New Mexico State University Athletics

Brooke Salas is the final member of this year's class and joins a short list of Aggies to be inducted in their first year on the ballot. During her four-year career with the Aggies, Salas put forth a laundry list of accomplishments that proved time and time again she is more than deserving of joining this exclusive group.
 
Across her standout career, Salas scored 1,931 points which makes her the second all-time leading scorer in the history of the women's basketball program. Salas was more than just an offensive threat and is considered one of the best all-around performers in NM State history. She remains the program leader in blocks with 156 while also ranking third all-time in steals (233) and fourth all-time in rebounds (953).
 
Her contributions helped the Aggies win four consecutive WAC regular season titles and helped propel NM State to three appearances in the NCAA Tournament. During her time, she started in 125 of the 126 games she appeared in. She would also become just the third player in Aggie history to sign a WNBA contract when she signed with the Seattle Storm in 2019.
 
As an Aggie, Salas finished as one of the most decorated individuals to don the Crimson and White. She is one of only two players in NM State history to garner two WAC Player of the Year awards and is the only player in the history of the WAC to earn player of the year and defensive player of the year honors in the same season – doing so as a senior in 2018-19. That same season, her averages in points, rebounds, blocks and steals remain among the top 10 single-season marks in program history – ranking tied for sixth in points, third in rebounds, fifth in blocks and seventh in steals.
 
In total, the guard from Placentia, Calif., was named First Team All-WAC three times while also being named to the WAC All-Defensive Team and WAC All-Tournament Team two times each during her career. She was also named WAC Player of the Week a school-record nine times across four seasons. She also led the WAC in scoring twice (2017-18 and 2018-19) and ranks fifth all-time in WAC history in total points.
 
Salas came to Las Cruces following an exceptional high school career and immediately made an impact as a true freshman. In her first year at the collegiate level, she averaged 9.4 points per game and 4.6 rebounds en route to being named to the WAC All-Newcomer team. She would pick up one WAC Player of the Week honor as a freshman and eventually be named to the WAC All-Tournament team after scoring 20 points and pulling down five boards to guide the Aggies to a victory over UTRGV in the title game.
 
As a sophomore, she collected First Team All-WAC honors as she finished the year tied for the team lead in scoring (13.5 ppg) and paced the Aggies in rebounding (6.5 rpg) while emerging as one of the premier players in the conference. Her stellar second season would begin with her first career double-double – posting 18 points and 13 rebounds in a season-opening win over San Jose State. This would prove to be just the start as she ultimately turned in six double-doubles during the 2016-17 season to help lead the Aggies to a WAC regular season title and tournament title in her final season playing for Head Coach Mark Trakh.
 
Under newly appointed leader Brooke Atkinson, Salas would take another huge leap during her junior campaign as she averaged 19.1 points per game and 7.7 rebounds per game to lead the Aggies in both categories on her way to being named WAC Player of the Year. She would also appear on both the All-WAC First Team and All-WAC Defensive Team after finishing first in the league in scoring while ranking third in the conference in rebounding. Her production would help NM State earn their fourth consecutive WAC regular season title.
 
As a junior, she would impact the game at every level as she also paced the Aggies in steals (68), blocks (56), three-pointers made (54) and shot a conference-best 83.5% from the free-throw line. During her third year with the Aggies, she submitted double figures in scoring in all but three games while recording seven double-doubles. She also logged a career-high 33 points in a home win over Chicago State and would conclude the season with a 21-point, eight-rebound outing in the first round of the WNIT at Wyoming.
 
Her career would come to a close with the best season of her career as she averaged a double-double (19.1 ppg and 11.1 rpg) while serving as the leader on an Aggie team that won its fourth WAC title and notched its third NCAA Tournament appearance during Salas' time on the team. She would also earn WAC Player of the Year Honors for the second-straight season in addition to being named the league's defensive player of the year.
 
For the second year in a row, Salas would lead the WAC in scoring while also serving as the league leader in rebounding. On the year, she would also lead the Aggies in steals (83) and blocks (54) while finishing second in the conference in both steals per game (2.7) and blocks per game (1.7). As the centerpiece of the Aggie offense, Salas would score in double figures in all but one game while recording 21 double-doubles. She would also secure the program's first triple-double since 1992 when she turned in one of the most impressive individual performances in program history – finishing with 32 points, 22 rebounds and 11 blocks to lead the Aggies to a win over Alcorn State on Dec. 21, 2018. Her 11 blocks against the Braves remain tied for the most blocks in a single game in school history.
 
In the WAC Championship game, Salas would post 29 points and 12 rebounds to lead the Aggies to an appearance in the 2019 NCAA Tournament. In her final game as an Aggie, Salas would put forth her 34^th career double-double as she scored 18 points and snared 12 rebounds against third-seeded Iowa State in the First Round.
 
Prior to her time with the Aggies, Salas led El Dorado High School during one of its best runs in school history as she guided the Hawks to the California Interscholastic Federation Southern Section semifinals three straight years, including a trip to the championship game as a senior. She was named an All-CIF selection three times and was named all-county three times, including earning first team honors during her junior and senior campaigns.
 
Following her career with the Aggies, Salas pursued a professional playing career overseas where she competed for two seasons in Spain. In her rookie season with Bembibre, she averaged 11.2 points and 6.7 rebounds across 19 games. She would follow that up with one season with Zamarat for which she averaged 7.3 points and 4.5 rebounds.
 
Today, Salas is a full-time mom to a three-year old daughter, Tiana, and a six-month old, Kayson, and is engaged to former Aggie men's basketball player, Trevelin Queen. She is the daughter of Greg and Elizabeth Salas and has two older sisters, Lauren and Allyson, two older brothers, Chris and Geoff, and one younger sister, Katie.