October 20, 2024
2024-25 Mountain West preview
UNLV, Colorado State and Wyoming are top three teams to beat
When Creighton knocked UNLV out in the first round of the NCAA Tournament last March, it marked a moment of change for the Mountain West Conference. We knew it was the end of Desi-Rae Young’s dominant career at UNLV — a run that boasted a 35-1 league record her final two seasons.
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What we didn’t know at the time was that Creighton’s Emma Ronsiek would be transferring to Colorado State for her fifth season. Ronsiek, who scored 23 points in the 87-73 win over UNLV, is now the Mountain West Conference’s Co-Preseason Player of the Year, along with Wyoming’s Allyson Fertig. Still, the coaches predicted UNLV to win the league again, with Kiara Jackson, Amarachi Kimpson and Alyssa Brown all returning.
Here is a look at the capsules for what is anticipated to be an exciting season (in alphabetical order):
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Air Force Falcons
- 2023-24 Record: 15-17, 8-10
- Head Coach: Stacy McIntyre, first season
- Key Games: at Army Nov. 15, at Oregon Dec. 17.
Stacy McIntyre takes over at head coach, replacing Chris Gobrecht, who retired after 44 years in coaching. McIntyre was an assistant for all nine of Gobrecht’s years in Colorado Springs and was the associate head coach since 2019. Junior guard Milahnie Perry recorded a program record with 535 points last year, coming to 16.7 per game, which ranks first among returning MWC players. Keelie O’Hollaren (8.6 points per game) and Jayda McNabb (6.3 rebounds per game) return from stellar freshmen campaigns. McNabb’s 123 rebounds on the offensive glass actually led the entire league. Senior guard Madison Smith also returns 11.4 points and 5.4 rebounds. The Falcons led the MWC in steals with nearly 11 per game and ranked 19th nationally. They also were atop of the conference in turnover margin and turnovers forced.
Boise State Broncos
- 2023-24 Record: 21-14, 10-8, WNIT first round
- Head Coach: Gordy Presnell, 20th season
- Key Games: vs Colorado Nov. 10, Illinois State and potentially West Virginia in Gulf Coast Showcase Nov. 29-30.
Abby Muse is returning for her fifth year. The 2023 MWC Defensive Player of the Year grabbed the second-most rebounds in the MWC last season (8.4 per game) and blocked nearly twice as many shots (91) as anyone else. She also added 7.5 points on the offensive side for a BSU team that kept opponents to a MWC-low 58.9 points. Junior guards Natalie Pasco (13.2 points) and Mya Hansen (10) were the team’s two scoring leaders, with Pasco draining the most threes (84) in the MWC. Coach Presnell brought in two Australian freshmen, Milly Sharp and Libby Hutton, as well.
Colorado State Rams
- 2023-24 Record: 20-11, 10-8
- Head Coach: Ryun Williams, 13th season
- Key Games: vs Oregon State Nov. 8, at BYU Nov. 13, vs Gonzaga Dec. 8, vs Georgia in San Diego Dec. 19.
Not only is Emma Ronsiek the MWC Co-Preseason Player of the Year, she is on Her Hoop Stats’ Becky Hammon Mid-Major Player of the Year Award watchlist. The Creighton transfer scored 16.8 points per game for the Bluejays as a senior last year and is a two-time All-Big East first team selection. She joins her sister Hannah, who was second on the Rams in 2023-24 with 8.5 points per game. Emma will complete the void lost from McKenna Hofschild, who recorded 22 points per game and 227 total assists last season. In addition, Kloe Froebe is the MWC Preseason Freshman of the Year. Froebe was the Illinois High School Player of the Year.
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Fresno State Bulldogs
- 2023-24 Record: 15-18, 8-12
- Head Coach: Jaime White, 11th season
- Key Games: at Hawaii and vs UCLA in Rainbow Wahine Showdown Nov. 29-30, at USC Dec. 10.
Junior forward Mia Jacobs returns after scoring 14 points per game and grabbing seven rebounds. The team adds transfers Laney Amundsen, Holly Griffiths, Avery Watkins, Mariah Elohim and Saga Ukkonen, plus freshmen Aloni Oliver, Danae Powell and Rayna Williams. The team will be tested early with highly-ranked state rivals UCLA and USC.
Nevada Wolf Pack
- 2023-24 Record: 16-16, 10-8
- Head Coach: Amanda Levens, eighth season
- Key Games: at Oregon Nov. 6, vs Colorado Nov. 12, vs Miami (Fla.) and Western Kentucky in Maui on Dec. 19-20.
Senior guard Audrey Roden led the Wolf Pack with 11.5 points per game in 2023-24. In addition, the balanced returning core of Izzy Sullivan, Lexie Givens, Victoria Davis, and Kennedy Lee all scored between about seven and nine points last season. Transfer Ahrray Young brings a nine-point scoring average from Tulsa. The Wolf Pack were first in the MWC last season in offensive rebounds per game, with 12.66.
New Mexico Lobos
- 2023-24 Record: 21-11, 12-6
- Head Coach: Mike Bradbury, ninth season
- Key Games: at Texas Tech Nov. 12, vs Gonzaga Nov. 24, home-and-home with New Mexico State Dec. 6 and 8.
