June 17, 2009
By Richard Stevens – Senior Writer/GoLobos.com
The stars of the Mountain West Conference were here and there and everywhere, but nowhere were they more present than at the University of New Mexico.
The Lobos fielded a school record eight student-athletes, who earned Player of The Year status for their specific sport while another Lobo athlete was picked as a Mountain West Conference Freshman of The Year.
That gives the Lobos nine POY athletes for the just-concluded 2008-09 athletic season.
“This is a reflection of the quality of our coaches,” said Paul Krebs, UNM’s Vice President for Athletics. “It shows not only their ability to recruit, but their ability to develop talent. It also is a tribute to some special athletes who used their work ethic, perseverance and talent to achieve at an extremely high level.”
The UNM Players of The Year for 2008-09 were: Mike Brownstein (baseball), Jodi Ewart (golf), Steve Saunders (golf), Lee Emanuel (indoor track), Jeanne Fairchild (volleyball), Johnny Parkes (tennis), Ola Abou-Zekry (tennis), Thomas Schwab (Alpine skiing), while Lacey Oeding was named the Mountain West Freshman of The Year in cross country.
This individual success also is a tribute to the growth of Lobo athletics under Krebs, who continues to improve the UNM coaching staff as he continues to improve the facilities those coaches need in order to attract the blue-chip athlete.
“The performances in almost every sport has improved,” said Krebs. “I think the coaching is better and I think the quality of the athletes they are bringing in has improved.”
Said Greg Remington, an Associate Athletics Director in charge of media relations: “We’ve never had this many Players of The Year in a single season. It represents an overall excellence in our program, but I think we probably can surpass that number in the future.
“To have this many Players of The Year says a lot about our coaching staff and their ability to recognize top talent and then coach that talent to a higher level once they get to UNM. “
In alphabetical order, here are the nine Lobo Players of the Year for 2008-09:
Ola Abou-Zekry: The fiery and spunky Abou-Zekry was a bright spot for the UNM women’s tennis team this season and finished strong winning nine of her final 10 matches. She was the first Lobo to earn the league’s top award since 2004. Abou-Zekry also was named All-MWC in singles and in doubles. She ended the regular season with a 24-10 singles record.
Mike Brownstein: Brownstein wasn’t just one of the toughest outs in the MWC. He was one of the toughest in the nation. The senior led the league in runs scored (72), hits (101), doubles (23) and triples (11), and was second in batting average (.414). The All-MWC first teamer fielded his spot at second base at a .984 clip and was named to the ESPN the Magazine Academic All-District VI second team. He also was named to three All-America Teams – Louisville Slugger, Ping!Baseball and American Baseball Coaches Association (ABCA).
Lee Emanuel: This long distance ace was an easy choice as the MWC Indoor Player of The Year. He was the league’s best indoors in two events: 1,500 meters and 3,000 meters. He became the Lobos first sub four-minute miler, which also qualified him for the NCAA indoor final. Oh, yeah – he also was the NCAA national champ at that distance indoors and No. 3 in the nation outdoors.
Jodi Ewart: There are two really good words to use in describing Jodie Ewart as a Lobo: “best ever.” Besides grabbing her third straight MWC Player of Year honors, the junior was named All-American by the National Golf Coaches Association. It’s her second All-American award as a Lobo. She finished the season ranked No. 9 nationally and had seven top-5 finishes in 10 tournaments, including a third-place card at the NCAA Central Regional.
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“This is a reflection of the quality of our coaches. It shows not only their ability to recruit, but their ability to develop talent.” Paul Krebs, UNM’s Vice President for Athletics |
Jeanne Fairchild: The Lobos’ outside hitter was special at the net – scary, too. She ranked third in the nation in kills per set (4.81) and No. 1 in the MWC. She was named All-America Third Team. She made UNM’s 1,000 Kills Club in only three seasons and finished No. 3 on UNM’s all-time list with 1,238 kills. She was a three-time MWC Player of The Week and was named to four all-tourney teams this season. She also is the first Lobo to be a repeat All-MWC selection.
Lacey Oeding: This Lobo rookie turned in one of the top freshman seasons in UNM history to grab Freshman of The Year honors. She scored in all six cross-country races and had three top-25 finishes. She helped the Lobos to their first MWC women’s title by finishing second (21:30) at the MWC meet — the best finish ever by a Lobo freshman. She also made the All-MWC first team and made the NCAA All-Region team with an 11th-place finish.
Johnny Parkes: It would be easier to list the things Parkes didn’t win. UNM’s all-time winningest player was a regional Senior Player of The Year. He made the NCAA finals with an automatic bid and advanced to the round of 32. He won five MWC Player of The Week awards. He posted a 29-4 mark in singles and made All-MWC in both singles and doubles. He also went 3-0 in singles during the MWC Championships to help the Lobos win that title.
Steve Saunders: A golf team needs a leader. The Lobos had a rock in their senior as he finished in the top 10 in nine of 13 tournaments. He also made Ping All-America Third Team. He won the MWC tourney’s medalist honors, won the ASU invite and tied for seventh place at the NCAA West Regional. He set UNM competitive marks for lowest 18 (64), lowest 36 (133) and lowest 54 (204).
Thomas Schwab: The formula for figuring out the Rocky Mountain Intercollegiate Ski Association Alpine Skier of The Year is a tough one to dispute. It goes to the skier with the most points. Schwab scored in all RMISA events despite getting a late start due to military commitments in Austria. Schwab was fifth in points in 2008 but finished on top of the league with 410 points in 2009. He beat out his closest competitor by 17 points.