out of the university. Hopefully this isn’t the start of a trend.

The 2018-2019 year was filled with many more memories, and we are looking forward to what the 2019-2020 year will bring us. Let’s get the ball rolling and enjoy the roller-coaster that is Lobo Athletics!