UNM women run up to their lofty ranking
No. 4 New Mexico wins season debut in Las Vegas
LAS VEGAS, Nev. — The No. 4-ranked University of New Mexico women’s cross country team was so impressive in its opener on Friday that coach Joe Franklin gave the team high praise.
The Lobos won the Battle Born Collegiate Cross Country Challenge in Las Vegas, Nev., with a total of 60 points and a spread of only 16 seconds from first runner until last.
No. 6 Stanford, the runner-up, finished 25 points behind the Lobos.
“It’s been 11 months since our last race and, wow, the women ran great. It is such a wonderful group of women that all want to be very good,” said Franklin. “The 16-second spread, one to five, reminds us a lot of our 2015 NCAA Championship team — the lowest scoring team in modern history.”
Senior Adva Cohen led the Lobos, finishing in sixth place (19 minutes, 59.3 seconds). In 10th place was sophomore Gracelyn Larkin, finishing the race in 20:05.1. Both runners helped the Lobos to a fourth-place finish at the 2019 NCAA championship meet. It was the last meet the Lobos have run; the pandemic put off the cross country season from the fall until now.
Three Lobo newcomers rounded out the scoring: sophomore Amelia Mazza-Downie (12th, 20:13.7), senior Annamaria Kostarellis (15th) and Andrea Engesaeth (17th). Redshirt freshman Elise Thorner was the sixth Lobo to cross the line, finishing in 34th place overall (20:42.0).
BASEBALL: Free passes proved costly to UNM in a 4-3 loss to Gonzaga in Friday’s season-opener at the Collegiate Baseball Classic in Surprise, Arizona.
The Bulldogs scored twice in the bottom of the ninth inning, cashing in on an error, two walks, a hit batter and Andrew Orzel’s infield grounder that drove home the winning run.
Kyler Castillo’s solo home run to left field in the eighth inning gave the Lobos a 3-2 lead, but it slipped away as Gonzaga rallied to beat UNM in the ninth inning for a second straight year at the CBC.
New Mexico pitchers allowed just four hits and struck out six but they hit five Gonzaga hitters with pitches and paid dearly for it. Two of those batters ultimately scored and the fifth plunking came with the bases loaded in the ninth, driving home the tying run.
Lobos coach Ray Birmingham, who earlier argued that a Gonzaga hitter did not attempt to avoid a pitch that hit him, was ejected in the ninth after disputing a close pitch that was called a ball.
Mack Chambers, Castillo and Willie Cano had two hits apiece for UNM, which faces Oregon State at noon on Saturday in the four-day tournament.
Also, the Lobos announced Friday they will ■ host their first home conference series against Air Force at HODGETOWN Stadium in Amarillo on Feb. 27-28. UNM can’t play on its home field yet because of current state regulations related to the pandemic.
WOMEN’S SOCCER: New Mexico State (0-3) will open WAC play Saturday at 8 p.m. against Chicago State (0-2) at University Field in El Paso. The teams also will play 11:30 a.m. Monday. Both games can be seen live on the WAC Digital Network.
SOFTBALL: In Orlando, Fla., No. 24 UCF (4-1) walloped New Mexico State (1-4) by 18-1.