GRAND JUNCTION, Colo.— After playing at home for the past two weekends, the Colorado Mesa University men's lacrosse team will head back on the road traveling to Midwestern portion of the country for a pair of games against two different sets of Hawks from the Great Lakes Valley Conference.
 
The 8-3 and nation's 18^th-ranked Mavericks, who lead the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference standings with a 3-0 mark, will take their 3-game win streak into a Thursday evening encounter against the Quincy University Hawks in Quincy, Illinois before heading to Kansas City, Missouri for a Saturday contest against long-time rival Rockhurst University.
 
Thursday's contest against the QU Hawks (4-7) will begin at 6 p.m. CDT (5 p.m. Mountain) while Saturday's contest against the RU Hawks (6-4) will commence at Noon CDT (11 a.m. Mountain).  Both of these start times are new.
 
Both contests, which are the Mavs' last two non-conference games of the regular season, will be streamed on the GLVC Sports Network and live statistics for both games can be found on the links above.
 
Last Time Out
 
The Mavericks played an exquisite defensive game and got rolling offensively mid-way through the second quarter as they defeated CSU Pueblo, 22-6 in RMAC play on Sunday afternoon. 
 
Four different Maverick players finished with hat-tricks as the Mavericks tripled up the ThunderWolves in total shots, 69-23, while recording a monstrous 63-22 advantage in ground balls.
 
Jed Brummett and AJ Switzer led the Mavs offensively with four goals apiece.  Freshman JJ Brummett and James Steinke also added three each.
 
Meanwhile, Jake Brummett, won 15 of his 16 face-offs while claiming a season-high 15 ground balls.  The Mavs won 27 of the 32 draws as a team as starter Dylan Checketts went 9-for-13 while Mike Edwards won all three of his face-offs with the game well in hand down the stretch.
 
Sergio Pelayo also had a solid 4-point effort with a goal and three assists as 11 different Maverick scored, including eight in the first half alone.
 
The Mavericks forced the ThunderWolves into 25 turnovers and held them to just 23 total shots, only 11 of which were on frame.  The Pack also failed to clear ten times as CMU held the RMAC's leading overall point scorer and then reigning RMAC Offensive Player of the Week Aryan Krause without a shot and to just one assist.  Krause had scored six goals and 13 points in CSU-Pueblo's 18-5 win over Adams State in their previous contest on Apr. 2.
 
James Steinke added six ground balls in support of Jake Brummett while Trey Corkin III added another five along with two caused turnovers.  Jake Eickelman had four caused turnovers to lead the Mavs in that defensive category.
 
Freshman Calvin Doucette made his first career start in net and picked up the win after playing during the first half, when he made two saves.  Nolan Hoffman and Mac Bayless combined for three other saves in the second half.
 
X marks the spot
 
The face-off "X" has been a true gold mine for the Mavericks, who now lead the NCAA Division II statistics in face-off percentage.  The Mavs won 27 of the 32 draws in Sunday's win over CSU Pueblo and raised their season-long face-off percentage to .713 (243-98).  The Mavs had ranked fifth in Division II last week.
 
On an individual scale, Dylan Checketts remains ranked fifth in the country with what is now a .700 individual winning percentage.  He won nine of his 13 face-offs in Sunday's game and has now won 152 out of 217 this season.
 
Jake Brummett, who won 15 of 16 of his face-offs on Sunday, has an even better .767 (69-90) winning percentage but is not eligible for the NCAA statistical rankings as he has not taken more than 40 percent of the team's total draws.  If he were eligible, he would rank as high as second nationally.

Awards Sweep
 
The Mavericks swept the RMAC Player of the Week honors for the fifth time this season as AJ Switzer was named as the RMAC Offensive Player of the Week while Jake Brummett picked up the defensive nod.  The same duo had also swept the awards back on Mar. 7.
 
James Steinke has also received three RMAC Offensive Player of the Week honors this season while Dylan Checketts has picked up two defensive plaudits.  Drew Eickelman was also named as the Mar. 21 defensive selection as he and Steinke swept that week's awards.
 
High Octane Offense
 
Scoring 22 goals on Sunday, the Mavericks finished with 20 or more goals for the fourth time this season.  They now have scored 189 goals in their 11 games, scoring in double-figures in all but one.  Their 17.18 goal per game average is the third best in the Division II statistics.
 
The Mavs also rank sixth in the country for assists per game (9.82) having recorded assists on 108 (57.1 percent) of their goals thus far.  They are fourth for offensive points per game (27.00).
 
The Mavs also rank seventh nationally for scoring margin having outscored their opponents by an average of 6.64 goals per game.
 
Hat-tricks
 
With four different players recording hat-tricks on Sunday, the Mavericks have now combined to register 17 this season.
 
Jed Brummett became the ninth different Maverick to record one this season, netting four goals against the ThunderWolves.
 
