UNM MEN'S GOLF
Lobo men's golf aims for first Mountain West golf title since 2021
UNM will have to go through four-time reigning champ, conference rival San Diego State
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In the Mountain West鈥檚 27-year history, no men鈥檚 golf team has won more league titles than New Mexico.
The Lobos would very much like to keep it that way.
Playing as the presumptive league favorite, UNM will compete for its ninth Mountain West Championship 鈥� the last in the league鈥檚 current iteration 鈥� starting Sunday at Omni Tucson National Resort in Tucson, Arizona.
The 21st-ranked Lobos enter this weekend鈥檚 three-round tournament with eight league championships, the most of any school in the conference. But reigning four-time champ San Diego State (seven titles) could tie the Lobos before leaving for the Pac-12 this summer, a compelling conclusion to perhaps the league鈥檚 most storied rivalry.
Consider: Out of 25 Mountain West Men鈥檚 Golf Championships, UNM and SDSU have combined to win it 15 times; among current members, only UNLV (5) and Colorado State (2) have won the championship more than once.
The Lobos and Aztecs have also finished together in the top five 21 times, ending six of those tournaments as the top two teams on the leaderboard.
Of course, few remember the last time that happened like Jake Harrington. Then in his first year with UNM, the former Arkansas Little-Rock coach鈥檚 Lobos held a three-stroke lead in the final round of the 2024 Mountain West Championship before SDSU surged back to tie it in regulation.
The Aztecs went on to edge the Lobos in a playoff, one that still nags Harrington to this day. And, given the circumstances, one that adds an extra edge to this weekend.
鈥淚 still think about it all the time,鈥� said Harrington, now in his third season with the Lobos. 鈥淚 want to go get these guys a ring. I want to send (seniors Mesa Falleur and Alvaro Portillo) out with a ring.
鈥淎nd to be fair, I want to send San Diego State out the right way, too. They can go enjoy the Pac-whatever it鈥檚 gonna be, and they鈥檙e gonna know that we beat them (in) their final year here.鈥�
But if SDSU has recently dominated the league championship, this very well could be the year UNM breaks back through for its first title since 2021. Ranked a league-high 21st in the NCAA rankings, the Lobos have finished top five in seven of 10 stroke play events and notched two wins across the spring and fall seasons.
Their most recent, a first-place finish at the ASU Thunderbird Invitational in Tempe, Arizona, saw Johnnie Clark notch the first individual win of his career with a 14-under 199. The junior is one of three Lobos to win a tournament this season; Falleur and Emil Albers have won two and one, respectively, setting up UNM鈥檚 most individual titles since 2013-14.
鈥淚 think it says we鈥檙e one of the deepest teams we鈥檝e ever had here,鈥� Harrington said. 鈥淎nd we鈥檝e had a lot of great teams. But I think, one through six (on the lineup), we鈥檙e extremely strong 鈥� we can plug and play any of those guys.鈥�
Harrington also believes his team fits this weekend鈥檚 course. A par-73, 7,262-yard layout, the Catalina Course at Omni Tucson National Resort has plenty of 鈥渜uirky鈥� holes, Clark said, but one he feels favors strong ballstriking teams like UNM.
Harrington agreed with Clark鈥檚 assessment while noting the Lobos can鈥檛 afford to take their foot off the gas.
鈥淚t鈥檚 a golf course where you can get on rolls and make a lot of birdies 鈥� and you need to,鈥� he added. 鈥淵ou can never relax out there, because if you get to a number where you get comfortable, somebody else is pushing. You got to make sure that you鈥檙e constantly thinking 鈥榞ive me another shot, give me another one.鈥�
鈥淎nd that鈥檚 what we gotta do 鈥� go out there and just keep giving ourselves opportunities and hopefully (make) the birdie putts.鈥�
Sean Reider covers college football and other sports for the Journal. You can reach him at sreider@abqjournal.com or via X at .
