The three UNM athletics director finalists will be in town for a barrage of interviews Friday, Monday and Tuesday.
Bowling Green Athletics Director Paul Krebs will be here Friday, Iowa State Athletics Director Rick Hartzell will be here Monday and Wichita State Athletics Director Jim Schaus will be here Tuesday.
One of their stops will be a walk through the lion's den, also known as press conference with Albuquerque media.
There's one interview with the faculty open to the general public, but I suspect it will be a daytime event and most Lobo fans won't be able to make it.
So the Trib is giving you a shot at asking the AD candidates your own questions via your friendly afternoon paper.
Post your burning questions in the comments section, and we'll pose the cream of the crop to the AD candidates.
If you need to brush up a little bit on the candidates, you can check our stories from Saturday's paper. Here's one about the three finalists and a separate story on Rick Hartzell, the only candidate willing to go on the record with the Trib.

Posted by ilimon at 12:07 PM | Permalink | Comments (4)

The Lobos have to hope the Collegerpi.com Jerry Palm has a better NCAA crystal ball than ESPN.com's Charlie Creme.
Palm has consistently ranked the Lobos as a fourth through sixth seed playing in Tuscon or Denver. It's a nice nod to No 21 New Mexico's nonconference schedule and the competitive Mountain West Conference.
His latest projection has the Lobos as a sixth seed in Denver, but it is updated on Tuesdays and does not reflect New Mexico's past two wins.
Creme has had the Lobos from fourth to seventh seed in far-flung places like Purdue in West Lafayette, Ind., and Trenton, N.J.
His latest projection released today, which means it includes the Lobos' latest wins, has New Mexico as a seventh seed in Trenton.
It's clear the Lobos can do a lot to help their seeding by staying hot during the next two weeks.
What seed do you think the Lobos deserve and where would you expect to see them in the first round?

Posted by ilimon at 07:30 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Dionne Marsh hurt her left ankle in the first five minutes of the Lobos' 75-48 win at San Diego State Saturday afternoon.
I just talked with her by phone from the San Diego airport, and she says she is off crutches and hobbling around. She was in good spirits despite spending most of the game in the locker room getting treatment on her ankle.
"It's pretty tender right now, but the swelling isn't that bad," she said.
Dionne said she'll ice it tonight and go in for treatment tomorrow to get official word on the extent of the injury. She said it was too tender during the game for doctors to examine it.
Coach Don Flanagan initially said he thought Dionne might miss the game at UNLV, but now he's not so sure.
"It looked pretty bad, but we'll have her treat it and see how it goes," he said. "We're fortunate we've got some time before Thursday."

Posted by ilimon at 07:21 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

No one's name makes blood boil in Albuquerque quite like Texas Tech's Marsha Sharp.
She's the big, bad Texas neighbor who backed down from a regular battle with the Lobos once New Mexico was in position to beat the Red Raiders.
Sharp was the face of the Cisti Greenwalt debacle, with the Lobos losing out on the Clovis star who chose to play at nearby Texas.
Lobo fans famously gave Duke a huge edge and helped the Blue Devils earn a Final Four berth by cheering against the Red Raiders during the 2003 NCAA regional played in The Pit. Of course, Tech had just upset the Lobos and broke the hearts of New Mexico fans dreaming of the Final Four.
Love her or hate her, Sharp did a lot for women's basketball and is retiring at the end of the season. Here's Sports Illustrated's take on Sharp's impact on the game.
In a little more amusing name news, Colorado is adding two musical names to its women's basketball roster next season. Whitney Houston, a 5-8 guard from Memphis, and Brittany Spears, a 6-1 forward from Pasadena, Calif., signed letters of intent to play for the Bufs. Throw in ex-Lobo Mandi Moore and you've got a great foundation for a musical all-name team.

Posted by ilimon at 01:50 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

We've got loads of coverage in today's paper.
It's a Jeff Carlton-Iliana Limon tag team on UNM news.
First, a string of Lobos tangled in alcohol-related trouble prompted a closer look at how UNM handles the issue:
UNM alcohol policy unclear.
Then you have three finalists in UNM's AD search. We already like Rick Hartzell, the only candidate to talk on the record with the Tribune.
And we've been giving our new Saturday feature, Behind the Bleachers a heavy dose of women's basketball flavor for quite awhile. This week we try to answer the impossible. Who's better: Mandi Moore or Katie Montgomery?
Feel free to share your thoughts on any of these items in the comments section.