AJ Switzer, who also scored four times against the ThunderWolves, leads the hat-tricky Mavs with five this season and has three of CMU's nine 4-goal individual games.  James Steinke recorded his third hat-trick of the season on Sunday while freshman JJ Brummett recorded the second of his season and career.
 
Trent Pernell has three Alex Blatt, Hunter Holcomb, Brad Lowe all have one as well.
 
Goal scoring tear
 
Scoring four goals and setting a new career-high for offensive points (6) in Sunday's win, AJ Switzer continued what has been a goal scoring tear.  The Rancho Santa Margarita, California native has scored goals in eight straight games, recording two or more in seven of those games.  He has also had three 4-goal performance in the run and has scored 22 goals in the last eight games alone.
 
With 26 overall this season, Switzer leads the RMAC by five goals over teammate James Steinke and already sits in a tie for 12^th in CMU's single-season goal scoring statistics.  He has already scored more goals in a season than any other Maverick since Jack Griffin (49), Brandon Wilsons (29) and Joe Wulforst IV (28) in 2019.
 
Moving up the scoring ladder
 
Fifth-year Maverick redshirt senior Carson Schwark has steadily moved up the Mavericks' career goal scoring charts this season.  He scored one more last week against CSU Pueblo and has now recorded 16 goals this season raising his career total to 65 in just 50 games.
 
He has had a goal in each of the last three games.
 
The Inver Grove Heights, Minnesota native is now in seventh place on the Mavs' all-time goal scoring charts.  He now has his eyes set on Austin Pridham, who is in sixth place with 66 career goals.
 
Schwark is tied for third on the Maverick squad and tied for fourth in the RMAC with his 16 goals this season and has now been in double figures during each of the last four seasons, including the 2020 and 2021 campaigns, which were significantly shortened by the COVID-19 pandemic.  He scored a career-high 17 goals in just nine games played last season earning Second Team All-RMAC honors as the team's third leading scorer.  He also ranked sixth in the RMAC for goals last season.
 
Schwark's goal last week was also good for his 88^th career offensive point, putting him in a tie for eighth place on the Mavericks' career points chart alongside Daniel Caddoo (2012-16).  Schwark could become just the sixth Maverick to reach 100 career points if he is able to record 12 more points in CMU's five remaining regular season games plus any post-season games the Mavs happen to play.
 
Streaking Steinke
 
Maverick James Steinke has been on a scoring tear this season having scored in all 11 games this year and each of the last 12 dating back to last year.  He has scored two or more goals in each of the Mavs' last seven contests, netting three hat-tricks as well.  He had one of those hat-tricks on Sunday against CSU Pueblo.
 
Earning three RMAC Offensive Player of the Week honors this season, Steinke is second in the conference for goals with 21 and is tied with teammate Hunter Holcomb for the No. 2 spot in the RMAC statistics with 16.  His 16 assists this year has also lifted Steinke into a tie for No. 9 spot in CMU history for career assists with 33.
 
In the poll
 
The Mavericks remained 18^th in this week's USILA/Dynamic Coaches' Division II Poll, released on Monday afternoon.  The No. 18 ranking is the Mavs' highest of the season.   The Mavs are now receiving a season-high 73 points in the poll.  Their only three losses this season have come against teams ranked above them in the poll. 
 
Tampa, a team that edged the Mavs by just three goals, continues to hold down the No. 1 spot and is just one of two undefeated teams in the country at 12-0.  Adelphi, the only other undefeated team, is 9-0 and ranked fourth behind 1-loss Le Moyne and Limestone squads.  Mercy continues to rounds out the unchanged top-5.
 
CMU's only other losses have come to Rollins, which moved up a spot to the No. 10 in the poll, and to Florida Tech, which moved back to No. 14 in this week's poll, down a spot from the previous week.
 
RMAC rival Westminster, a team the Mavericks defeated, has four points and is in the also receiving votes portion of the poll.
 
A look back
 
The Mavericks went 9-2 in 2021, winning nine straight games after dropping their season-opener in overtime at Mount Olive.  They played each of their first seven on the road and were not home until Apr. 25 and saw two of their four regular season home games thwarted by COVID issues within the opposing programs.
 
Despite the pandemic challenges, the Mavericks won all five of the RMAC contests they played to win the conference title for the fourth time in five completed seasons.  They then won their RMAC Tournament semifinal over Adams State, a team they beat three times, but were downed by RMAC rival Westminster in the RMAC Tournament Championship game, ending any potential hope for an NCAA Tournament bid.
 
On an individual basis, the Mavericks had 17 players earn All-RMAC honors, including RMAC Freshman of the Year Dylan Checketts, Attacker of the Year Hunter Holcomb and Midfielder of the Year James Steinke.  Vince Smith was named as the RMAC Coach of the Year.
 
Jed Brummett, Sergio Pelayo, Tanner Stopkoski, Brian Buckner, Cole Emmanuel, Jake Eickelman and Drew Eickelman joined Holcomb and Steinke on the First Team All-RMAC unit.    All but Buckner and Emmanuel, now at Division I Marquette, return to the Maverick roster in 2022.
 
