Aggies win first-ever Mountain West title
For the first time ever, the Aggies are the champions of the Mountain West.
The Utah State men’s tennis team earned the honor by virtue of a 6-1 conference record this season.
“This team is unlike any other I’ve coached,” said head coach Clancy Shields. “I could not be more proud of my players, my incredible staff and everyone involved in our program.”
The championship was sealed with San Diego State’s loss to UNLV on Saturday, giving every other MW member at least two losses. Not only is it the first MW title in school history, it’s also the first conference title of any kind for the men’s tennis program.
Overall, the Aggies are 21-7, including a 10-1 mark at home and a 5-0 record in games at neutral sites. The 21 wins is the best in program history, besting the 18 wins the team recorded last year.
“Eight months ago this championship would’ve been hard to believe,” Shields said. “We brought in seven new players, 70 percent of our roster was new and we lost four of our six starters from the year before. However, we all committed more, learned from the past years’ mistakes and set out on a new mission this year.”
Utah State has come close to winning MW championships before – the football team lost by a touchdown in the conference title game in 2013 – but three years after joining the league, the tennis team is the first to break through.
“Championships form a bond that these kids will share together the rest of their lives,” Shields said. “They gave their heart and soul to this goal, and I’m so happy they can share in something historic for our school and our program.”
Sophomore Jaime Barajas leads the Aggies with 15 wins at the No. 1 spot, the most in school history for a player in that spot. His record was unblemished against MW foes, going a perfect 5-0.
As a team, the Aggies were 6-5 against ranked opponents on the year, including road wins over No. 59 BYU and No. 70 New Mexico as part of a seven-game winning streak down the stretch of the season. The streak was snapped by a road loss to San Diego State on Apr. 17, but the Aztecs’ second loss gave USU the conference title.
The focus for the Aggies now turns to the MW Tournament in Las Vegas, which runs from Friday to Sunday. USU’s first-round opponent will be determined this week.
— thomas.sorenson@aggiemail.usu.edu
Twitter: @tomcat340