Here were New Mexico State’s best moments in the WAC

The branding of the WAC, New Mexico State’s longtime home from 2005-23, has officially ceased to exist

• The Western Athletic Conference (WAC) has officially rebranded as the United Athletic Conference (UAC).
• New Mexico State was a member of the WAC from 2005-23, achieving significant success in multiple sports.
• The Aggies’ men’s and women’s basketball teams secured numerous WAC regular-season and tournament championships during their tenure.
• New Mexico State athletic programs won a combined five regular-season WAC titles and eight WAC tournament championships in 2015.

The Western Athletic Conference is officially no more. Well, at least the name isn’t.

The WAC rebranded as the United Athletic Conference on Wednesday, July 1, which was originally the name of a football-only alliance between the WAC and the Atlantic Sun Conference. Membership losses over the 2020s led the WAC to adopt UAC branding and join its three remaining members with the ASUN’s five football-playing members and Little Rock to form an all-sports conference that keeps the WAC’s historical continuity.

The WAC hits home for New Mexico State. The Aggies were members of the conference from 2005-23 and were one of the WAC’s longest-tenured schools.

With the WAC name officially in the ashes of history, here are some of the Aggies’ best moments while in the conference.

Basketball dominance

NM State dominated the WAC with seven regular-season WAC titles, 10 WAC Tournaments and 14 double-digit win seasons in WAC play.

Perhaps NM State’s best season in the WAC was in 2018-19. The Aggies dropped their first conference game, but won the next 15 before going 3-0 in the WAC Tournament, including a blowout 89-57 win over Grand Canyon for a program-record 30th win. NM State went 16-0 in WAC play the next season before it ended thanks to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Aggies produced five WAC Players of the Year, including four across 2014-18 in Daniel Mullings, Pascal Siakam, Ian Baker and Jemarrio Jones. Teddy Allen won it in 2022.

Women’s basketball also had a dominant stretch. The Aggies won four out of five WAC regular-season and tournament championships from 2015-19, including three in a row from 2015-17 that all included double-digit victories in the WAC Tournament final. Brooke Salas’ 29 points in the 2019 final secured a 76-73 double-overtime win over UTRGV.

Baseball rallies in 2022

The 2018 baseball team won 40 games and the WAC Tournament, but the 2022 team’s story was a Cinderella run.

The Aggies had the worst record in the WAC Tournament at 20-32. NM State finished sixth in the West Division, but gained entry thanks to second-place California Baptist and fourth-place Dixie State (now Utah Tech) being ineligible due to their Division I transitions.

The Aggies caught fire and went 4-0. NM State defeated Southwest Division winner Sam Houston 3-1, clobbered UTRGV 10-0 in seven innings, took down Sacramento State 7-3 and vanquished fellow No. 4 seed Abilene Christian 7-3 in the championship game.

Winning WAC titles at home

Softball won six regular-season WAC titles and four WAC Tournaments from 2011-21.

Three of those tournament titles came when NM State hosted it in 2015, 2017 and 2018. The Aggies earned three run-rule wins to win in 2015 and faced Seattle three times in 2017. The Aggies fell 6-4 in the second round before bouncing back into the winners bracket to beat the Redhawks 15-14 and 10-0 for another title.

NM State defeated Grand Canyon and UMKC in run-rule fashion in 2018 and faced GCU again in the final. Kelsey Horton’s three RBIs fueled a 9-7 win. She secured back-to-back WAC Player of the Year honors in 2017 and 2018.

A great 2015

The Aggies had one of their best years in 2015. NM State won five regular-season WAC titles and eight WAC tournaments in that calendar year.

Men’s basketball and women’s basketball each won WAC regular-season and tournament titles, and Brianna Freeman was named the WAC Player of the Year in women’s basketball. Volleyball swept the WAC regular-season and tournament titles and never lost a conference game. Gwen Murphy won WAC Player of the Year, and Mike Jordan earned WAC Coach of the Year.

Softball went 47-16 and swept the WAC regular-season and tournament championships in one of the program’s best seasons. Staci Rodriguez won WAC Player of the Year, and the Aggies broke 12 school records on offense.

Men’s and women’s golf both won WAC championships, and men’s tennis swept the WAC regular-season and tournament titles. Women’s tennis also won the WAC Tournament for the program’s first-ever conference title.

Other notable moments

• Soccer won its first WAC Tournament title in 2022 after taking down top-seeded Seattle 1-0 in the final.
• NM State won the 2023 WAC outdoor track and field title. Jhana Downie won conference titles in the 200 and 400 meters, Joseph Rath won WAC Coach of the Year and Terice Steen set a school record in the 400m hurdles (58.36).
• Volleyball won three more WAC regular-season titles in 2016, 2019 and 2021. Megan Hart was named 2019 WAC Player of the Year.
• Women’s golf won seven WAC championships from 2014-22. Pun Chanachai was a standout, winning WAC Player of the Year and WAC Freshman of the Year honors in 2017.
• Swimming and diving stayed in the WAC for two more years after 2023 and were a competitive program, finishing second at the WAC Championships seven times between 2010-25.