GRAND JUNCTION, Colo.— After a series of successful home meets in October, the Colorado Mesa University men's and women's swimming and diving teams will hit the road for the first time this season when they begin November by competing against NCAA Division I squads in Wyoming on Friday.
 
The Maverick men will take on the University of Wyoming Cowboys in dual meet while the CMU women will take on the host Cowgirls and fellow Mountain West Conference foe Colorado State in a triangular meet at Laramie High School.  Action will begin at 1 p.m. with diving competition before the swimming events commence at 3 p.m.
 
There will not be any live streaming or live result coverage, although a full recap will be posted on www.cmumavericks.com later Friday evening.
 
Meet Formats
 
The meets will be held in the 16-event format with the following swimming events to be contested after 1 and 3-meter diving competitions earlier in the afternoon.

1. 200 Medley Relay
2. 1000 Free
3. 200 Free
4. 100 Back
5. 100 Breast
6. 200 Fly
7. 50 Free
8. 100 Free
9. 200 Back
10. 200 Breast
11. 500 Free
12. 100 Fly
13. 200 Individual Medley
14. 400 Free Relay

Laramie, located above 7,000 feet of altitude, is in Tier III of the NCAA altitude-adjustment conversion chart.  Thus, times obtained on Friday will be lowered when placed on to the team, RMAC and national performance lists.  The allotted subtractions are 0.15 seconds for 100-yard events, 1.6 seconds for 200-yard events, 7.0 seconds for the 500 Free and 18.5 seconds for the 1000 free.
 
Last Time Out
 
The Mavericks continued their strong 2021-22 season start by dominating Augustana, Colorado School of Mines and Western Colorado in a pair of women's quadrangular and men's triangular meets on Oct. 22 and 23. 
 
The Maverick men a combined 4-0 during both days of the CMU Duals, winning each of the match-ups with Augustana and Mines by more than 100 points.  They had the best mark in all but one of the 29 events and combined for ten new or improved NCAA Division II Championship qualifying times in six different events.
 
The CMU women went 6-0 over the weekend and posted the top mark in 23 events over the weekend, while four different swimmers set NCAA Division II Championship provisional qualifying times.  Diver Jolynn Harris also set NCAA Championship qualifying scores on both boards.
 
National Leaders & School-Record Setter
 
In addition to all of the NCAA "B" cut times, three Mavs recorded times that still lead the season-long NCAA Division II performance lists.
 
The Mavs lead the 200-yard freestyle lists on both the men's and women's sides with Matheus Laperriere (1:37.85) and Lauren White (1:51.32).  Ben Sampson also turned in the nation's best 100 back time of 47.54 seconds as the lead-off leg on CMU's winning 400 medley relay time.  That time also set CMU's school record, formerly held by Justin Hastings at 47.78 since 2016.
 
Highly-Ranked Mavs
 
Here is a look at all 17 of the NCAA Division II Championship provisional qualifying times that the Maverick swimmers have set thus far in 2021-22, along with their national rank as of Wednesday.  All times are altitude-adjusted.
 
Seven different Maverick men and four different CMU women have already eclipsed the NCAA "B" cut standards.  Those cover 11 different swimming events.
 
Men
50 Free- Ben Sampson (20.33, 3^rd), Mado Elkady (20.41, 4^th), Felipe D'Orsi (20.58, 10^th)
100 Free- Kuba Kiszczak (45.20, 7^th)
200 Free- Matheus Laperriere (1:37.85, 1^st); Kiszczak (1:38.41, 2^nd)
100 Back- Sampson (47.54, 1^st); Lane Austin (49.01; 3^rd)
200 Back- Sampson (1:47.26, 2^nd)
100 Fly- Dejan Urbanek (48.75, 3^rd)
200 Fly- Urbanek (1:49.29*, 4^th)
 
Women
200 Free- Lauren White (1:51.32, 1^st); Kelsea Wright (1:52.92, 7^th)
200 Back- Katerina Matoskova (2:01.70, 2^nd), White (2:02.39, 4^th)
200 Breast- Lily Borgenheimer (2:18.99*, 3^rd)
400 IM- Borgenheimer (4:29.86, 3^rd)
 
*-Mark set during the Intermountain Shootout.  Others set during the CMU Duals.

