ENMU ATHLETICS NEWS

Athletics Hall of Honors 2022 Inductees

LAUREN FRYE

A two-time Greatest Greyhound in 2015 and 2016, Lauren Frye (AA 17) helped lead the volleyball program to a 19-13 record in her senior campaign. That year, she was recognized with Lone Star Conference honors for the fourth time and earned All- American and All-Region accolades.

LUIS QUIÑONES

Luis Quiñones (BBA 13) started in 169 games for ENMU. The leadoff center fielder was known for his consistent bat and flawless defense. He did not commit a single error in his junior campaign and led the program with a .374 average and 66 hits.

PATRICE CALDWELL

Dr. Patrice Caldwell has called Eastern New Mexico University home for more than 40 years. Her service to the institution includes stints as an assistant professor, program director, dean, chief of staff, and chancellor. If you have attended an athletic event at ENMU, you likely have seen Dr. Caldwell sporting the Green and Silver.

BECKY MEEK LEWIS

Becky Meek Lewis (BSE 88) was a member of the 1981 women’s NIRA National Championship team and the Southwest Regional Champion teams in 1980 and 1981. From 1998-2000, she served as the rodeo coach at ENMU. Lewis is a retired teacher of 27 years from Melrose Schools.

HEATH RIDENOUR

Heath Ridenour (attended) was a three-year starter who earned all-conference honors three times and was recognized as the d2football.com player of the week in 2002 when he led the school to a 37-34 win over Texas A&M-Kingsville. The 2002 squad finished with an 8-3 record, including a 27-16 win in the Wagon Wheel Game.

LARRY CHAVEZ

A three-time national meet qualifier in cross country, indoor track & field, outdoor track & field, and an All-District 7 Cross Country honoree in 1977, Larry Chavez (MS 87, BS 82) is a member of the New Mexico Activities Association Hall of Fame, New Mexico Track and Cross Country Coaches Association Hall of Honor and Rio Rancho High School Sports Hall of Fame.

EARL DIDDLE

As the men’s basketball coach for ten seasons from 1988-1997, Earl Diddle compiled a record of 156-124 for the second most wins for a coach in program history. During the 1992-93 season, Coach Diddle led the Hounds to a 23-7 record, winning the Lone Star Conference Tournament and advancing to the NCAA South Central Regional championship.

Women’s Rodeo Off to Good Start

By Todd Fuqua

After ENMU’s women’s rodeo team won the College Daze Rodeo at Lewis Cooper Arena in September, the Greyhounds had a pair of women with their sights on the National Intercollegiate Rodeo Association (NIRA) Finals in Casper, Wyoming, this coming May.

Shacie Marr is one of two ENMU rodeo Greyhounds with points from rodeos in the fall.

Shacie Marr placed in the breakaway roping event at College Daze, while Greeley Eastep reached the short round in goat tying, but couldn’t she score any points.

The two achieved the same feats at the Clarendon College Rodeo in Clarendon, Texas. Additionally, Quinn Leslie accumulated points in the breakaway.

According to coach Albert Flinn (MBA 70, BBA 68), Shacie and Quinn have the opportunity to get to Nationals with that start.

“We might have an outside chance to get four girls to Casper. It just depends on how three of those four girls do at the rest of the rodeos,” Albert said. “If we can get a full women’s team to Caspar, that would be a great achievement.”

Getting a full women’s team to Nationals is a challenge, given that ENMU is located in the Southwest Region with some powerhouse teams.

“This is one of the toughest regions in the NIRA, no doubt,” Albert said. “It’s a growing region, and the numbers are increasing more on the women’s side.”

For the men, freshman Reese Polk had a good time in steer wrestling at Clarendon, coming up just short of points.

Men’s Soccer is Back at ENMU

By Todd Fuqua

As the only NCAA men’s soccer program in New Mexico, the ENMU Greyhounds have both a challenge and an extraordinary opportunity, according to Head Coach Brandon Misuraca.

The challenge comes from re-starting a program after a two-year hiatus. The opportunity comes from being the only New Mexico university to offer scholarships and state-supported education for men’s soccer.

ENMU Men’s Soccer Coach Brandon Misuraca, center, speaks to his team during practice this season.

“When bringing back a program like this, everything is brand new,” said Misuraca, who came to ENMU from Panhandle State in Oklahoma. “We’re building relationships within the community and state, getting that buy-in attitude and filling the roster with talented players. We’ve had to do that all at once.”

Measuring the success of Misuraca and his team depends on your definition of “success.” The Greyhounds have a few things to celebrate, such as this September when they went without a loss and a 1-0 victory over Lone Star Conference rival Midwestern State, the No. 8-ranked team in NCAA at the time.

“The biggest thing is getting the program off to the right start. Right now, we’re trying to find the top talent, and we ultimately want to create a roster with 50 percent state-grown talent,” Misuraca said. “We had some objective and lofty goals.”

Misuraca is happy with players who buy into what he’s trying to do.

“It isn’t important to me where students are from, as long as they come in with a desire to work hard and represent ENMU and our state with pride,” Misuraca said. “It was a good first year, getting our feet wet and being hungry for more.”