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Fall Sports Preview:
by Mark Greenwood
With the start of the fall semester and a fresh school year, a new athletic year comes with it. Along with the cooling of the air and the crunching of leaves comes a fall sports slate full of many athletic fans’ favorites. For Utah State, five Aggie squads will suit up for a new season this fall, including football, women’s soccer, women’s volleyball and men’s and women’s cross-country.
Whether they’re entering the season with a new head coach or looking to continue their recent Mountain West Conference dominance, there’s sure to be plenty of excitement for Aggie fans this fall.
Football
Utah State football will start its season on Aug. 30 at Maverik Stadium against the UTEP Miners. The Aggies will open the season with new head coach Bronco Mendenhall, who joined the team in December after they were led last season by interim head coach Nate Dreiling. Mendenhall joins the team with 18 years of head coaching experience after stints at BYU, Virginia and New Mexico.
Mendenhall, an Alpine native, returns to the Beehive State nine years after his departure from BYU to Virginia. In his time as a head coach, Mendenhall has proven himself to be one of the best at turning football programs around. After 11 straight winning seasons at BYU, Mendenhall took control of the Virginia Cavaliers, who had posted a winning season in just one of their previous eight seasons. After a 2-10 season in his first year, Mendenhall led the Cavaliers to bowl eligibility in each of the next three seasons.
In his one year at New Mexico, Mendenhall led the Lobos to a 5-7 record, the most wins they had since 2016.
What’s coming up?
“My passion is developing young people and transforming football programs to reach their full potential,” Mendenhall said in a university press release after his hiring was announced. “Utah State provides a great opportunity to do both and allows a family focus that is essential to me and Holly [Mendenhall]. We look forward to adding to Utah State’s rich tradition and striving for football excellence.”
Mendenhall is again called on to lead a program turnaround — this time in Logan. Though not as drastic as the turnaround needed for several of Mendenhall’s previous programs, the Aggies have had their struggles in recent years. After winning the 2021 Mountain West Championship and subsequent LA Bowl, Utah State football has posted a record of 6-7 in 2022, 6-7 in 2023, and 4-8 in 2024. The Aggies will look to get back to bowl eligibility in 2025 under Mendenhall, starting in August.
Soccer
Utah State soccer returns to action this fall after a 2024 campaign that ended in a second straight Mountain West Tournament Championship. The Aggies, under the direction of back-to-back Mountain West Coach of the Year Manny Martins, posted an 18-1-5 record in 2024 with a conference tournament championship before falling to Washington in the opening round of the NCAA tournament.
After winning both the regular season and conference tournament in 2023 and the tournament championship in 2024, Martins and the Aggies return to the Chuck & Gloria Bell Soccer Field in 2025 looking to continue their recent success. Utah State soccer will be led this fall by returning Aggies Tess Werts and Summer Diamond, who were named to the 2024 All-Mountain West First and Second Teams, respectively.
Additionally, the soccer field will open with some new additions this fall after offseason upgrades, including field renovations and the installation of field lights. The Aggies will play the first-ever night game on the field on Aug. 28 against in-state foe Utah.
Volleyball
Similar to USU soccer, USU women’s volleyball has seen plenty of success in recent years, winning three-straight Mountain West championships from 2021–23. The Aggies are led by head coach Rob Neilson, who has been at the helm for all three championships since his hiring in 2020.
After three straight wins, the Aggies had a comparatively down season last year, going
15-14 overall with a 12-6 conference record. After a slow start, Neilson’s squad finished the year winning seven of their last nine matches, finishing the season on a high note.
The strong finish was no surprise to those familiar with the program, despite the slow start to the year. After another championship season in 2023, the Aggies returned just four players from that championship squad in 2024, with 12 first-year students and 14 total underclassmen on the roster.
“Teams are going to have to catch us early because we’re going to be real good as we get to the end of the year,” Neilson said in an interview with The Utah Statesman early in the 2024 season. “We just need experience. Then I think it ends up being a pretty balanced offense, which is great for us. Maybe more explosive and physical than we’ve ever had, but we’re not there yet.”
In contrast to the just four returning players in 2024, Utah State volleyball will return 12 players for the 2025 season, giving them the returning experience they lacked in 2024. For the upcoming year, Neilson and the Aggies are sure to be looking to return to their dominant form and have “Club Estes” rocking again this season.
Cross Country
Cross country, for both men and women, has not announced its fall schedule at the time of writing. The squads typically open their season by hosting the Utah State Alumni Challenge or the Sagebrush Invitational in late August or early September. The teams typically compete in the same events throughout the approximately two-month regular season that culminates at the Mountain West championships in late October, followed by the NCAA Mountain Regional Cross Country Championships and the NCAA Cross Country Championships in November.
During home events, USU competes at the Steve and Dona Reeder Cross Country Course at 1165 E. 1400 N. in Logan.
Whether you’re looking to see the inaugural season of a new head coach or some of the Mountain West’s best looking to continue their dominance, the full schedule of fall sports for Utah State athletics is sure to have something for everyone. From Maverik Stadium to Bell Field and the raucous Club Estes, the student and fan environment at each venue is expected to excite.
