2012

When naming the top University of New Mexico men’s tennis players, you can be certain that Van Hill would be on the list.  In fact, for many of those top individuals, Van helped to inspire their successful UNM tennis career.  2007 Hall of Honor Inductee, Tim Garcia, spoke of Van and his teammates as the “titans” of UNM tennis.  “Van and his teammates did more for our tennis program than any team ever, period” said Garcia. 

            Originally from El Paso, Texas, Van was nothing short of a high school star.  In 1966, he was ranked number two in the Texas Interscholastic League.  Recruited by Baylor, Southern Methodist University, Texas Tech, Army, Cornell, Arizona, Arizona State and Texas Western, Hill chose to come to UNM.  Jack Kennedy, fellow UNM tennis alum and Hall of Honor Inductee, said “he (Van) was a freshman on what was probably the best tennis team to ever play at UNM.”   In the number four position, Van became a Western Athletic Conference (WAC) champion in the spring of 1967. 

            Van’s athletic prominence continued throughout his tennis career.  Along with doubles partner Tony Bull, Van was out making a statement in the WAC.  The two were ranked number one in doubles Van’s sophomore and junior seasons.   For the second year in a row, Van became a WAC champion in singles, this time at the number three position.   His performance at the conference championship that year played an integral part in the team earning the first team conference title in UNM men’s tennis history.

            In the 1969 season, Van was unstoppable.  To earn the conference title that season, Van had quite a task ahead of him.  Standing in the way of his third conference singles title was three time WAC champion Brian Cheney of Arizona, the fourth ranked tennis player in the NCAA.  For those that had the opportunity to see the match, they remember it as the “best they ever saw.”   Van played remarkably, helping him move on to an undefeated record in conference dual meet matches and propelling him to win the conference title at the number one position.  Following the conference championship, Van went on to compete in the NCAA tournament and made it all the way to the round of 16s.  His run at the NCAA tournament helped to earn All American honors, making him the second Lobo to ever bear that recognition in men’s tennis.   In reward for his successes, Van earned the Joe Dailey Award for the top UNM Athlete of the Year (1969) and was chosen as an Outstanding College Athlete in America by the Outstanding Americans Foundation (1970), and was All-Conference three times in singles and two times in doubles. 

            Van continued to play tennis following his UNM career earning number one rankings in singles and doubles for the Southwest Tennis Association.  To this day, Van is thought of as one of the best players to have ever played in the Southwest region. 

            Maybe more than his tennis stats, Van is remembered for being one of the kindest, well respected and humble individuals that you could come across.  He went on to have a fine career in dentistry and has received high recognition for his accomplishments.  He is a member of several professional associations and gives back to his community.  UNM is lucky to have such a great representative.  Former teammate, Tim Russell stated that Van “was fiercely competitive on the tennis court, but as nice a person as you could ever meet off the court.” A superb athlete and man of high character, Van embodies the vision of the Hall of Honor.    

Very few people have the ability to make an impact as both a player and a coach, let alone in two different sports.  Fortunately for the University of New Mexico, Rick Klatt was capable of doing so.  Take one look at the letters of recommendation for induction into the UNM Athletic Hall of Honor and you will be overwhelmed with the amount of support Rick has received from former coaches, teammates, and swimmers he has coached.   Teammate and former swimmer, David Feld said, “The qualities which enabled him to become one of the great swimmers of his era were the same which contributed so much to his coaching success.” 

            When Rick entered UNM as a freshman, his primary athletic background was as a basketball player and a swimmer.  According to an article in the UNM Daily Lobo in 1973, he had never even seen a water polo ball before stepping foot on UNM’s campus.  That didn’t seem to matter, as Rick quickly became one of the best individuals to ever represent UNM athletically, with his efforts in swimming and water polo.  Often described as a fierce competitor, he worked hard to be the top athlete in the water. 

            It did not take long for Rick to get the hang of the game of water polo.  Elected team captain by his teammates, he led the team in scoring and was a force on defense.  To no one’s surprise, he was named to the “All Tournament Team” seven times at several water polo tournaments, named an All-American in 1972, and helped lead the Lobos to the NCAA championship tournament on two separate occasions, finishing as high as fifth in the nation.  Not bad for a guy who hadn’t played the sport as long as the majority of his competitors. 

            In swimming, Rick was dominant.  A Western Athletic Conference champion ten times, his ability and work ethic helped UNM earn national recognition in the sport.  In fact, he could have earned more WAC titles had it not been for an injury that kept him from competing in the WAC and NCAA Championships his sophomore season.  His specialty was in freestyle events, in which he won the conference title in the 100m free and the 200m free.  He also anchored the freestyle relays.  He earned All-American status four times individually and four times as a relay member at the NCAA Championships.    

            Rick’s swimming talents were not limited to national recognition.  For many swimmers, world competitions are the pinnacle.  Rick was given the opportunity to compete in the 1972 Olympic Trials.  He placed 16^th in the 200 free.  In 1973, Rick was selected to the first World Swimming Championship team that competed in Belgrade, Yugoslavia.  Such a high honor would be an achievement in itself, but Rick went above and beyond by being selected as the team captain.  Competing in the 800m freestyle relay, Rick and his teammates shattered the world record at the meet.  Rick recorded the fastest split time. 