Top 10 Team Rankings

Both Maverick teams were ranked in the nation's top 10 of the CSCAA (College Swimming and Diving Coaches Association of America) Division II Preseason Polls, announced on Oct. 21, on the eve of CMU's last meet.

The Maverick men were ranked eighth while the women were tabbed ninth.  The poll's voting committee is comprised of Division II head coaches and select media outlets and is charged with ranking the top 25 teams in the nation based on their perceptions of dual meet strength.
 
Augustana's women are ranked 21st in the poll while Mines was ranked 23^rd as the only other RMAC women's team in the poll.  Oklahoma Christian did receive one No. 25 vote.
 
On the men's side, RMAC rivals Oklahoma Christian and Mines were ranked 18^th and 22^nd, respectively.
 
At the top of the cloud
 
Meanwhile, the Mavericks are also highly ranked in the Swimcloud rankings, which are based on season-best times submitted to the web site.
 
The Maverick men are ranked third in the dual meet rankings as of Wednesday and hold down the top spot in the NCAA Division II Championship rankings.  CMU's women sit sixth in the championship rankings and seventh in the dual-meet rankings.
 
D-I wins
 
Both Maverick squads already have dual meet wins over Division I teams this season but will look to post a second on Friday against Wyoming.
 
The Maverick men, who are 7-1 overall, claimed a 206-202 win over Air Force during the Intermountain Shootout, their first in 21 all-time dual meets against the Falcons.  Their only previous Division I win came over the Manhattan College Jaspers in a Jan. 13, 2013 neutral-water dual in San Diego, California.
 
Meanwhile, the Maverick women crushed Dixie State, 277-123, during the Intermountain Shootout, which was their first win over a Division I foe in nearly five years after defeating Northern Colorado on Nov. 12, 2016.
 
Neither Maverick program has claimed two Division I wins in the same season to date.
 
RMAC Dominance
 
The Maverick teams have won the last three RMAC Championship titles and extended their long-standing RMAC dual-meet winning streaks at the CMU Duals.
 
The Maverick women have now won 31 consecutive RMAC duals dating back more than five years to Jan. 22, 2016.  The CMU men, who have fewer conference foes to swim against, have now won 11 straight RMAC duals since the start of the 2016-17 campaign.
 
Both Maverick teams have just two remaining RMAC duals on the schedule this year as they are slated to face Mines on back-to-back days on Jan. 7 and 8 at Air Force and in the Mines' Natatorium, respectively.
 
Top of the polls
 
Both Maverick squads were picked first in their respective RMAC Preseason Coaches' Polls, which were announced on the morning of Oct. 1, hours before the Mavs began their season with the 2-day Intermountain Shootout. 
 
The Maverick women, who set a RMAC Championship margin of victory record of 566 ½ points at the 2021 conference meet, received all six possible first place votes to top the 7-team poll with 36 points.  CMU's men received all three possible first place votes to take top billing in the 4-team poll with nine points.
 
Coaches each ranked their opposition (1-6 for women, 1-3 men) without voting for their own squad.
 
Mines was picked second in the women's poll with 31 points and received CMU Coach Mickey Wender's first place vote after taking second at last year's RMAC Championships.  Western was picked fourth in the poll with 24 points.
 
On the men's side, Mines and Oklahoma Christian were tied for second in the poll with six points.
 
In 2021, the Maverick men won 17 of the 22 contested events, including all five relays to win the 5-team RMAC Championships with a score of 1,115 ½ points, 304 more than Mines.
 
Returning All-Americans
 
After claiming all-time program-best finishes of 11^th (men) and 12^th (women) at the 2021 NCAA Division II National Championships in Birmingham, Alabama, the Mavericks appear to be quite strong once again this season with the return of 17 athletes, who have previous earned all-America honors in 2021 and/or prior seasons.
 