Posted by ilimon at 01:38 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

UNM just released its three finalists for the AD job being vacated by Rudy Davalos.
You can find our early version of the story here:
UNM names three AD finalists
What do you think about these guys as the top candidates to lead Lobos athletics? Post your thoughts in the comments section

Posted by ilimon at 03:24 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

Senior guard Abbie Letz wasn't going to let the Lobos overlook Mountain West cellar-dweller Air Force.
Letz scored 18 points and grabbed 10 rebounds during No. 23 New Mexico's 79-53 win over the Falcons in The Pit Wednesday night.
She was all over the floor, also picking up three assists and four steals in 32 minutes of play.
"I've only got two home games left and I don't want to have any regrets," Letz said.
New Mexico continued its hot shooting in The Pit, hitting 47.9 percent from the field and 57.1 percent from 3-point range.
The Lobos pounced early, opening the game with an 18-6 run, including three Lobos 3-pointers. The steady barrage continued and New Mexico led by as may as 28 points.
Sophomore forward Dionne Marsh added 14 points for the Lobos, setting school records for freethrows made and attempted in a season. She broke the previous made freethrow record of 136 held by Abby Garchek by running her season total to 142. Marsh held the previous season attempts record of 193 by heading to the line 11 times against the Falcons and extending her season total to 196.
Junior point guard continues to play on a sore right foot and chipped in 12 points off four 3-pointers. Junior guard Julie Briody chipped in 10 points.
Air Force was led by Letricia Castillo, who heated up late in the game and finished with 15 points. She was the only Falcon in double figures.
The top of the Mountain West Conference standings remained the same after Wednesday's play, with No. 21 BYU leading at 12-2. No. 19 Utah is in second at 11-3, while No. 23 New Mexico and TCU are tired for third at 9-4,

Posted by ilimon at 09:50 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

The women's basketball team posted its second highest GPA ever and had the highest GPA among all UNM sports with 3.48 during the fall 2005 semester.
Lobos coach Don Flanagan has spent much of the spring teasing and praising senior guard Judy Vogt for her 4.0 GPA. She was among 28 athletes who posted a 4.0 GPA or better.
Football, that other sport I happen to cover, also posted its second-highest GPA ever at 2.66.
All UNM athletes averaged a 3.04 GPA

Here's a look at the rest of the GPAs by sport:
Baseball 2.92
Men's basketball 2.82
Women's basketball 3.48
Football 2.66
Men's golf 2.74
Women's golf 3.05
Men's skiing 3.44
Women's skiing 3.42
Men's soccer 3.15
Women's soccer 3.25
Softball 2.89
Swimming 3.11
Men's tennis 3.35
Women's tennis 3.17
Men's track 3.06
Women's track 3.30
Volleyball 3.31

All sports average: 3.04

Posted by ilimon at 01:08 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Lobos tight ends coach Grady Stretz, who has been on the UNM staff for eight years, is leaving.
Stretz, a Tempe native, has accepted a job as Arizona State's defensive line coach.
He was poised to begin his first season leading New Mexico's tight ends following five years coaching the defensive line and the past two years coaching the safeties. He also worked with the Lobos' special teams unit.
Stretz previously worked under New Mexico coach Rocky Long and new offensive coordinator Bob Toledo at UCLA, giving him a 10-year coaching relationship with Long.
During his tenure, New Mexico became one of three teams to finish in the top-30 in the nation in total defense six of the past seven seasons.
"Grady was here for eight years and helped us become a competitive football program," Long said in a statement issued by the university. "Just like Coach (Bob) Bostad, I know Grady is excited about coaching close to his hometown. We wish him well and we'll fill the opening as soon as we can."

Posted by ilimon at 01:01 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The New Mexico Sports Authority is trying to launch a New Mexico bowl game to be played at University Stadium during the 2006-07 season.
My first thought was, `Yea, right after we get the NFL and NBA teams established here.'
Turns out it's not such a stretch after all.
Here's my story from today's Tribune with all the details:
The scoop on Duke City bowl fate
Do you think Albuquerque is bowl worthy?
What would you name the new bowl game?
The Trib sports staff immediately gravitated toward the Chile Bowl, but we were hungry at the time, so it might not be the best name after all.
Share your thoughts in the comments section.

