GRAND JUNCTION, Colo.— The nation's eighth-ranked Colorado Mesa University women's swimming team will look to continue a run of success against Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference foes when they travel to Alamosa and Gunnison for a pair of conference duals this weekend.
 
The Mavericks, who have won 12 straight RMAC duals over the last three years, will compete in an 11-event contest at Adams State University at 2 p.m. on Friday before heading to face Western Colorado University in a 14-event match-up on Saturday morning at 10 o'clock.  Diving will not be contested at either dual.
 
The Mavericks (1-4, 1-0 RMAC) crushed the Colorado School of Mines, 237-62 on Saturday as part of the Air Force Quad meet to pick up their first dual meet win of the young campaign, which has otherwise been filled with competition against NCAA Division I foes.  CMU also held their own against the host Falcons (137 ½-161 ½) and the SEC's Vanderbilt (131-166) at the Air Force meet, which saw them combine for 15 top-3 finishes.  The Mavs had also competed against BYU and Colorado State during the Intermountain Shootout on Oct. 5 and 6.
 
They were picked first in the RMAC Preseason Coaches' Poll and lead the RMAC's performance-list in six different events, including three relays (200 Free, 400 Free, 200 Medley).  The Mavericks also have also shown great depth and hold 39 top eight spots in the 14 individual swimming events on the RMAC lists with at least two such spots in all but one event.
 
The lone exception to that statement is the 1,650 free as Isabelle Hansson is the only swimmer in the RMAC to have contested that event this year.
 
CMU's other RMAC leaders are Maddie McClain in the 1000 free (10:36.82) and Grace Payton in the 400 individual medley (4:35.73).   McClain is also ranked second in the 500 free at 5:11.64 while Sierra Forbord, named as the RMAC Swimmer of the Week on Wednesday, is ranked second in all three of the sprint freestyle events at 24.47 (50), 53.04 (100) and 1:54.03 (200).
 
Payton also ranks second in the 200 back at 2:06.34 and third in the 100 back at 59.34, a spot behind Maverick freshman Sarah Fillerup (58.55), who is third in the 200 at 2:08.48. 
 
Senior Danielle Jefferies is ranked second in the 100 butterfly (58.34) and second in the 200-yard distance at 2:09.35.  She also ranks fourth in the 200 IM at 2:11.32 while Payton holds down the No. 3 position at 2:10.47.  Hansson also sits just behind Payton in the 400 IM at 4:35.73.
 
Adams State will start their season against the Mavericks and were picked eighth in the preseason coaches' poll after taking sixth a year ago.  Second year coach Quint Seckler has a young squad with just two seniors and five upperclassmen.
 
The Mavericks won last year's dual in Alamosa by a 144-56 margin and have taken three straight over the same number of years, all in the Plachy Hall Pool.
 
Western Colorado claimed a 134-84 win over CSU-Pueblo in their first and only dual of the season thus far on Oct. 12 after finishing fourth against as many teams at the Denver Relays on Oct. 6.
 
The Mountaineers won nine of the 13 events in the dual with CSU-Pueblo.  Mountaineer all-American Randi Yarnell highlighted the effort by breaking her own pool record in the 100-yard freestyle with a time of 53.38 seconds.
 
She ranks third in the RMAC with her altitude-adjusted mark of 53.23 in that event and stands fifth in the 200 free at 1:56.83.
 
Sydney Skiles, fourth in the 1000 free at 11:06.56 and Savannah Tice, fourth in the 100 back at 59.59 are the only other Mountaineers ranked in the RMAC's top five thus far.
 
The Mountaineers finished fifth at last year's RMAC Championships, largely thanks to Yarnell, who was named as the RMAC Women's Swimmer of the Meet and the Year after winning three conference crowns before going on to finish second in the 100 free at the NCAA Division II Championships.
 
Erik Matheson is in his second year as the Mountaineers' head coach.
 
CMU Head Coach Geoff Hanson, now in his third year with the Mavericks after a successful 2-year stint at Western, is 3-0 in duals against his former squad.  The Mavericks have won four straight duals with the Mountaineers dating back to Jan. 22, 2016 and will complete a home-and-home series with them this season on Jan. 18, 2019 in the El Pomar Natatorium.

Adams State Dual Schedule - 2 p.m. Friday

200 Medley Relay
(5 Min Break)
1,000 Free
200 Free
(10 Min Break)
50 Free
200 IM
(10 Min Break)
100 Fly
100 Free
(10 Min Break)
100 Back
500 Free
(10 Min Break)
100 Breast
(5 Min Break)
200 Free Relay

Western Colorado Dual Schedule - 10 a.m. Saturday

200 Medley Relay
1650 Free
200 Free
100 Back
100 Breast
200 Fly
50 Free
(Break)
100 Free 
200 Back
200 Breast
500 Free
100 Fly
(Break)
400 IM
400 Free Relay