The list of returning all-Americans men includes diving selections Tanner Belliston and Isaiah Cheeks, as well as swimming standouts Lane Austin, Felipe D'Orsi, Mahmoud Elgayar, Logan Ellis and Matheus Laperriere.
 
The CMU women are even deeper with the return of all-Americans Logan Anderson, Lily Borgenheimer, Davy Brown, Sarah Fillerup, Katerina Matoskova, Robyn Naze, Lauren White and Kelsea Wright in the swimming events as well as Jolynn Harris and Ali Lange on the diving boards.  Harris finished second on the 1-meter board at last year's national championships while Borgenheimer and White each won six CSCAA All-America certificates last year to co-set the program record for honors in a single season.
 
Leaders everywhere you look
 
The Mavericks are dominating the RMAC top times reports thus far in the 2021-22 season and hold down the top time in an impressive 27 of 34 individual swimming events.  They have a 1-2-3 sweep of the top times in 13 of those events as well.
 
The Mavs also have the conference's top time in each of the eight relays that they have contested this year and have the top score in all four of the men's and women's diving disciplines.
 
On the men's side, Ben Sampson leads the conference in three individual and seven total events as does Dejan Urbanek, who also leads the RMAC in five different individual events.
 
Lauren White paces the RMAC in seven total individual events, including three individual events.  Lily Borgenheimer also leads the RMAC in four different individual events and six in total.
 
Here is a listing of all CMU's RMAC-leaders with their altitude-adjusted season-best times.

Men
50 Free- Ben Sampson (20.33)
100 Free- Kuba Kiszczak (45.20)
200 Free- Matheus Laperriere (1:37.85)
500 Free- Dejan Urbanek (4:37.98)
1000 Free- Urbanek (9:41.06)
1650 Free- Stef Teutsch (16:18.95)
50 Back*- White (26.78)
100 Back- Sampson (47.54)
200 Back- Sampson (1:47.26)
50 Breast*- Mahmoud Elgayar (26.64)
50 Fly*- Urbanek (22.68)
100 Fly- Urbanek (48.75)
200 Fly- Urbanek (1:49.29)
200 IM- Laperriere (1:52.19)
200 Free Relay- Sampson, Felipe D'Orsi, Mado Elkady, Kiszczak (1:22.12)
400 Free Relay- Sampson, Elkady, Kiszczak, D'Orsi (3:01.40)
200 Medley Relay- Sampson, Elgayar, Urbanek, Elkady (1:29.84)
400 Medley Relay- Sampson, Elgayar, Urbanek, Kiszczak (3:17.15)
1m Diving (6 dives)- Tanner Belliston (283.55)#
3m Diving (6 dives)- Belliston (293.85)#
 
Women
100 Free- Davy Brown (52.34)
200 Free- Lauren White (1:51.32)
500 Free- Kelsea Wright (5:05.75)
50 Back*- White (26.78)
100 Back- White (56.51)
200 Back- Katerina Matoskova (2:01.70)
50 Breast*- Lily Borgenheimer (30.42)
100 Breast- Borgenheimer (1:04.99)
200 Breast- Borgenheimer (2:18.99)
50 Fly*- Anna Barjenbruch (26.96)
100 Fly- Logan Anderson (58.82)
200 IM- Brown (2:06.24)
400 IM- Borgenheimer (4:29.86)
200 Free Relay- Izzy Powers, Anderson, Julie Day, White (1:36.76)
400 Free Relay- White, Powers, Wright, Brown (3:29.98)
200 Medley Relay- White, Borgenheimer, Brown, Powers (1:46.08)
400 Medley Relay- White, Borgenheimer, Anderson, Powers (3:52.34)
1m Diving (6 dives)- Jolynn Harris (276.40)#
3m Diving (6 dives)- Harris (276.05)#

*-Non-Championship Event
#-According to Swimcloud
 
Honors Sweeps
 
The Mavericks have swept the RMAC Swimmer and Diver of the Week awards after each of the two weeks that they competed this season.  Going a perfect 8-for-8 as a team in their opportunities, the Mavericks have also had three individuals go 2-for-2.
 