            His talents and passion for swimming and water polo continued to shine following his competing days at UNM.  He was selected as the UNM men’s and women’s swim and water polo coach.  Transitioning from being a teammate and peer to many of the UNM swimmers and water polo players to becoming their coach is not an easy task.  According to those swimmers and water polo players, Rick accomplished the task admirably.  Tom Daulton said, “I am fortunate to have been a teammate of Rick’s as well as a swimmer and polo player under his guidance as a coach.  While I didn’t have his skills, I saw firsthand how hard he worked and how determined he was to succeed.  It was a great motivator.  That spirit of hard work and believe in ones-self created a foundation that has served me well over the last 30 years.”

            Rick continues to make a lasting impression on the two sports that he excelled in.  He went on to coach numerous NCAA All-Americans, Junior National finalists, Olympic athletes, and run several aquatic organizations.  Mary Gen Ledecky, another one of Rick’s former swimmers, said “…the Klatt name is famous in California because of Rick’s superior coaching.”    There is no doubt that Rick has earned his place amongst the names of Lobo greats and has made an impact on the University of New Mexico Athletic History.             

Dave Binder is in his 18^th year at the University of New Mexico as the Head Athletics Trainer.  Under Binder’s guidance, which includes 40 years of experience, New Mexico has become one of the premier programs in Athletic Training. 

            The Big Spring, Texas native received both his Bachelor’s and master’s degree in physical education from the University of Texas El Paso.  Before returning to UTEP, where he served as Head Athletic Trainer for 13 years, he was a head trainer for the Toronto Blue Jays, Houston Baptist University and Pan American University.

            During his time at UNM, he has worked with every sport and has seen just about every injury that you could imagine.  It is his job to keep our student-athletes healthy but he has made it a point to go above and beyond that task.  Binder has a passion for athletic training and has made a lasting impression on the student-athletes, coaching staff, and the UNM training staff.

            As a mentor to the student trainers, he has helped develop the careers for many of those who walk through the doors on UNM’s South Campus.  Binder’s graduates have been hired by numerous Major League Baseball teams, National Football League teams, Hockey teams, Basketball teams, and Universities.  He and his staff were also recognized as the Mountain West Conference Athletic Training Staff of the year in 2009. 

            Binder has been recognized for several awards throughout his career including the Distinguished Service Award for UTEP, becoming a member of UTEP Sports Hall of Fame, being elected to the El Paso Sports Hall of Fame, receiving the Everett Blackburn award for his unselfish devotion to athletic training, and being named an Honorary Lettermen for UNM in 2006.  On top of the accolades, Binder was also selected as one of only three university trainers to be part of the 2008 NFL Combine.  There is no doubt that Binder is a gift to the UNM Athletic Department and it is an honor to reward him with the Distinguished Service Award. 

When it comes to naming the most successful coaches in NCAA soccer, Jeremy Fishbein makes the list.

In ten seasons, Fishbein has gotten the Lobos to the NCAA Tournament in eight of them. Those trips to the big dance include Sweet 16 appearances in 2004 and 2011 and an appearance in the national championship game in 2005.  In 2011, he lead the Lobos to an undefeated season.

While at UNM, Head Coach Jeremy Fishbein has received numerous individual honors and distinctions. He’s received Conference Coach of the Year or Co-Coach of the Year awards on four different occasions. He is a two-time NSCAA Far West Region Coach of the Year as well as the 2004 Soccer America National Coach of the Year. He is on pace to become the program’s all-time winningest coach by season’s end thanks to his .730 winning percentage at New Mexico.

For all of the impressive on-the-field accolades, Coach Fishbein’s teams have managed to achieve even more in the classroom. Coach Fishbein has:

• Overseen the program’s 8 NSCAA Scholar Athletes
• Led the program to 8 NSCAA Academic Team Awards
• Coached 17 Academic All-Americans
• Had players named to the MPSF All-Academic Team 73 times
• Guided a Lobo to All-District Academic honors on 34 different occasions
• Coached the 2009 ESPN The Magazine Academic All-American of the Year and a prestigious Rhodes Scholarship Finalist
• Broke the program record for best team grade point average (3.35) in the spring semester of the 2004-05 academic year.

            Fishbein’s teams embody the mission and spirit of UNM Athletics. They perform on the field, achieve off the field and are active role members within the Albuquerque community.  

            Congratulations Coach Jeremy Fishbein and Go Lobos!

When Mitchell Garver came to UNM out of La Cueva High School here in Albuquerque, it would have been impossible to predict the success he has enjoyed as a Lobo. He came here lightly recruited with no guarantee of a scholarship and was a backup to an All-American. Now he’s an All-American himself and one of the centerpieces of the most successful run in Lobo baseball history.

            Garver enjoyed a breakout season in 2012. He set career highs in 12 offensive categories on his way to being named Mountain West Co-Player of the Year, earning three MW Player of the Week awards, becoming one of three finalists for the Johnny Bench Award, which is given each year to the best catcher in college baseball, and being honored by four All-America teams: Collegiate Baseball second team, National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association third team, Baseball America third team, and CollegeBaseballInsider.com honorable mention. He has also helped lead the Lobos to an NCAA regional three straight years, their first trips to the postseason since 1962, and has started 122 straight games.

            In addition to his success on the field, Garver has excelled off it as well. He has donated countless hours to community service, including Power Pals summer baseball camps and Toys for Tots. In the classroom he has earned Academic All-Mountain West honors all three years and is currently finishing a degree in physical therapy.