Complete WAC Release

Denver - In a release issued by the Western Athletic Conference Thursday morning, NM State was picked to finish fifth in the WAC's 2022 Preseason Coaches Poll.

In Addition, Captain and senior midfielder Xitlaly Hernandez was named to the Preseason All-WAC team, the Aggies' lone selection. The past two WAC champions - Grand Canyon and Utah Valley - received the most selections; GCU with five and Utah Valley with four.

According to the Preseason Coaches Poll, those two programs were also the most favored to raise another WAC title in November. Grand Canyon received the most points with 117, followed by Utah Valley with 110. Stephen F. Austin (90) and California Baptist (84) are predicted to finish third and fourth in the conference, with the Aggies rounding out the top-five, receiving 74 points.

With this being the 14th and final year that NM State Women's Soccer is a member of the WAC, the Aggies will look to leave a mark and take home their first conference title in program history. Last season, under head coach Rob Baarts, the Aggies made significant improvements to their overall and conference record. For the first time since 2017, the Aggies finished with a .500 or better conference win percentage. This was enough to sneak into the WAC tournament, where they lost to Lamar 1-0 in the quarterfinal round.

If the Aggies succeed in making the tournament this year, it would be their third consecutive conference tournament appearance. With half of the last year's players returning, and new talent making its way to Las Cruces this year, the Aggies are primed to make a leap in 2022. No one is more ready to make that leap than Senior Midfielder, Xitlaly Hernandez.

This year, Hernandez was named to the preseason All-WAC team after an impressive 2021 campaign. Last season, Hernandez played 1085 minutes, starting all 18 games she appeared in. She led the team in shots (27), shots-on-goal (15), and scored once in the season opener against Abilene Christian (8/19). All of this was enough to earn her a spot on the 2021 All-WAC second team list, along with former teammate Hannah Leitner.

During the spring 2021 season, Hernandez had her best offensive year. She scored a team-leading seven goals with a 0.469 shot-on-goal percentage. She was also tied for first on the team in overall points with 15 while playing a career-high 1402 minutes.

When asked about the meaning of being selected to the Preseason ALL-WAC team, Hernandez commented, "I am humbled to be selected for this honor because it really is an encouragement more than anything else. Seeing all of the hard work that not only I have put into these past seasons alongside my teammates and coaches is a plus for myself and our success as a team. This honor most definitely motivates me to push for more and achieve other goals of mine coming into the season." Winning this award is a massive accomplishment for any athlete. However, the work does not stop here, and Hernandez is fully aware of that.

She is also fully aware of the expectation that other's have of her team and is always looking to prove the doubters wrong.

"Just looking back at last season's improvements and where we ended, coming into this season is already a motivation for our team moving forward. I believe returners have been a great example, and the incoming freshman have adapted well. I am more than confident in our team as far as setting higher expectations for ourselves."

2022 WAC WOMEN'S SOCCER PRESEASON HONORS
 
2022 WAC Women's Soccer Preseason Coaches' Poll
 

 
2022 WAC Preseason Offensive Player of the Year: Gianna Gourley, Grand Canyon
2022 WAC Preseason Defensive Player of the Year: Jenna Shepherd, Utah Valley
 
2022 Preseason All-WAC Team
Julianna Carter, Sr., F, Utah Valley
Colleen Feagins, Sr., F, Stephen F. Austin
Gianna Gourley, Jr., F, Grand Canyon
Lindsey Prokop, Jr., F, Grand Canyon
Brenna Alderson, So., MF, Grand Canyon
Emily Bunnell, Grad, MF, Seattle U
Xitlaly Hernandez, Sr., MF, New Mexico State
Heather Stainbrook, Jr., MF, Utah Valley
Sydney Bushman, Jr., D, Utah Valley
Erin Gallagher, Sr., D, California Baptist
Reese Mendenhall, So., D, Grand Canyon
Jenna Shepherd, R-Jr., D, Utah Valley
Jordan Ferguson, So., GK, Grand Canyon

For complete coverage of NM State women's soccer, visit NMStateSports.com - the official home of Aggie athletics - and follow the Aggies on Facebook (NM State Soccer), Twitter (@NMStateWSOC) and Instagram (@NMStateWSOC).

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