Sports
Basketball: By beating San Diego State 62-59 in the Mountain West Conference final, the Lady Lobos (20-12), under Coach Don Flanagan, won an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament where they played West Virginia University in the Pit. The Lobos gave the victorious Mountaineers a run for their money, with a final score of 60-61. This is the Lobos' seventh straight trip to the Big Dance.
The Lobo men played the California Bears in the first round of the 2008 NIT, in their 28th postseason trip. It was a battle to the end, with the Bears winning, 68-66, on their home turf. Senior guard JR Giddens was named MWC Co-Player of the Year. In this turnaround year—Coach Steve Alford's first with the Lobos—the team tied the record (24) for the most victories of a New Mexico team during the regular season.
Junior Sandy Fortner finished 12th in the pentathlon at the NCAA Indoor Track and Field Championships. She is the first Lobo multi-event athlete and just the second Lobo woman since 1984 to qualify for the NCAA indoor meet.
Women's golf is ranked 23rd, under Coach Jill Trujillo. Sophomore Jodi Ewart is ranked 18th nationally. UNM will host the finals of the Division I NCAA championships at its Championship Golf Course on May 20-23, 2008.
Skiers Karin Ohlin and Thomas Schwab earned All-America honors for their Top 10 finishes in the women's and men's slalom competition at the NCAA Ski Championships at Bridger Bowl, Montana. The Lobos finished the 2008 meet in seventh place. Fredrik Landstedt is the second head coach in the history of the UNM skiing program.