Posted by ilimon at 12:33 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

I'm a Red Sox fan, so I do believe in curses.
I just don't think so highly of myself as a sports writer that, I, too wield the power to jinx people.
Well, tell that to Dionne Marsh.
I wrote a feature about her Wednesday filled with stats showing she's an even stronger scorer in Mountain West Conference play.
UNM Women's Basketball: When the going gets tough, top scorer Marsh gets tougher
Marsh was averaging 16.4 points per game and is the core of the Lobos' offense.
A few hours after the story was published, she only managed five points in the Lobos' 59-52 loss at Wyoming.
It was the first time in her career she did not reach double figures in Mountain West Conference game and snapped her 11-game double-figure scoring streak this season.
Lobos coach Don Flanagan blamed the drought on rushed shots.
He believes in the almighty jinx, so I think I'm pretty much off the hook.

For more women's basketball news, check out Thursday's Tribune.

Posted by ilimon at 09:57 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The Lobos had their eyes on TCU ever since a disappointing 67-76 loss in Fort Worth Jan. 11.
No. 20 New Mexico avenged the defeat with an 87-63 win over the Lady Frogs in The Pit Sunday.
Senior guard Abbie Letz led the Lobos with 22 points and nine rebounds.
"We felt like we played our worst game there and really wanted to beat them here," Letz said.
The Lobos used a five-guard lineup in the first half when posts Dionne Marsh and Jana Francis got into foul trouble. The strategy neutralized TCU's speed and gave New Mexico an eight point lead at halftime.
The Lobos opened the second half with a 12-2 run for a 20 point lead. New Mexico never looked back and led by as many as 32 points.
Junior guard Julie Briody finished with 14 points while junior point guard Katie Montgomery and Marsh added 12 apiece.
Hobbs High grad Adrianne Ross and forward Lorie Butler-Rayford led TCU with 16 points each.

For more women's basketball news, check out Monday's Tribune.

Posted by ilimon at 06:36 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

New Mexico offensive line coach Bob Bostad has accepted a job as the tight ends coach at Wisconsin.
Bostad supervised the Lobos' offensive line for seven years. During his tenure, 14 offensive lineman have earned all conference honors. He coached tackle Claude Terrell, a third-team AP All American and fourth-round choice by the St. Louis Rams in the 2005 NFL Draft. Bostad also has mentored center Ryan Cook, who went from walk-on to team captain and one of the Lobos' top prospect for the 2006 NFL Draft.
He is a Pardeeville, Wisc., native and will be returning to his home state with his wife, Cara; three daughters; and a son.
In a release isssued by UNM, Bostad said:
"My time here was awesome. My family loves Albuquerque. The University of New Mexico and Coach (Rocky) Long have been great to me. Going to Wisconsin is a great opportunity for me and my family. I'm from 25 miles north of Madison, so it's a chance for me to go home and take that next step in my career. There's so many guys like Jason Lenzmeier, Claude Terrell, Jeremy Sorenson, Jon Samuelson, Jason Carson, Robert Turner, Bo Greer, Anthony Kilby, Ryan Cook and Terrance Pennington that are the reason I'm going to Wisconsin. They're the ones that battled in the trenches for the University of New Mexico. I owe those guys a lot, along with Coach Long and Coach (Dan) Dodd. They all helped me."
For more Lobo football news, check out Saturday's Tribune.

Posted by ilimon at 01:38 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

With Utah's win over No. 18 BYU Wednesday, the Mountain West Conference could land three teams in next week's Top 25 polls.
BYU shouldn't drop out of the Top 25 with its first conference loss to the Utes, the Cougars' biggest rival. New Mexico ought to hold steady at No. 20. And Utah could slip in since the team already has received enough votes for unofficial No. 27 in the Associated Press poll and No. 28 in the ESPN/USA Today Coaches poll.
Collegerpi.com also is projecting four Mountain West teams in the NCAA Tournament. BYU, New Mexico, Utah and TCU, with the Lobos and Cougars expected to earn top-five seeds.

