5 Game-Changing Moments That Defined 25 Years (Cue Debate)
From Kawhi Leonardās revenge win to Shanieka Rickettsā pre-Olympics championship titles, these five moments capture the heart and grit of Aztec athletics.
By Michael Klitzing
Some readers might scan this list of iconic ĄÖ²„“«Ć½ sports moments searching for a certain jump shot in Houston. But with Lamont Butler featured on the cover two years ago, that opened space for another of the many remarkable moments from the past two decades. As ĄÖ²„“«Ć½ prepares to join the Pac-12 Conference next year, these five moments stand as a reflection of the caliber of athletes who have shaped the program and a celebration of why itās great to be an Aztec fan.
Stephen Strasburgās Perfect Goodbye (Almost)
ON MAY 8, 2009, Stephen Strasburg got a dream farewell in his final baseball game on the Aztecsā mound. The pitching phenom finished off his dominant junior year by no-hitting Air Force in front of a packed house at Tony Gwynn Stadium. What he didnāt get, however, was a baseball for his memorabilia case.
After Strasburg polished off the 5-0 win by striking out the side in the ninth inning (he fanned 17 overall), catcher Erik Castro tossed the ball aside in his exuberance as he raced to embrace his pitcher. What happened to the prized souvenir? Well, no one knows. Friends since they were 9 years old, Strasburg and Castro remain closeāmeaning Strasburg has had ample opportunity to needle him about it.
āI still think about that last pitch and how he just threw the ball away,ā Strasburg says smiling. āI always give him crap about it. Iām like, āErik! Thatās not what youāre supposed to do!āā
Third Timeās a Charm
ON MARCH 12, 2011, the Aztecs headed into the Mountain West Menās Basketball Tournament final with a record of 31-2. Both losses were to bitter rival Brigham Young University. Kawhi Leonardās Aztecs and Jimmer Fredetteās Cougars were the talk of college basketball for much of the season, and Fredette seemed to have the upper hand.
āThat game had a star next to it,ā says D.J. Gay (ā11), the former ĄÖ²„“«Ć½ point guard who was captain of the 2010ā11 squad. āWe wanted the opportunity to get a little bit of revenge.ā
Make that a lot of revenge. The Aztecs tuned up for a Sweet 16 run by hammering the Cougars 72-54. The difference in the third game, Gay recalls, was the coaching staff opting to guard Fredette with Leonard and forward Billy White rather than smaller guards. Such was the emotional release after the win that even the usually stoic Leonard gave his nemesis Fredette a feisty clap as time expiredāstill a favorite GIF of ĄÖ²„“«Ć½ās online faithful.
āKawhiās the ultimate competitor, no matter what your name is,ā Gay says. āFor him it was like, āWeāre not giving this guy 40 points again.āā
A Quiet Force Takes Flight
ON JUNE 7, 2013, Shanieka Ricketts (ā14) of the Aztec womenās track and field team gave the world a glimpse of what she would one day become. The Jamaican-born triple jumper is now known for winning the silver medal at the 2024 Paris Olympics. More than a decade earlier, Ricketts won her first title at the NCAA Outdoor Track & Field Championshipsāa stepping stone for her Olympic career. It was part of an incredible run of success by the Aztecs. Discus thrower Whitney Ashley, also an Olympian, won the 2012 NCAA title, and Ricketts won both the NCAA indoor and outdoor titles in 2014 before she graduated.
Aztec head coach Shelia Burrell recalls that as Ricketts entered the program there was something inside her that hinted at future greatness.
āShani doesnāt talk a lot,ā Burrell says. āSheās a quiet force, but she has a not-so-quiet determination and a not-so-quiet sureness about who she is and what she wants to do. That was just the taking off point. From then on, she just blossomed and became more serious as an athlete.ā
Proof Jinxes Donāt Exist
ON MARCH 12, theAztecs talked the talk, then walked the walk. As the team prepared to face the Wyoming Cowgirls in the 2025 Mountain West Womenās Basketball Tournament final, the conversation among a few of the players took a bold turn.
āEverybody started talking about what part of the net they were gonna cut after we won,ā says forward Kim Villalobos (ā24), a five-year starter whoās finishing up a graduate degree. āI was like, āOK, I guess weāre really doing this.āā
And so they didāthough securing the programās first bid to the NCAA tournament since 2012 didnāt come easy. The Aztecs needed all the swagger they could muster during a triple-overtime marathon. Propelled by Veronica Sheffeyās 24 points and Jazlen Greenās (ā25) vocal leadership in the huddle, ĄÖ²„“«Ć½ prevailed 72-68. After the victory, Villalobos was the first one up the ladder, snipping the nylon front and center.
āIāve still got it in my backpack,ā she says.
Going Out on Top
ON DEC. 17, 2016, the eyes of the college football world were on Donnel Pumphrey (ā22). The Aztecs' senior running back entered the Las Vegas Bowl against the Houston Cougars needing 108 yards to break Ron Dayne's NCAA career rushing record. More than 3.7 million viewers tuned in to the game on ABC.
What few people remember now is that ĄÖ²„“«Ć½ spotted Houston a 10-0 lead. But Pumphrey eventually got going and a swarming Rocky Long defense picked off four passes, leading to 34 unanswered points. The only drama left was the record. Pumphrey secured that on a fourth quarter toss play that he bounced to the outside for a 15-yard gain.
āEverybody was hugging me, from equipment guys to our coaches to all the players,ā Pumphrey recalls. āThey just kind of surrounded me. Then just seeing my family on the jumbo screen, it was honestly insane to watch.ā
Pumphreyās record of 6,405 yards still standsāa challenge waiting for the next great Aztec running back to chase down.