ORLANDO, Fla. --- Rob Bareford, who in his first season at UNM led the Lobos to a 16-8 record and a Mountain West Tournament title, was presented with the RPSA (Racquet Sports Professionals Association) Southwest Region Steve Wilkinson College Coach of the Year.
The awards for the 2024-25 season were presented at the RPSA Annual Awards ceremony last week. Overall, the RPSA awarded honors for 18 regions. The Southwest Region encompasses all college tennis programs at all levels in Arizona and New Mexico, plus El Paso.
Bareford's first season saw UNM take down UNLV (4-1), Utah State (4-2), and Boise State (4-0) in succession in the Mountain West Tournament to claim the title and advance to its first NCAA Tournament in 10 years, where the Lobos faced No. 5 Stanford.
Dario Ciobotaru ended the 2025-26 season as the No. 13 ranked player in the Mountain Region. Ciobotaru, who is a rising senior, played No. 1 for UNM all year and was named All-Mountain West in singles.
