by
Frank Mercogliano
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. Night of Champions made a triumphant return, and whether it was the nearly 400 fans that came out to watch or the 21 student-athletes attempting to max out on personal bests, everyone was pumped up and ready for UNM’s opening game on September 2 against Houston Baptist. In fact, it can’t get here quick enough.
Night of Champions, which started in 1992 and was held every spring until 2008, was certainly a new concept to the current Lobo squad, none of whom were alive when Dennis Franchoine started the tradition. In fact several of the competitors weren’t yet in grade school the last time it was held. Certainly, the adrenaline of the crowd helped 18 of the 21 competitors hit their personal bests, and overall UNM’s competitors hit or surpassed their max a grand total of 33 times.