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Lighting The Blue

Lighting The Blue

By Craig Lawson

Boise State has been a four-year institution for nearly six decades. The Broncos enjoyed their share of success during that span and reached new heights in 2024-25.

The Blue and Orange matched its all-time high with seven conference championships and, for the first time, saw each of its programs produce a winning record. Four conference coach of the year awards were won by Bronco head coaches.

An epic football season highlighted a fall in which soccer won the Mountain West regular season title and volleyball reached the semifinals round of the conference championship.

For every champion, they light The Blue and you get to go on The Blue…You’ve got the whole stadium lit up just for you and your family you’ve been working with to this point…So to get to share that with them was just unbelievable.
Jim Thomas, Boise State Head Soccer Coach
Origin of Lighting The Blue

Running back Ashton Jeanty turned in a generational season. He rushed for a national-best 2,601 yards, the second-most all-time in FBS. 

Spencer Danielson was the MW Coach of the Year and led Boise State to a second-straight conference championship, an appearance in the College Football Playoff semifinals round and a season-ending top 10 ranking (No. 8 Coaches, No. 9 AP). Offensive lineman Kage Casey was a Walter Camp All-American. He and Jeanty were among 14 All-MW selections.

Head football coach Spencer Danielson lifts the MW trophy over his head.
Boise State defeated UNLV 21-7 to win the MW title.
Boise State fans climb on goalpost in north end zone after Broncos defeated UNLV in MW Championship.
Fans celebrated the MW championship on The Blue
I believe when you work for something that you get what you deserve, and you get what you earn in life…Our team did it. Our staff did it.
Spencer Danielson, Boise State Head Football Coach

In soccer, forward Carly Cross was named MW Offensive Player of the Year after leading the conference with 11 goals and 27 points. The Broncos received five all-conference honors and four all-region accolades.

Volleyball’s Paige Bartsch, an outside hitter, was a first-team All-MW and all-region selection. She was among the MW’s top five in a half dozen categories. Boise State had three all-conference selections as a team. 

The cross country teams garnered four All-MW and four all-region awards. Joe Hudson (men’s) and Kaiya Robertson (women’s) qualified for the NCAA Cross Country Championships. For Hudson, it was the second-straight year he appeared at nationals.

As the fall leaves gave way to the winter months, gymnastics stepped into the spotlight.

The Broncos defeated Power Conference foes Washington and Iowa State in nonconference and captured the MW regular season title. The team made its 17th-consecutive NCAA regional appearance.

Tina Bird was named MW Coach of the Year, Kristina Shchennikova was co-freshman of the year while Emily Lopez (bars) and Alyssa Vulaj (vault) were each named specialist of the year.

On the hardwood, men’s basketball won 26 games, one shy of the school record, played in the MW Championship Final and advanced to a semifinal in the College Basketball Crown.

Forward Tyson Degenhart set Boise State single-season (676) and career (2,037) records for points. He was named All-MW First Team, one of three Broncos to receive an all-conference accolade, and NABC Mountain District First Team. Forward Javan Buchanan was named MW Sixth Man of the Year.

Women’s basketball recorded 18 victories, including a home win over Colorado (Big 12) and posted its 11th winning season in the last 12 years. Tatum Thompson led the Broncos in scoring (13.2 points per game), rebounding (6.8 rebounds per game) and steals (1.2 per game) and earned a spot on the All-MW Team.

In indoor track, Landon Helms became the first Bronco since 2012 to win the MW men’s heptathlon title. Robertson, Alyssa Cullen, Janiah Brown and Yasmin Marghini won the women’s distance medley relay. Overall, 11 Boise State student-athletes earned 16 all-conference selections.

When the temperature increased in the spring, the Broncos turned the heat up on their competition winning four championships. The beach volleyball team won the regular season and tournament championships in the Southland Conference to earn its first NCAA postseason berth. Each tennis team added a trophy with the men repeating as MW regular season champion and the women winning the MW tournament, the first conference banner in program history.

On the sand, four of the five Boise State pairs were named all-conference, including three first-team selections. 

Allyson Alden was the SLC Newcomer of the Year, Allison Voigt was SLC Coach of the Year and the Broncos extended their home winning streak to 20, dating back to the 2021 season.

We’re so fortunate being head coaches here at Boise State because everyone supports each other. We thrive off each other…That’s why I think we are so successful here.
Allison Voigt, Boise State Head Beach Volleyball Coach

In men’s tennis, three Broncos earned all-conference recognition in singles, including Carson Baker and Jett Middleton, who were also honored in doubles. Boise State was undefeated at home and in conference regular season play. The Broncos won 21 matches, their third-straight 20-win season, and received an at-large bid to the NCAA Championship.

Boise State picked up four of the six singles spots on the MW All-Tournament Team after a pair of student-athletes grabbed regular season honors in women’s tennis. In the conference championship, Boise State won three matches in three days to earn its first NCAA bid in 15 years. Beck Roghaar won the MW Coach of the Year award as the Broncos recorded seven wins in conference, their most since joining the MW in 2012, and knocked off No. 22 Baylor in the first round of the NCAA Championship.

Boise State women's tennis team celebrating after winning the Mountain West Championship
The Broncos won three matches at the MW Championship to earn a bid into the NCAA Championship.
Landon Helms standing on the podium after winning the 2025 MW decathlon title
Landon Helms captured the MW decathlon.

Outdoor track brought home two individual MW championships with Helms winning the men’s decathlon and Robertson claiming the top spot on the podium in the women’s 1,500 meters. The duo was among eight Broncos to earn all-conference honors (nine selections).

Helms (second team) and Robertson (honorable mention) capped their seasons with All-America awards at the NCAA Division I Outdoor Track & Field Championships and Hanna Ackermann (second team) earned an All-America certificate in the women’s 3,000-meter steeplechase.

Cole Rueck was named to the All-MW Men’s Golf Team for the second-consecutive season in a year when he won a pair of individual medalist honors.

As a team, the Broncos won their final-two regular season events.

Cole Reuck watches the ball after a shot
Cole Rueck won two events in 2024-25.

Teal Matsueda averaged 73.33 strokes per round, the second-best mark in school history and received a spot on All-MW Second Team. She recorded a pair of top-10 finishes and was 3-0-0 to lead the Broncos to the team title at the Mountain Classic Match Play.

On the diamond, the Broncos won over 30 games for the fourth-straight season. Boise State tied or set over 60 school and conference records with Mykenzie Hanna being a part of seven of them. She became the first student-athlete outside of a Power Conference since 2015 to have at least 70 runs, 50 RBI, 15 HR, 10 SB and 50 BB/HBP. She was one of six All-MW selections and one of four all-region honorees.

With 2024-25 in the books, the Broncos turn the page into a new era of college athletics with BroncoPRO and continue to build on What’s Next with membership in the Pac-12 Conference a little over a year away.

Boise State is in an unbelievable position right now…We’re also excited to keep getting after it and doing the things that people say we can’t do. But I think that’s based on a foundation of real people doing real things.
Beck Roghaar, Boise State Director of Tennis/Women's Tennis Head Coach