Peerman's Power Rankings: A letter to Fernando Lovo

Fernando Lovo, welcome to New Mexico, you’re going to love it — never a dull moment!

We’ve got something special for your first day on the job as athletic director of the state’s largest university: A tort claim notice. What’s a tort claim notice? It’s kind of like yelling “FORE!” on the golf course, but instead it’s an attorney screaming, “LAWSUIT’S A-COMING!”

In that tort claim notice, a member of the New Mexico men’s basketball team, the flagship program of the UNM athletics department, will accuse a teammate of fracturing his nose and punching him in his surgically repaired shoulder, necessitating a visit to the hospital — and the player will claim the team’s coaches did nothing to keep him safe or hold the other guy accountable.

In your introductory news conference a few days later, make sure to mention building a culture centered on providing Lobo student-athletes a first-rate collegiate experience on and off the field. It’ll be quite fun to reflect those comments in light of the lawsuit’s allegations.

Here’s another first-week treat we’re titling, “Spurned. Never a given”: The UNM football team’s coach, who has been held up as a relative savior of the program by media and fans, will leave for a conference rival after just one year.

Bronco Mendenhall’s early exit — and with it the core of the football team’s production into the transfer portal — portends a precipitous decline in fan support.

It’s no secret a college athletic department’s worth — and by extension, your value — is tied into the success of its football program, so go get the right guy to lead the team, won’t ya? And quickly!

As athletic director, your directives are simple: Hire the right coaches, provide support for the student-athletes and beat New Mexico State.

To the latter end, let’s complete your first week with a taste of the Rio Grande Rivalry — three UNM vs. NMSU men’s and women’s games on successive nights. To make it interesting, how about the Aggies win back-to-back-to-back and sweep the season series for the first time in 30 years?

Your mission, should you still choose to accept it, Mr. Lovo, is to ensure this is the bottom and that you’re the rock upon which Lobo Nation can rebuild. Hope Week 2 goes well. Enjoy!

Vause emerges

Let’s transition Peerman’s Power Rankings to its usual intent — celebrating the state’s athletic successes. And there’s no better place to start than Charlie Vause, a senior at Rio Rancho High School, who became a national champion over the weekend.

To tell Vause’s story, I’m handing the pen (keyboard?) to colleague Taylor Hood, the sports and education reporter at the Rio Rancho Observer, the Journal’s sister publication.

Here is Hood’s story that appeared on the Observer website Sunday and will run in its print edition Thursday.

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The rain fell steadily all night and well into the morning, making the course muddy and slow.

The crowd gathered at the finish line Saturday, humming with anticipation, eyes straining to catch the first signs of the lead runners coming over that final hill and into the last 200-meter home stretch.

When it happened, all but a few were surprised to see the intense gaze and steady rhythm of Rio Rancho’s Charlie Vause peak over the hill first. Their surprise only grew when it became obvious Vause wasn’t just in the lead, he was in the lead BY A LOT.

Soaked to the bone, splattered in mud, Vause cruised over the finish line in first place, posting a time of 15:28.1, and laid claim to the most coveted title in high school cross-country, the Nike Cross Nationals trophy.

The winner of NXN is considered the best high school runner in America.

That title now belongs to Charlie Vause. He’s the best in the country, and the trophy is coming to Rio Rancho for the first time.

In fact, it’s coming to New Mexico for the first time. Vause is the first New Mexican to ever when the national title.

“I feel great,” Vause told the Observer. “I can’t tell if this is just the longest, best dream I’ve ever had. I’m so proud, and I’m so grateful for all the people who got me here.”

The new national champion wasn’t quite a long shot coming into the race, which was held Saturday at Glendoveer Golf Course in Portland, Oregon. But he wasn’t a favorite either. Vause was ranked 26th nationally on DyeStats and was an honorable mention runner on MileSplit (considered the top two evaluation websites for cross country.)

The odds were against him, according to the “experts.” Vause’s team, the Rio Rancho Rams, lost in heartbreaking fashion at the NXN Regional meet in Mesa, Arizona on Nov. 23, but Vause was still able to qualify as an individual thanks to his third-place overall finish.

Additionally, Vause recently came in second in the NMAA Cross Country State Championship, where he was expected to win.

The final kicker, nine of the nation’s top 10 runners were set to compete at NXN.

All of that amounted to absolutely nothing for Vause, who brushed off the recent setbacks and blocked out the naysayers.

The RRHS senior put himself in a good position early on, taking the first two kilometers to establish himself in the lead group. He was 13th after kilometer one; 11th after kilometer two.

In kilometer three, Vause made his move. He pushed his way through the group and jumped up to third place, at the front of the lead group of roughly eight runners.

At the four-kilometer mark, Vause dropped briefly to sixth place.

Then, a runner in front of Vause tripped and fell. A quick side move, and he was able to weave around the fallen runner without toppling himself.

After that, Vause knew the title was in reach.

“Then I thought, ‘I’ve got this. I’ve done it before. I know how to do this. This is my moment. This is my chance,’” Vause said.

With a little under one kilometer to go, Vause made his most aggressive move and sprinted to the front of the pack. But he didn’t stop there. He continued to push himself and opened up a massive lead.

Then the final obstacle: two massive, steep, mud-slicked hills.

“My time in Ohio served me well,” Vause said. “I learned how to run in those wet and slow conditions. And then training (in New Mexico) at elevation, I was prepared for it. It wasn’t a shock for me.”

Vause charged over both hills without seeming to slow down.

He coasted over the final 200 meters and across the finish line a full two seconds ahead of his closest competitor.

Next up for the national champion: “A well-earned week off,” Vause said. “Then it’s back to training again and easing back into it.”

The champ won’t be out of competition for long. He said he plans to compete in track and field and indoor races in the spring.

— Taylor Hood, Rio Rancho Observer

Honorable mention

The New Mexico Junior College men’s and women’s basketball teams remain undefeated. The men’s team is 12-0 and ranked No. 2 in the country; the women’s team is 11-0 (with a game late Monday night) and No. 3 in the national polls. What an outstanding start for the Thunderbirds. … The UNM indoor track team had several notable performances from freshmen at a meet in Boston over the weekend, highlighted by Pamela Kosgei. She ran the fourth fastest 5,000 meters in collegiate history (though she was behind the runners who clocked the first- and third-fastest in history in that race) … The Volcano Vista boys basketball team, which has won the Class 5A title three years in a row, looks as dominant as ever and is even getting noticed outside of New Mexico. The Hawks are No. 33 in the latest MaxPreps national rankings.

On hiatus

Peerman’s Power Rankings will go on a two-week hiatus to account for Journal sports staff vacations around the holidays. PPR will be back Dec. 30 or 31 with a list of the Top 10 sports stories of the year. You’re welcome to send nominations for that list, or your own Top 10 list, to lpeerman@abqjournal.com.