The Lobos were the only MWC team to defeat UNLV last season, but this year’s squad hardly resembles that one. The team lost Newcomer of the Year Nyah Wilson (15.5 points per game) to Missouri, Defensive Player of the Year Aniyah Augmon (13 points per game) to graduation, and Paula Reus (11.2 points per game) to Loyola Marymount. Senior Vianè Cumber returns with 11.4 points per game and led the MWC in three-point field goals per game (2.41). To accompany her are Lilli Hakkarainen from Finland, Alyssa Hargrove from Austin Peay, Drew Jordan from Wagner, and Nayli Padilla from Spain in the backcourt. Lydie Mwamba from the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Joana Magalhaes of Portugal will be debuting in Albuquerque, as well. Destinee Hooks scored more than 21 per game at Vincennes University in Indiana. Amhyia Moreland comes from league-rival San Jose State, where she was second on the Spartans with 11.6 points per game.
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San Diego State Aztecs
- 2023-24 Record: 22-13, 10-8
- Head Coach: Stacie Terry-Hutson, 12th season
- Key Games: vs Wisconsin, VCU and Providence at the Cancun Challenge Nov. 28-30.
Senior forwards Adryana Quezada (14 points per game) and Kim Villalobos (10 points per game) both return to the Aztecs’ frontcourt. Graduate student Cali Clark also transfers from conference rival Colorado State for added depth in the frontcourt. We will get our first look at redshirt freshman guard Trinity Zamora, who was pegged as last year’s MWC Preseason Co-Freshman of the Year before an injury. Kaelyn Hamilton, Bailey Barnhard, Natalia Martinez and Naomi Panganiban are the other freshmen. Panganiban has played for the Philippine national team.
San Jose State Spartans
- 2023-24 Record: 7-24, 2-16
- Head Coach: April Phillips, third season
- Key Games: at Xavier Nov. 5, vs Cal Nov. 9, vs Tulsa Dec. 10.
Another tough season for the Spartans ended with the transfer of their top three scorers. Jyah LoVett (14.6 points per game, to Arizona State), Amhyia Moreland (11.6 points per game, to New Mexico), and Sabrina Ma (9.9 points per game, to UCSD) all left the program. Sophomore guard Sydni Summers is SJSU’s top returning scorer at 7.8 points per game. Guards Mecca Alexander and Stella Sgro are the incoming freshmen. One area where SJSU did lead the MWC was is offensive rebounding percentage. Coach Phillips will return to her alma mater on Nov. 5, when SJSU meets Xavier.
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UNLV Lady Rebels
- 2023-24 Record: 30-3, 17-1, lost to Creighton, 87-73, in NCAA first round.
- Head Coach: Lindy La Rocque, fifth season
- Key Games: at Arizona Nov. 12, vs Oklahoma Nov. 22, at Baylor Dec. 8, at DePaul Dec. 15.
It will be a monumental task to replace Desi-Rae Young and her 18.3 points and 9.1 rebounds. The good news is that senior guard Kiara Jackson (11.5 points per game) is back, as well as sophomore guard Amarachi Kimpson (8.9 points per game) and senior forward Alyssa Brown (6.5 points per game and 8.2 rebounds per game). Kimpson was the MWC Freshman and Sixth Player of the Year, while Brown was the MVP of the conference championship.
UNLV has- by far – the most difficult schedule in the MWC. In addition to the noted games, it also plays Central Florida, East Carolina and Northwestern. UNLV did beat Arizona and Oklahoma soundly last season, as it ascended to No. 19 in the national rankings. Aaliyah Alexander transfers from Eastern Washington where her 14.5 points led the Eagles and rewarded her as first team All-Big Sky. Young had a good chance to be the MWC’s first WNBA draft pick since Nevada’s Mimi Mungedi went to the Tulsa Shock in 2015.
Utah State Aggies
- 2023-24 Record: 5-25, 2-16
- Head Coach: Wesley Brooks, first season
- Key Games: at Colorado Nov. 19, Ohio State and Stetson at Daytona Beach Classic Nov. 29-30, at Utah Dec. 5, at Grand Canyon Dec. 8.
Brooks takes over a program that only has one way to go. The former Ohio State assistant will have an inside edge on stopping the Buckeyes, when the two teams collide in late November. Senior guard Cheyenne Stubbs scored 16.1 in 2023-24, which were fourth in the league, but there is a large dropoff to USU’s next returning scorer – senior guard Ivory Finley at 6.3 points per game. Freshman Taliyah Logwood joins the Aggies, as well as center Sophie Sene, who transfers from Rhode Island and is a former player on the Under-16 French national team.
Wyoming Cowgirls
- 2023-24 Record: 18-15, 11-7, WNIT third round.
- Head Coach: Heather Ezell, third season
- Key Games: vs Colorado Nov. 4, at BYU Nov. 9, at Gonzaga Nov. 17, vs Virginia in Puerto Rico Nov. 30, at Creighton Dec. 17.
Senior center 6’4 Allyson Fertig (14.3 points per game and 8.4 rpg) is on the Hammon watchlist for the second year in a row and is a strong candidate to win the award. Also returning are junior guard Malene Pedersen (11 points per game), senior forward Tess Barnes (8.9 points per game), and senior guard Emily Mellema (8.8 points per game). Pedersen was the 2023 MWC Freshman of the Year and a Danish national team member. Freshmen Heidur Karlsdottir (6’4 from Iceland) and Karoline Lundin (Denmark) both played for Under-20 national teams this summer.
The complete 10-player list of Preseason All-Mountain West selections is composed of: Perry (AFA), Pasco (BSU), Emma Ronsiek (CSU), Jacobs (FSU), Cumber (UNM), Quezada (SDSU), Fertig (Wyoming), Brown, Jackson and Kimpson (all UNLV).
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Written by Scott Mammoser
Scott Mammoser covered the Paris 2024 Olympics for The Next. He has also covered major international events for FIBA, World Athletics and the International Skating Union. He has attended six other Olympics and traveled to more than 90 countries.
