As the 2024 year comes to a close, let’s count down the top ten Wazzu wins of the year!

10. Volleyball vs San Diego, 3-1

Under new head coach Korey Schroeder, the WSU Volleyball team struggled in 2024, but their best win was one to remember. The Cougs battled San Diego and won a thrilling first set, then came from behind to claim set three. They closed it out in the fourth set and took down the second best team in the WCC.

9. Football vs Texas Tech, 37-16

The first of two power-four teams the Cougars played, the Red Raiders were supposed to be a challenging opponent for Wazzu. Instead, they came to Pullman and found out how the Cougs rolled. The dominating three-score win helped WSU eventually be ranked as high as No. 18.

8. Soccer vs Pacific, 5-0

After a season of inconsistency, low-scoring games and lots of matches ending in draws, the soccer team exploded on their senior night for a 5-0 win over Pacific. Megan Santa Cruz scored two goals and added an assist to her name, while Grayson Lynch scored a goal and provided three assists.

7. Soccer @ No. 7 Utah State, 0-0

While not technically a win, the Cougs dramatic effort against the No. 7 ranked Aggies is worth consideration on the top-ten rankings. The women played their grittiest game of the season, not allowing Utah State to get any comfortable shots off and forcing a tie against the best team they played in 2024.

6. Men’s Basketball vs Boise State 74-69

The WSU Men’s Basketball team went into Boise missing three players including star senior Cedric Coward. That did not slow down the Cougs, who jumped out to a 24-point lead and looked dominant. Fouls helped the Broncos claw their way back into the game, but WSU closed it out and clinched a win against the best team they’ve played this season.

5. Football vs San Jose State, 54-52

The game should not have been as close as it was, but there is no denying the electricity that was in the crowd at GESA field. The Cougs orchestrated a 14-point comeback in the fourth quarter, somehow managing to take the lead with two minutes left in the game. But a late touchdown from SJSU put the Cougs down 39-36.

It took a 23-second drive led by John Mateer, a last-second field goal from Dean Janikowski and two rounds of overtime, but around 11 p.m. the Cougars pulled off one of the most dramatic wins in the history of Wazzu football.

4. Men’s Basketball @ Washington 90-87

Washington brought a strong team to the court against WSU in the basketball Apple Cup last winter. The Cougs, who at the time were fighting for an at-large spot in the NCAA tournament, needed everything they had, but Myles Rice, Jaylen Wells and Isaiah Watts were able to lead the Cougs to victory in overtime. It was a buzzer beater that helped push the Cougs over the top, truly a finish to remember.

3. Women’s basketball @ No. 2 UCLA 85-82

Before star Charlisse Leger-Walker went down with her season ending injury, the Cougs were as good as anyone. They went on the road against the No. 2 Bruins and shocked then, with an 85-82 win. The Cougs led nearly the entire game and were able to withstand a late comeback push from UCLA. The unfortunate timing was that this was the same game that Leger-Walker’s Wazzu career was cut short by injury. If not for that, the win might have been ranked even higher.

2. Men’s Basketball @ No. 11 Arizona 77-74

There were a lot of men’s basketball games that could have taken the top spot, including the NCAA tournament win over ten-seed Drake. However, the road win against a ranked Arizona team felt like the best win. Without a pair of wins over Arizona, the Cougars likely would not have received an at-large bid to March Madness.

The win on the road was particularly impressive, as the Cougs went into a tough arena and escaped with a last minute stand to claim the upset.

1. Football vs Washington, 24-19 

The Apple Cup comes in as the Cougars best win of 2024. While not the biggest upset of the year, considering the circumstances, it feels right to crown the Apple Cup win as the best WSU win of the year.

After being left behind in the PAC-2, forgotten about, and after watching the Huskies win 13 games and finish No. 2 overall last year, it was a sweet sight for Coug fans to watch the crimson and gray stuff the Huskies at the goal line to win the Apple Cup and claim the title as the best team in the state.