Dec. 10, 2008
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — University of New Mexico senior Jeanne Fairchild became the first Lobo since 1995 to be named to the American Volleyball Coaches Association All-West Region Team. The outside hitter from Albuquerque is just the ninth Lobo in program history to receive the award.
“It is a great honor to have Jeanne selected for this honor in such a strong region,” said Lobo head coach Jeff Nelson. “I’m excited for her because she had such a great year. We feel very fortunate to have her named to the All-Region team.”
The Mountain West Conference Co-Player of the Year, Fairchild,is now an All-America candidate. She is ranked third in the nation in kills per set at 4.81 and led the MWC all season in the category. Fairchild also led the league in points per set with 5.12 and is ranked 12th in hitting percentage at .297. In just her third season with the Lobos, Fairchild cracked the 1,000-career kills mark and finished her Lobo career ranked third on the UNM all-time career kills list with 1,238.
Fairchild became the first Lobo to be a repeat all-MWC selection. Last season, Fairchild joined Anna Reines (2002) as the only Lobo to receive all-MWC honors from the young league. Fairchild was also the first Lobo to repeat as an MWC Player of the Week, receiving the honor three times in 2008 and once in 2006. Fairchild was named to four all-tournament teams this season – MCM Elegante Lobo Classic, George Mason Patriot Invitational (MVP), Nebraska Ameritas Players Challenge, and UTA Holiday Inn Invitational. Fairchild also was named to the ESPN the Magazine Academic All-District VI Second Team this season for her work in the classroom. The league has also recognized Fairchild’s academic prowess with MWC Scholar-Athlete and Academic All-MWC honors in 2006 and 2007.