A Letter to Lobo Nation - from VP/AD Eddie Nuñez
Happy New Year Lobo Nation!
I hope that you and your loved ones had a great holiday season and that 2022 brings you health and happiness. As always, we are grateful for all of you who continue to rally behind and support our Lobo student-athletes and the University of New Mexico Department of Athletics’ mission of preparing our Lobos for life.
Over the past year, we faced our fair share of challenges, from the pandemic to an ever-changing collegiate landscape; from changes with Name, Image & Likeness (NIL) to social justice reforms; from conference realignment to the transformation of the NCAA. In light of many of these obstacles, the creation and implementation of new and safe ways for ticketing, concessions, and parking along with philanthropic contributions to the Lobo Club helped us drastically enhance our game day experience. Countless individuals internally and externally stepped up in immeasurable ways and enabled our department to remain fiscally responsible and consistently compete for championships.
Through all the ups and downs in 2021, the unity and strength of our community gave us reassurance that encouraged us to continue to fulfill our mission to our student-athletes. The enduring commitment and leadership shown by our student-athletes, coaches, staff and members of our community, both on and off the playing field, attracted positive national attention—a direct reflection of our resilience and perseverance.
In 2021, the tireless efforts of our team helped us reach new heights with well-deserved achievements – some never experienced before by this department. Collectively, we set a new tone and standard of excellence in everything that we do for the future generations of our Lobos.
I am tremendously proud of our student-athletes, coaches, and staff who led us in our varied successes in 2021. The calendar year brought us nine Mountain West Conference Championships and 11 NCAA postseason appearances, including a third-place national finish by our cross country team, as well as countless individual and team conference and national recognitions. Championships were not just won on the playing field, but also in the classroom. Many of our students and teams received individual and team academic honors in 2021, highlighted by the best two-year combined GPA of 3.41 in Lobo history. In addition to our successes athletically and academically, we added high-caliber coaches and staff for our department, and garnered numerous awards, emphasized by the Mountain West Commissioner’s Award. I was honored and humbled to be presented with this prestigious award which was only the third ever presented in the 20-year history of the conference. Additionally, the Lobo Club successfully increased our philanthropic efforts, and shattered previous fundraising records at our annual Cherry and Silver Gala.
Naturally, important work on our future continued with a framework for the NM Mutual Champions Training Center presented. The Center will serve as an innovative and dynamic space to enhance, improve, and transform our 18 sport programs and prepare our student-athletes to consistently compete at the highest level in the Mountain West and nationally.
None of our achievements would have been possible without our passionate Lobo fans, our loyal community partners, and our generous donors who graciously supported UNM Athletics’ efforts. However, we need all of you to remain dedicated to building our Lobos for life through your continued support of our Lobo Institute for Excellence (L.I.F.E.) program. With your support, you are demonstrating that you stand with us in our commitment to developing and maintaining a culture of excellence through professional development, leadership, diversity, and wellness in order to promote personal and professional growth for all students, staff, and faculty in the University of New Mexico Athletic Department.
As we embark on a new chapter of UNM Athletics in 2022, I am as excited as ever to build upon the unprecedented success we achieved over the last year. I have full faith in the coaches and staff who carry out the vision and mission of Lobo Athletics as they inspire and mold the leaders of tomorrow. The bar has been raised for all of our sports programs and how business is conducted, and we will not shy away from those lofty expectations.
Thank you, Lobo Nation, for your unwavering passion, loyalty, and support, which helps provide the resources needed for Lobo student-athletes to proudly represent the state of New Mexico and the University today and in the future.
From all of us at UNM Athletics, we wish you a happy, healthy, and prosperous New Year.
Go Lobos!