Know Your Mascots

\ Sep 02, 2010

2 min read

Know your mascots — Lobos—University of New Mexico

Everyone knows the Lobos. But after that, it’s hard to think of a truly statewide mascot. Most of the people in both Albuquerque and Las Cruces know that the New Mexico State Aggies ride horses. But does the intrastate rivalry extend up to the northern corners?

CNM apparently has Sol the Suncat—cool-looking, but tremendously underexposed. There are the Western New Mexico Mustangs and the New Mexico Highlands University Cowboys but I didn’t know either of those before I looked them up. (No offense intended, smaller-than-Albuquerque towns; it’s not like I’m speaking from a high horse here.) Eastern New Mexico competes in the NCAA Division II Lone Star Conference and has two different nicknames for their men’s and women’s teams: Greyhounds for the fellas and Zias for the ladies.

Those are just the big schools. I’ve skipped over the smaller colleges, as well as the plethora of high schools that compete at a high level, but we have to talk about the Isotopes. Once the Duke City Dukes, the Isotopes fully embrace their “Simpsons” heritage with the new statues in the park.

Both the New Mexico Thunderbirds and the New Mexico Scorpions used to belong exclusively to Albuquerque, but the dismay at playing every home game at Tingley Coliseum drove both teams to seek a new venue and, consequently, a new name. The Thunderbirds now play in the Santa Ana Star Center in Rio Rancho, but the Scorpions have suspended their operations, as of about a year ago.

The New Mexico Mustangs hockey team (no relation to the Western New Mexico university) just started playing at the Santa Ana Star Center. Here’s to hoping they’ll fare better than the Scorpions. It’s worth noting that the Mustangs have their own minor-league feeder team in Rio Rancho, as well, with the Renegades playing at Blades Multiplex Arena.

With the major sports leagues in their annual lull, and the school term about to start up again, now’s the perfect time to get out and root for some other kind of local team. Show your support for the city, as well as the people who try to represent it.