The 2024-25 athletics season is wrapping up for New Mexico State, one that featured full, year-long coverage from the Las Cruces Sun-News.
Take a look at some of the best Aggies athletes from the year, featuring several players who were recognized as some of the best in Conference USA and the nation:
Football: RB Seth McGowan
McGowan received a second-team All-Conference USA selection after leading the Aggies with a CUSA fifth-best 813 rushing yards. The junior scored six total touchdowns, three rushing and three receiving, including two rushing scores in NM State’s season-opening win against Southeast Missouri.
McGowan received double-digit touches in all but one game. Notable performances came in a 113-rushing-yard game against Western Kentucky and a 179-total-yard outing against Middle Tennessee. He transferred to Kentucky this offseason.
Men’s Basketball: F Peter Filipovity
The Hungary native became one of CUSA’s best newcomers this season.
The Maine transfer led NM State in both points (13.1) and rebounds per game (8.2) to earn a third-team All-CUSA honor. The graduate student ranked third among Aggies with 26 steals.
He posted a CUSA second-best eight double-doubles and earned notable performances in a road sweep of Jacksonville State and Kennesaw State, scoring 38 total points and grabbing 21 total rebounds to win CUSA Player of the Week.
Women’s Basketball: G Molly Kaiser
Kaiser cemented her status as a future NM State Hall of Famer this season.
The graduate student led CUSA with 20.5 points per game and ranked 17th nationally with 677 points to win CUSA Player of the Year. Kaiser was named CUSA Player of the Week five times and earned her second first-team All-CUSA honor.
She scored in double figures 30 times, led NM State in points 27 times, had 18 games with 20 or more points and five games with 30 or more points. She moved into third on the Aggies’ all-time scoring list this season with 1,899 career points.
Baseball: P/INF Steve Solorzano
Solorzano led the Aggies with a 1.021 on-base plus slugging percentage and ranked tied-for-first with eight home runs alongside Sheehan O’Connor. The sophomore also tallied 41 RBIs, 14 doubles and a .335 batting average.
The Las Cruces native was one of two NM State players to receive first-team All-CUSA honors.
Softball: UTL Desirae Spearman
Spearman dominated, ranking top 3 in CUSA in statistics such as batting average (.430), RBIs (47) and home runs (20). Her CUSA-leading .977 slugging percentage ranks seventh nationally.
The sophomore also pitched well, ranking fifth in CUSA with 118 strikeouts. Spearman’s 1.52 WHIP ranked second among Aggies behind Faith Aragon and opponents recorded a CUSA third-lowest .221 batting average against her.
She’s been recognized as one of the nation’s best, consistently ranking in the top 5 of Softball America’s best two-way players. Spearman entered the transfer portal after the season.
Volleyball: OHs Mari Sharp and Starr Williams
Fifth-year player Mari Sharp earned first-team All-CUSA honors after ranking top 5 among Aggies in five categories, including second in kills (348) and digs (287). She also led NM State with six double-doubles.
Williams also earned a first-team All-CUSA selection after leading the Aggies in kills (395) and a .317 hitting percentage. The redshirt junior also recorded a team-best 65 blocks.
Women’s Soccer: F Loma McNeese
McNeese broke the NM State record for career goals, scoring her 27th career goal in a win against Louisiana Tech.
The graduate student added two more to finish with 29 career goals and a CUSA fourth-best 10 in 2024. McNeese also tallied a CUSA sixth-best 24 points and added four assists.
Men’s Cross Country: Thomas Croshaw
Croshaw finished 13th at the CUSA Championships with an 8K time of 24:29.5 to earn a second-team All-CUSA selection.
The sophomore also ran at the NCAA Mountain Regional and finished a 10K run at a team-best 30:27.3.
Women’s Cross Country: Rachel O’Brien
O’Brien finished 12th at the CUSA Championships with a 6K time of 21:06.5 to earn a second-team All-CUSA selection. She ran a 6K time of 21:43.6 at the NCAA Mountain Regional.
The senior also ran track and posted Aggies-best times of 2:06.54 and 4:14.86 in the 800- and 1500-meter races, respectively.
Men’s Tennis: Holland Snell
Snell earned a second-team All-CUSA singles honor in his freshman season after finishing 10-7.
Primarily competing in the Aggies’ No. 3 position, his season included multiple straight-set wins against opponents from Louisiana, UNLV, UC Irvine and UTRGV.
Women’s Tennis: Anna Pinaieva
Pinaieva led the Aggies from the No. 1 spot in both singles and doubles, finishing with a 9-4 singles record and a 13-7 doubles record.
The junior’s season included a four-match singles win streak from Feb. 6-14, which earned her CUSA Athlete of the Week honors.
Men’s Golf: Aidan Thomas
Thomas received a first-team All-CUSA honor after winning an individual conference title with a -8 score at the CUSA Championships.
He also participated in the NCAA Auburn Regional, ranking second among Aggies with a +4 score.
Women’s Golf: Emma Bunch
Bunch has finished as NM State’s top golfer in six events and earned a spot in the NCAA Lexington Regional after finishing second at the CUSA Championships.
Bunch also participated in the Augusta National Women’s Amateur, one of the world’s most prestigious amateur golf tournaments, and made the cut into the third and final round before finishing 11th.
Women’s Track and Field: Alesha Lane
Lane set a school record with a 174-3 toss during the CUSA Championships to earn third place in the event’s finals.
She earned another third-place finish for the Aggies in the shot put finals, recording a 46-11 shot put to give her three bronze medal finishes after earning another in the 2025 CUSA Indoor Track & Field Championships.
Women’s Swimming and Diving: Swimmer Emily Dobbins and diver Mira Tinani
Tinani, a sophomore was the only Aggie to reach a zone at the NCAA Diving Championships, reaching Zone E after scoring 35 points at the WAC Championships.
Dobbins, a fellow sophomore, earned two podium finishes at the WAC Championships, taking first in the 100-yard backstroke and third in the 50-yard freestyle, and was also part of a first-place team finish in the 200-yard relay. She won WAC Women’s Swimmer of the Week on Feb. 12.
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