Do you think the league has improved this season or are national analysts barely recognizing the strength and parity of the Mountain West Conference?

Posted by ilimon at 12:01 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

A documentary on the New Mexico women's basketball team scheduled to air on regional television stations and CSTV has been derailed.
Dan Vukelich's behind-the-scenes look at the team titled "Lady Lobo Love Affair 2006" fell due to lack of investors. Vukelich had footage of 10 games and was beginning player and coach interviews when it became apparent he would not have enough financial backing to complete the project.
Vukelich previously had done a documentary on the 2002-03 season in advance the Lobos' run to the Sweet 16. It was broadcast on KNME-Channel 5 twice.
This time, Vukelich was hoping to have the documentary broadcast on the local UPN and WB affiliates and on CSTV.

Posted by ilimon at 02:20 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

They needed their swagger back.
The No. 20 Lobos (17-6, 7-3) got it and then some with a 85-51 win over Colorado State (8-13, 2-8) Wednesday night in The Pit.
New Mexico scored early and often, quickly erasing the lingering bad taste of two straight losses at BYU and Utah.
"We were really fired up," junior guard Julie Briody said. "We wanted to prove we were a better team than what we showed in Utah."
New Mexico led by as many as 37 points and stayed at least 30 points ahead of the Rams since 15:33 mark in the second half.
The Lobos out-rebounded the Rams 41 to 22 and grabbed 14 offensive boards to Colorado State's eight.
Sophomore forward Dionne Marsh led all scorers with 21 points. She also had four rebounds one assist and two blocks in 22 minutes.
Sophomore guard Brandi Kimble and junior guard Julie Briody scored 13 points apiece. Junior Judy Vogt added 11 points.

Posted by ilimon at 10:20 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The hits keep on coming for the women's basketball team.
The Lobos dropped two games on a tough Utah trip and could use a confidence boost.
Instead, they ended up with nine players at practice Tuesday and assistant coach Yvonne Sanchez filling in to help the team go through drills.
Senior center Jana Francis was at the doctor getting X-rays on her hand. She was injured during the warm up for practice Tuesday. Her status is unknown for Wednesday's game against Colorado State.
Freshman guard Rachel Majewski had severe blisters and will not be able to play against Colorado State.
Junior point guard Katie Montgomery has not practiced since returning from Utah and is wearing a walking cast to reduce swelling in her right foot. Montgomery initially damaged ligaments in the foot against TCU Jan. 11 and aggravated it at Utah Saturday.
She is expected to participate in Wednesday's shoot-around, and her status is unknown for the Colorado State game. Montgomery said she expects to play.
Sophomore guard Lindsay Black missed part of practice due to leg cramps. She returned before practice ended and is expected to play against the Rams.

Posted by ilimon at 11:04 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

By Iliana Limon
ilimon abqtrib.com / 823-3632
SALT LAKE CITY, Utah -- It was a critical Mountain West Conference game.
The problem for No. 16 New Mexico (16-6, 6-3) is Utah (15-5, 6-3) was the only team playing like it.
Utah emerged with a 75-62 win, ending the Lobos six-game winning streak over the Utes.
"I thought throughout the game, they were more determined," Lobos coach Don Flanagan said. "... We just did not play smart and we did not play tough."
Utes' senior guard Shona Thorburn scored a season-high 28 points, grabbed eight rebounds and dished out four assists in 40 minutes.
The Lobos contained fellow all-conference Ute Kim Smith's scoring in check for much of the game, but she still managed a double-with 14 points and 16 rebounds.
"We made a bunch of little mistakes we don't normally make and it really hurt us," Lobos junior point guard Katie Montgomery said.
The Lobos avoided a major first-half deficit and traded buckets with the Utes. They trailed Utah 33-30 at the half.
Utah jumped ahead 41-34 to open the second half, but New Mexico clawed its way back thanks to steady scoring by sophomore forward Dionne Marsh.
The Lobos held a 52-51 lead with 7:26 remaining when the errors began piling up.
New Mexico didn't run its offense and rushed shots.
On defense, the Lobos gave up deep passes, failed to switch on the perimeter and helped the Utes out of tough situations.
Smith struggled on offense but grabbed three straight offensive rebounds from the 7:28 mark to the 6:40 mark, giving the Utes' valuable momentum.
Utah outrebounded the Lobos 42 to 28 and grabbed 13 offensive boards to New Mexico's seven.
"That's all hustle," Flanagan said.
Smith had the ball in the low post with the shot clock winding down and had given up her dribble. The Lobos had her double-teamed, but Marsh backed off to guard another player and Smith scored an easy layup.
Marsh also fouled Utes' guard Julie Larsen on a 3-pointer. Larsen missed the shot but converted all three freethrows to give the Utes a 69-62 lead with 1:36 remaining.
New Mexico's offense went into panic mode, with the Lobos rushing shots and putting up two airballs from 3-point range.
Marsh led the Lobos with 19 points, five assists, four rebounds and a block. Montgomery added 15 points, seven rebounds, two steals and one assist.
Sophomore guard Lindsay Black started her first game of the season in place of center Jana Francis. She finished with eight points and one assist.
Flanagan said he opted to go with Black and a smaller lineup to better contend with Smith, a forward who prefers to play on the perimeter.
Black hounded Smith much of the game and came up with several defensive stops. Smith was stuck at seven points until the 5:29 mark in the second half.
Black finished with eight points and one assist in 19 minutes of play.
New Mexico faces Colorado State in The Pit at 7 p.m. Wednesday. Despite the painful foot injury, Montgomery said she expects to play against the Rams.

