One of the best and most consistent athletic teams this year at UNM has gone largely unnoticed -- the ski team.
With the men's basketball program having possibly its worst season in 20 years, perhaps more attention should be focused on a ski team that has consistently gone out and competed in every tournament it has entered.
The Lobos are led by a group of talented individuals and a team identity that has found itself in a fight to move up from its current third place ranking in the Rocky Mountain Intercollegiate Skiing Conference.
UNM is coming off a third place finish in Boulder and Eldora, Colo., last weekend that dropped the team from second to third place overall in the league.
Among the Lobos' highlights on the season is their first team victory since 1992, when they won the Utah/Alaska RMISA meet in January. At the time, UNM was ranked fifth but it knocked off three-time defending champion and top-ranked Denver University along with No. 2 Colorado and No. 3 Utah.
In skiing, teams are ranked by combining both the results of the men's and the women's teams in Nordic and Alpine races. Because of this, it is important to have a balanced squad with individuals from all areas performing well. As head coach George Brooks points out, a main reason for the Lobos' success this year can be attributed to a deeper team than in years past.
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"We have a deeper squad and a more talented squad (than last year)," Brooks said. "By having a deep team, we have a more competitive team at the top."
Though a well-rounded effort is important in propelling the Lobos to a high level, they are not without their individual stars.
"Our strongest so far is Caroline Schicht," Brooks said. "She's ranked No. 1 in the conference in Giant Slalom and she's tied for No. 1 in the Slalom. She's already won two races."
Right behind Schicht is Jennifer Delich who is ranked in the top five in the conference in both events.
The team has also received other accolades including five representatives at the World University Games in Italy this year. Americans Helena Woodrow and Gladys Weidt were invited to the games as was Canadian Delich, Austrian Kathrin Spendier and Martina Stursova from the Czech Republic.
As seen by the individuals invited to the University Games, the women have been leading the way for UNM.
"The women's side is definitely the strength of our program," Brooks said. "The cross-country women have been on paper and in practicality the No. 1 team in the nation."
While the women have excelled, the men have desperately tried to keep up the pace. The men have two returnees in Gottfried Schwarzmuller and Lars Bjorge, neither of whom has hit their full stride yet. The men also have three newcomers in Alexander Freberg, Christian Jensen and Dustin Simons.
"The men's side of the equation is a little more competitive," Brooks said. "We will have to ski better to put us in position to win another race."
With only a few meets left in the year before the NCAA championships, the Lobos are looking to fine tune their skills and make a run at the title. In the way are several teams from the conference, not to mention a couple of squads from the East Coast that can always surprise.
Everyone will be shooting to knock off three-time champions DU. Colorado has finished closely behind Denver consistently and will also be a major factor in the championship meet. Utah, though largely inexperienced, has a talented group and cannot be overlooked.
"If I had to predict who is the toughest team in the conference right now, I would have to say Utah," Brooks said.
Brooks is confident that if the Lobos can ski their best and get some help from some other teams, they have a legitimate shot at the national title.
"I think we can win," Brooks said. "We would have to ski extremely well and get some luck from some other teams not skiing as well. We are definitely not a front-runner but I would say that our upper limits could be national champions. We can win it."
Next up for the Lobos is their final regular season RMISA event that takes place in Crested Butte, Colo., this weekend.
The NCAA championships take place in Dartmouth, N.H., in March.
