GRAND JUNCTION, Colo.— The nationally-ranked Colorado Mesa University men's and women's swimming and diving programs will return to action on Saturday as they compete at the United States Air Force Academy's Cadet Natatorium.  Action in the multi-team meet begins at 1 p.m. and will be streamed live through the MW Network.
 
Both Maverick teams will swim against the host Falcons and will get their first sight of Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference opposition of the young season against the Colorado School of Mines.  CMU's women will also have the opportunity to compete against Vanderbilt University from the prestigious SEC.
 
Sixteen different events (schedule below), including both 1 and 3-meter diving competitions, will be contested for each gender and team scores will be kept in dual-meet format.
 
The Maverick women, ranked eighth in the Preseason TYR/CSCAA Division II poll that was just released on Wednesday, were off last week after beginning their season on Oct. 5-6 by hosting the Intermountain Shootout in the El Pomar Natatorium.  At that meet, the Mavericks competed against Division I foes BYU and Colorado State and combined to set five individual times that to this point are the fastest in the RMAC.
 
RMAC Preseason Diver of the Year Brittany Dixon also won the 1-meter event with 249.15 points, just 5.85 shy of already booking a spot in the NCAA Division II National Championships.
 
The Mavericks also have the RMAC's fastest time in three relays.
 
Sophomore Grace Payton, the lead-off leg on the conference-leading 200 medley relay, leads the RMAC in both the 200-yard backstroke (2:06.34) and 400 individual medley (4:35.73) as well.  Isabelle Hansson is second behind Payton in that IM at 4:38.11 and has swum the 1650 free in 18:17.84 to lead the RMAC.
 
Sierra Forbord leads the 200 free performance list at 1:54.57 and is second in both the 50 (24.47) and 100 free (53.09).  Meanwhile, Maddie McClain paces the RMAC in the 500 free at 5:11.64.
 
Meanwhile, the Maverick men have had a busy stretch to the start of the season and will face off with Air Force for the second time this year.  The Mavericks, ranked 11^th nationally, took on Air Force and  BYU at the Intermountain Shootout and then went on the road last Thursday and Friday (Oct. 11, 12) to face Utah and BYU in back-to-back duals.  Both of those opponents are receiving votes in the TYR/CSCAA Division I Preseason Poll.
 
Although the Mavericks have not defeated any of their Division I opponents to date, there have been plenty of highlights, most notably from Oct. 10 RMAC Diver of the Week Ammar Hassan and Swimmer of the Week Torsten Rau.
 
Hassan, the double 2018 NCAA Division II National Champion, is undefeated in his two meets on both the 1 and 3-meter boards and broke his own school-record on the 1-meter with a 6-dive score of 374.85 points, the nation's best by more than 38 points, at the Intermountain Shootout.  The 6^th of October, Egypt native also leads the country by nearly 55 points on the 3-meter board with his score of 387.50 points, which was set at the Intermountain Shootout as well.
 
Meanwhile, Chandler Livingston has also earned a spot in the NCAA Division II Championship Diving Qualification meet with his 3-meter score of 295.45 points at the Intermountain Shootout.
 
In the swimming events, the Mavericks have already claimed 10 total event wins, including two from Rau, who continues to pace the RMAC in four different events— 500-yard freestyle (4:39.11), 1000 free (9:42.88), 1650 free (16:25.35) and 200 back (1:55.64), while ranking in the top 10 for Division II in both the longest two events of collegiate swimming.
 
Justin Fell also leads the RMAC in both the 100 free (47.37) and 200 free (1:43.45) and won the 100 fly at BYU.
 
Senior Morgan Bean won that event at the Intermountain Shootout, and leads the RMAC with his time of 50.32 seconds while freshman Jake Simmons (52.00) and Fell (52.47) rank third and fourth in the conference.
 
Simons, a 7-event finalist at the Alaska Junior Olympic Championships, also places the RMAC in both individual medleys turning in times of 1:58.05 (200) and 4:14.64 (400) at the Intermountain Shootout.
 
The Mavericks have also swum RMAC's fastest times in both the 200 (1:26.25) and 400 (3:10.38) free relays.
200 Medley Relay
1000 Free
200 Free
100 Back
100 Breast
200 Fly
50 free
1m diving
100 free
200 Back
200 Breast
500 Free
100 fly
3m diving
200 IM
200 Free Relay