Posted by ilimon at 07:55 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

By Iliana Limon
ilimon@abqtrib.com / 823-3632
PROVO, Utah -- It wasn't a night for the stars.
Sophomore forward Dionne Marsh dominated with 25 points, but the Lobos still couldn't slip past the upstart BYU.
Cougar Ambrosia Anderson, the Mountain West Conference's leading scorer, fouled out with 7:20 remaining but it didn't matter.
No. 19 BYU (18-1, 8-0) used balanced scoring to earn a 60-55 win over No. 16 New Mexico (16-5, 6-2). The Cougars now hold a commanding two-game lead in the conference race.
"They just came out and played harder the whole game," junior point guard Katie Montgomery said. "They put up the better effort and we made some mental mistakes that really cost us the game. I give them all the credit because they're a really good team this year."
The Lobos spent much of the game trying to dig out of a hole, falling behind by as much as 10 points. They didn't pick up their first bucket until junior point guard Katie Montgomery knocked down a 3-pointer with 13:24 left in the first half.
New Mexico took its first lead with 5:15 remaining in the game, pulling ahead 52-50 on layup by Marsh.
The Cougars called a timeout, and Marsh left the game for the next two minutes because she was bothered by lingering knee injury.
BYU seized the momentum, going on a 10-1 run to put the game out of reach. Guard Jennie Keele gave the Cougars the final push, scoring five the team's 10 final points.
"Jennie's a gamer," Cougars coach Jeff Judkins said. "I give a lot of credit to New Mexico's players, but she was absolutely determined to make sure we won this game. She was huge for us."
Flanagan said the Lobos had a shot at the win but didn't match BYU's intensity.
"We just didn't execute on offense," Lobos coach Don Flanagan said. "We had an opportunity, and we fought really hard for that opportunity, but we didn't do enough."
Marsh ended the game with a double-double, grabbing 10 rebounds to go with her 25 points. No other Lobos scored in double figures, with Montgomery coming the closest by adding seven points.
New Mexico held Anderson to seven points, but guard Mallary Gillespie torched the Lobos from 3-point land in the first half and ended the game with 14 points.
Keele finished with 12 and forward Melinda Johnsen added 10 to pace the Cougars.
The Lobos shot 36.2 percent from the field, which Flanagan said wasn't enough to reasonably expect a win against hot-handed BYU.
The Cougars shot 46.2 percent from the field, hitting 51.9 percent in the first half alone.
Tight officiating had a major impact on post play, with Anderson and center Dani Kubik fouling out for BYU. New Mexico center Jana Francis was saddled with foul trouble much of the game and also fouled out.
New Mexico has no time to dwell on the loss.
The Lobos travel to Salt Lake City to take on Utah Saturday at 3 p.m.

For more women's basketball coverage, check out Friday's Tribune.

Posted by ilimon at 11:17 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)