LAS CRUCES, N.M. – A new year means new beginnings. Head Coach Rob Baarts' returns for his eighth season with the Crimson & White, bringing in six new additions to the 2025 roster. These additions include three student-athletes from Texas – with two joining from nearby El Paso – along with one from Oregon, one from Tennessee. NM State will also bring in a student-athlete from Taiwan. The newcomers will help the Aggies in a variety of positions, with two student-athletes that play from the midfield, a quintet of attackers and a defender.
 
Esme Arenas | MF/F | McMinville High School | McMinville, Oregon
 
A midfielder/forward out of the Pacific Northwest, Arenas was a four-year starter for McMinville HS, tallying a team-high 18 goals while earning first team all-Pacific Conference honors. Playing for club team United PDX, Arenas was named to the U17 ECNL All-Northwest region team in 2024. The Aggies have recruited Oregon heavily since the arrival of Rob Baarts, with 2024 CUSA All-First Team selection Loma McNeese, Mya Hammack and Jaiden McClellan hailing from the Beaver State.
 
Evelyn Grossman | D | Anderson High School | Austin, Texas
 
Joining the Aggies out of Anderson High School in Austin, Texas, Grossman earned second team All-District 26-6A honors in 2024 while helping her team advance to the UIL Class 6A Girls Soccer Region 3 and 4 semifinals. In club competition, Grossman plays with Lonestar FC, based in Austin. She becomes one of eight Aggies on the 2025 roster to hail from the Lone Star State.
 
Tessa O'Neill | F | El Paso High School | El Paso, Texas
 
Joining her sister and fellow El Paso High School graduate Emma O'Neill on the Aggies roster, younger sister Tessa has already carved her own legacy. As a freshman for the Tigers, O'Neill earned District I-5A MVP honors, as a sophomore she recorded an astounding 53 goals and in her junior season, she broke El Paso High's career goals record, currently sporting 129 career goals, along with 70 assists. O'Neill joins sister Emma, fellow 2025 signee Ainsleigh Thomson, Bianca Chacon, Azalie Floriano and Daniella Portillo as members of the Crimson & White to hail from the Sun City.
 
Sophie Rush | F/D | Lausanne Collegaite School | Memphis, Tenn.
 
A four-year starter for the Lynx, the forward/defender out of Memphis helped Lausanne Collegiate School to a 15-5 record in 2024. Rush also plays for the club team Lobos FC, stationed in Collierville, Tenn. She becomes the lone player on the roster from the Volunteer State.
 
Ainsleigh Thomson | MF/D | Franklin High School | El Paso, Texas
 
The midfielder/forward joins the Aggies out of nearby El Paso and Franklin High School – the same high school as current NM State midfielder Bianca Chacon. In 2022, Thomson helped the Cougars win the District 1-6A title as well as the bi-district championship while scoring eight goals and tallying nine assists. Last season, Thomson recorded a pair of goals and a pair of assists in four games played. In club competition, Thomson competes with El Paso Cosmos FC.
 
Ya-Yu Wu | F | Hui-Wen Senior High School | Taichung City, Taiwan
 
A member of the U17 Chinese Taipei's National Women's Team, Wu recently tallied two goals and two assists at the 2024 ISF Football World Cup in Dalian, China. Playing for Hui-Wen Senior High School, she has been a starter since her freshman year, helping the team take second in the 2023 National Football Youth Cup.
 
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