NMMI Year in Sports Review

           What a year filled with nationally ranked players, statistics, and records for Bronco Athletics in the past year! With some ongoing sports in the midst of playoff races currently, it is certainly a great foundation for all of the sports at New Mexico Military Institute for years to come.

                                      

Delvon Carpenter goes for the ball while being tackeld by the defender.

            The Bronco Football team had one of the best years in school history. They tackled the challenges of the regular season with ease and went to the El Toro Bowl in Yuma, Texas. NMMI went 7-4 during the regular season. According to NJCAA National News archive, the key players during the season were Delvon Carpenter, with 39 receptions for 868 yards and 12 TDs, Quinn Billerman, who threw for 2,697 yds and 31 touchdowns, and Greg Morris, with 903 rushing yards and 6 TDs. They blew the competition away in the El Toro Bowl with a score of 32 to 16. Head coach Forchtner said, I was very proud of how our guys performed this year. They came together as a team to get us a playoff win.” Quinn Billerman was the decided Offensive MVP with 283 yards and 21 completions.

            Of all of the sports, arguably the most impressive was NMMI’s Volleyball squad. They finished the year at a solid 21-16 record. They made the playoffs, and then clinched a spot in the National NJCAA Tournament. Nationally, they finished in the top 10 among some of the best competition junior college has to offer at the Division 1 level. No one can doubt the potential of this team because they reached it this year. Even though they did not win the tournament, they placed higher in regular and post seasons.

            The Bronco Baseball team set many rerecords this year as well. They finished the year with a 19-37 record. Most would say this does not sound like a team that would be placed in National statistics. Despite the record, NMMI won more conference games than any previous baseball team in school history, as well as Division 1 wins in school history. Jeremy Mortenston, a lefty starter for the squad, was named Bronco Baseball Pitching MVP. Correy Davis, Troop Commander of Kilo Troop, was the decided Offensive MVP for the team hitting at an even .400 Batting Average. Coach Cook noted, “We had a chance to do something great this year. Even though it didn’t happen, the boys played their hardest and broke many school records this year.” With no playoff berth, the Bronco Baseball team has shifted their focus to next year to hopefully win more games than the 2014 spring season.

            NMMI has a tough school and academic environment for all of the athletes. Going through the strictness of the institute has made all of them play harder on the field, as it is shown in many National and Conference statistics for each team. With this being said, this has laid a great foundation for the next group of athletes that enter the school. It is safe to say that New Mexico Military Institute Athletics in all aspects will be in good hands for years to come.

NMMI "Selfies" Can Get NMMI Cadets Caught

Former Cadet Kyle Goldfarb took this selfie just before a formal dance.

            Chapter 5.12, article B.-3, under the Social Networking Policy in the New Mexico Military Institute Blue Book states, “Posting photos, videos, comments or postings showing the personal use of alcohol, tobacco, e.g., cans, shot glasses, bottles or liquor, drugs, etc. are subject to suspension up to and including dismissal.”

            Social media has been a phenomenon known to NMMI for over half a decade. Regimental Commander Sarah Brown says, “When I first got here (2008), most of the cadets used the landline phones in the rooms; only few actually had cell phones that I knew of.” Social media has advanced greatly in six years, and for the cadets at NMMI, the responsibility of keeping a clean slate on the internet has been a tough one.

            Per the blue book, cadets are not even allowed to have there phones outside their rooms, unless one is a First SGT and above. The daily frenzy of Twitter and FaceBook keep cadets constantly checking for the next notification of their uploaded status or picture. To attract more likes, some cadets go to a length of putting theirs and NMMI’s reputations on the line.

            There have been cases where students post discreditable pictures and pay the price for it. NMMI alumni, Sam Turcotte, says, “I knew a kid that posted a picture of him holding a lit cigarette and had a beer in the background. He was sent to the infirmary for IDFY drug testing, and tested positive for alcohol. He was a good kid, just made a dumb decision by being in that situation and posting the picture.”

            Selfies and other photos can create havoc for the cadet if the photo was in an inappropriate location or situation. Yet, cadets still get in trouble for posting these pictures. These students must understand the repercussions of what they put online because their profiles may be private, but it can still be seen by invisible eyes.

Crazy Findings

             It is confirmed that there are ghosts at New Mexico Military Institute, although there has been speculation for years by passed down stories; one of which consists of a First Sergeant leaving a RAT to die in “Blood Tower” in Hotel Troop corner bedroom. “I don’t usually believe in these stories, but sometimes at night I can feel the tension in the room. It’s almost like someone is here,” says Troop Commander of Hotel Troop, Zach Henderson.

            Another suggestive story includes the NMMI Police Officers. From our information by an anonymous source from YourGhostStories.com, an officer four years ago was walking through Cahoon Armory locking the doors, when he heard footsteps on the basketball gymnasium.

            Many other stories revolve around this subject when referring to New Mexico Military Institute. There are confirmations to these alibis, however.

Looking through the "Sally Port" of the original barracks, the motto of NMMI - "duty", "honor", and "achievement".

While Cadet Caleb Mitchell was on Guard Duty, a time where the cadet has to make announcements for the school, he was given key information by CPT Heinsman. The officer stated, “A television ghost show came to NMMI a few years back. All I know is, whenever they took audio of the mess hall, you can hear the cadets yelling, ‘discipline,’ whenever they took their seats from the Regimental Adjutant. I always thought we had ghosts, but now I know for a fact.”