Ben Sampson, the 2020-21 RMAC Freshman of the Year has been named as the RMAC Men's Swimmer of the Week twice while Tanner Belliston has received both Men's Diver of the Week awards he has been eligible for on Oct. 7 and 28.   He now has three such career honors.
 
Meanwhile, Jolynn Harris has picked up both RMAC Women's Diver of the Week awards that she has been eligible for this season and now has seven such plaudits in her career.
 
Lauren White and Katerina Matoskova have been named as the RMAC Women's Swimmer of the Week on Oct. 7 and 28, respectively.  White has four career honors while Matoskova has picked up two.
 
Defending Champions a plenty
 
The Mavericks have a host of returning RMAC Champions who will look to defend their titles in February.  On the men's side, the Mavericks won 17 events in 2021 and return the champions in ten of  the 12 individual events they won to this year's team.  That list includes Gavin Anderson (1000 & 1650 free), Matheus Laperriere (200 Free, 500 Free, 200 IM), Ben Sampson (50 Free, 100 Back), Mahmoud Elgayar (100 Breast, 200 Breast) and Jake Simmons (400 IM).  The Maverick men also swept all five of the relay events last season and return 18 of the combined 20 legs from those quartets.
 
The Maverick women won a meet-high nine events last season, and like their male counterparts, swept the relay wins.  Lily Borgenheimer (200 IM, 200 Breast) and Lauren White (200 Free) return as do 12 combined legs from the winning relay teams.
 
Scouting the Opposition
 
Wyoming (Men)
 
The Cowboy men are 0-3 overall and 0-1 in Western Athletic Conference duals thus far this fall.  They came up short against Air Force, Denver and LSU in the Rocky Mountain Invitational, a Oct. 23 quad meet at Air Force.  They also competed in the DU Relays meet on Oct. 2 and will be at home for the first time this season on Friday against the Mavs.
 
Senior Ryan Netzel led the Cowboys at the Rocky Mountain Invitational, winning the 1,000 free in 9:54.74 and taking second in the 500 free with a time of 4:41.43.
 
Wyoming (Women)
 
The Cowgirl women, who host Northern Colorado on Thursday, are currently 2-1 overall and sit atop the Mountain West Conference women's standings in the early going with a 1-0 mark.  They defeated Air Force (192-161) and Denver (179 ½-173 ½) at the Rocky Mountain Invitational but fell to LSU.
 
They had numerous top-three finishes at that meet with fifth year senior Katelyn Blattner claiming victory in the 500 free at 5:03.56 while taking second in both the 200 back and 200 free.  Diver Melissa Mirafuentes won the platform competition as well.
 
Colorado State (Women)
 
The Rams have got off to a phenomenal 11-0 dual-meet start and were perfect in all the head-to-head competitions at CMU's Intermountain Shootout to begin the season.  They have since defeated Denver, Mines, Mary (N.D.) and Idaho.  Only three of their victories have been decided by fewer than 100 points.  Freshman Lindsay Gizzi has been named as the Mountain West Diver of the Week three times this season.
 
Series Histories
 
The Maverick women have competed in two dual meets against Wyoming in program history and have dropped both by similar scores.  However, Friday's meet will be on the fifth anniversary of the last match-up (2016), which Wyoming won 179-117 in Green River, Wyoming.  The Cowgirls had posted a 172-116 win in Laramie on Oct. 15, 2010 in the only other previous dual.
 
The Maverick men have also dueled Wyoming on the same days.  The Cowboys won 193-104 in 2016 and by a 169-121 margin in 2016.
The Mavericks are 0-7 all-time against Colorado State.  Included in that figure was the Rams' 277-133 win during the Intermountain Shootout last month.  Friday's match-up will mark the first time since 2009 that they teams have met in a neutral-pool.  Each of the most recent six match-ups have come in Grand Junction as part of the Intermountain Shootouts that CMU traditionally hosts to begin the season.
 
Up Next
 
The Mavericks will wrap up the fall semester portion of their schedule by hosting the A3 Performance Invitational from Nov. 17-20 in the El Pomar Natatorium.