Free Exhibition Game Monday Opens Aggies’ Season

LAS CRUCES, N.M. (Oct. 30) - The New Mexico State women’s basketball team makes its Pan American
Center debut Monday evening under the direction of head coach Mark Trakh during
a free exhibition game against New Mexico Highlands beginning at 6:30 p.m.

Admission to the game is free to all who wish to attend.
Gates open one hour prior to tip off at 5:30 p.m. Fans are encouraged to arrive
early for the best selection of available seats.

The exhibition game against the Cowgirls is the unofficial
kickoff to the Aggies’ 2011-12 slate before NM State opens the regular season
on the road Friday, Nov. 11 at Houston, a 2011 NCAA Tournament participant. The
game versus NMHU will be streamed live at NMStateSports.com via Aggie Access.

Earlier this month, the Aggies were picked to place sixth in
the Western Athletic Conference (WAC) in both the league’s coaches’ and media
polls. Last year, NM State finished 14-18 overall and 7-9 in the conference to
place in a tie for fifth last season and entered the WAC Tournament as the
sixth seed. New Mexico State is a youthful squad with 10 underclassmen
on a roster of 18 and returns just two players that started more than six games
for the Aggies last season.

The Crimson and White returns two starters from the 2010-11 team
that advanced to the quarterfinals of the WAC Tournament in senior Tabytha
Wampler and sophomore Jasmine Rutledge.

Wampler earned 2011-12 preseason All-WAC First Team honors
from the media and All-WAC Second Team accolades from the coaches this month.
The co-captain enters her final season in the Mesilla Valley after starting all 32 games last year.

She returns as the Aggies’ leading scorer at 12.7 points per
game and leading rebounder at 7.6 boards per game. Wampler posted seven
double-doubles last season and ranked No. 31 nationally with an 85.1 free throw
percentage. She scored in double figures 25 times last season. Wampler also led
the team in rebounding 15 times and in scoring nine times in 2010-11 as a
junior.

Rutledge claimed All-WAC Freshman team honors last year as a
strong rebounder and tough defender. The newcomer averaged over six boards per
game in conference play and ranked second on the team last season with 150
caroms. Rutledge started each league game last season and averaged 2.2
points per contest in WAC play.

Senior co-captain Kaitlyn Soto will also play a pivotal role
for the Aggies this season. Soto made five starts last winter and played in 30
games last year. She scored in double-digits during three of those starts and
averaged just under five points per game a year ago.

Classmates Erica Sanchez and Kelsie Rozendaal return to the
hardwood after suffering recent season-long injuries to provide veteran
experience for the Aggies. Junior forwards Chrissy Fletcher and Malia Magazzeni
will look to contribute in the paint along with classmate Camila Rosen, a guard
who is also coming off of a season-ending injury last year.  Sophomore guard Dré Chenier, leads a large group of
10 underclassmen on this year’s roster that includes eight freshmen.

Directing the Aggies on the court is first-year head coach
Mark Trakh who became the 10th head coach in New Mexico State history last
April. He boasts nearly 30 years of head coaching experience, including 16 at the
NCAA Division I level at Pepperdine and more recently Southern California.

In his first two seasons at USC, Trakh guided the Women of
Troy to their first NCAA Tournament appearances in seven years, advancing to
the second round of the tourney in 2005 and 2006. During his five years in Los
Angeles, USC finished in the top half of the Pac-10 in each season. Trakh spent
11 seasons at Pepperdine that included six 20-win seasons and four West Coast
Conference titles.

The NMHU Cowgirls won their first exhibition game of the
season 134-63, against the Mustangs of the University of the Southwest, on
October 24, at Wilson Complex in Las Vegas, N.M.  The Cowgirls opened with an 11-0 run in the first 2:30 of
the game.  The Mustangs later
closed to within five points in the half, but the Cowgirls took a 30-point lead
into the half en route to the decisive win.

Las Cruces native Domonique Rivera was the leading scorer
for the Cowgirls with 33 points in just 21 minutes on the court. The junior
went 13-of-15 from the field, including 5-of-5 from three-point range.  Junior College transfer Ashley Zaragoza
posted 17 points and nine rebounds in 16 minutes while point guard Whitley Coca
completed a double-double with 10 points and 12 assists in the Cowgirl victory.

For all of the latest Aggie women’s basketball news, click
NMStateSports.com.