Spirit - 2008 Annual Report | The University of New Mexico

The combined grade point average of the Lobos’ 21 athletics programs for the 2008 spring semester was a school-record 3.11. The Lobos have now reached a G.P.A. of 3.00 or better for 11 of the last 12 semesters. UNM began tracking grades in the fall of 1988.

Senior Zach Arnett was named to the 2008 ESPN The Magazine Football Academic All-America teams...he is the third Lobo football player in the past two seasons to receive such accolades.

Baseball

34 wins for the Lobos tied for 7th on the all-time list
Rafael Neda became the first Lobo to be named Mountain West Conference Freshman of the Year. Neda was also named to three Freshman All-America teams – Louisville Slugger, NCBWA, and Ping!Baseball
The Lobos appeared in the MWC tournament championship game for the first time in league history

Men’s Basketball

The Lobos finished 24-9 overall as Steve Alford set a school record for most wins by a UNM rookie head coach. The 24 wins tied the school mark for victories in a regular season. New Mexico was 11-5 in the MWC, its most conference wins in nine years. The Lobos also tied a school record with 8 road wins.
Senior J.R. Giddens was named the Co-Player of the Year in the MWC and was selected by the Boston Celtics in the 1st round of the NBA Draft

Women’s Basketball

The Lobos won the Mountain West Conference Tournament for the fifth time in the past six years and advanced to the NCAA Tournament for the seventh consecutive season
Junior Dionne Marsh was chosen the Most Valuable Player of the MWC Tournament for the third time in four years

Women’s Golf

UNM won the MWC title for the fifth time in the past nine years. Jill Trujillo was named MWC Coach of the Year.
Sophomore Jodi Ewart won the MWC individual title for the second consecutive year and was named honorable mention All-American
Senior Alexandra Phelps competed in the NCAA Championships, finishing tied for 20th. The 2008 NCAA Women’s Golf Championships was held at the UNM Championship Course.

Men’s Tennis

Head coach Alan Dils was named the MWC Coach of the Year and ITA Mountain Regional Coach of the Year
Dils became the winningest coach in school history (164-112)

Track & Field/Cross Country

Junior Sandy Fortner became the first Lobo multi-event athlete and first UNM woman from the state of New Mexico to compete at the NCAA Indoor Track and Field Championships, finishing 12th in the pentathlon
Three Lobos (Katie Coronado - javelin, Robert Caldwell - pole vault, Jeremy Johnson - 10K) earned All-America honors at the NCAA Outdoor Championships - the most since 1989
Junior Katie Coronado finished 2nd in the javelin at the NCAA Outdoor Championships and qualified for the Olympic Trials where she finished 6th
The women’s cross country team finished 18th at the 2008 NCAA Cross Country Championships in their first NCAA appearance as a team since 1985

Volleyball

A 22-7 record, the most wins for the program since 1991
Jeanne Fairchild was named Mountain West Conference Co-Player of the Year and All-America third team by the American Volleyball Coaches Association. She is the first Lobo All-American since 1992 and just the fifth in school history.