On a statistical basis, the Mavericks ranked amongst the nation's top 10 in 11 different statistical categories and won the national statistical title in ground balls per game, racking up 44.36 per game.
 
The Mavs also ranked second in the country for assists per game (11.27) and clearing percentage (.901) and led the RMAC in all but three of the NCAA tracked statistical categories.
 
Long time success
 
The Mavericks' 2021 success was certainly not a "one-hit wonder".  The Mavericks went a perfect 7-0 in 2020 when that season was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.  Including, this year's start, CMU has now won 24 of their last 29 games and have posted a winning record in each of the last ten seasons after going 6-8 in their inaugural 2011 season.
 
As a program, the Mavs are 120-46 all-time, good for a .723 winning percentage that is fifth best amongst active Division II programs.
 
Home Sweet Home
 
Sunday's win over CSU Pueblo allowed the Mavericks to improve to 51-8 all-time record at home since beginning their program in 2011, good for an .864 home field winning percentage.  The Mavericks had a 20-game home field winning streak from 2016-18 and have now won 31 of their last 34 games at Community Hospital Unity Field.
 
The Mavs are 3-0 at home this season and will play one more regular season home contest against Adams State on Sunday, Apr. 24 after playing their next three games on the road.
 
Best in the West
 
The Mavericks have proven to be the best Division II program in the western half of the United States, winning four Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference titles in the last five opportunities after claiming two Western Intercollegiate Lacrosse Association crowns in the program's earliest years. 
 
The Mavericks are an impressive 38-4 (.905) in RMAC play since the conference began sponsoring the sport in 2016.  They have won ten straight RMAC regular-season games over the last three seasons.
 
CMU is the only RMAC team to have ever qualified for the NCAA Division II Tournament, doing so in 2018 after posting a school-record 17 wins (17-3) while going a perfect 8-0 in conference play that year.
 
It starts at the top
 
Maverick Head Coach Vince Smith, in his eighth season at the helm of the program, has a 89-25 career record.  His .781 career winning percentage ranks him seventh amongst active NCAA coaches (all three divisions) with a minimum of five years as a head coach at the NCAA level.  He ranks fourth amongst Division II coaches.
 
Smith has been named as the RMAC Coach of the Year on two occasions, including in 2021 (2016), and was named as the WILA Coach of the Year in that organization's final year (2015).
 
His players have earned a combined 38 First Team All-RMAC honors since 2016 and have received a conference-high 15 "Of the Year" major awards since then.
 
Smith and the Mavs are 14-0 against CSU Pueblo and ThunderWolf coach Sean Blair, also in his eighth season.
 
About the Quincy Hawks
 
The Hawks will enter Thursday's game with a 4-7 overall record and will be looking to stop a 6-game losing streak when they take on the Mavs.  They are 0-4 in Great Lakes Valley Conference play.
 
Two of their recent losses have come against other Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference squads, both of which were by 1- goal margins.  They lost 11-10 to CSU Pueblo on Mar. 20 and dropped a 12-11 decision to Adams State on Mar. 23.  They also dropped a defensive 8-3 conference decision to Maryville on Apr. 2 before being drubbed 20-0 by Lindenwood and 17-2 by Indianapolis, both of whom are ranked in the top-10 nationally, in their last two contests.
 
Hawk Head Coach Eric Ruppel is in his third year in charge of the program and is familiar with the Mavs from his previous stint as the associate head coach and defensive coordinator at Adams State.
 
Jordan Ernst leads the Hawks with 26 goals and 30 offensive points.  Jayme Brain has scored ten goals and has assisted on 19 others while Preston Willman is second on the team in goals (18) and third for points (22).  Blaine Lowrance is also in double-figures with 12 goals.
 
Ray Lingard and Noah Gersham have split an overwhelming majority of face-offs for Ruppel's squad.  Lingard is 49-for-112 (.438) and leads the team with 43 ground balls.  Gersham has won his draws at a 42.2 percent (46-109) clip.
 
Zack Springborn leads the team with 18 caused turnovers and is second behind Lingard with 33 ground balls.
 
Sam Huff and Ryan Riggs have been the Hawks' two starting goalkeepers.  Huff has made three starts and has a solid 7.22 goals against average and .590 save percentage while Riggs has made seven starts.  The sophomore has a 14.00 goals against average and .568 save percentage, having made 134 saves.
 
About the Rockhurst Hawks
 
The Rockhurst Hawks will enter Saturday's game with a 6-4 overall record.  They are 3-1 in GLVC action and suffered their first conference loss last Saturday at No. 8 Indianapolis by a 14-7 score.  That loss snapped a run of three straight wins.
 
All four of their losses have come against nationally-ranked opposition, a trend the Mavs hope will continue on Saturday.
 
The Hawks and the Mavericks have three common opponents and have the same results.  Rockhurst has defeated CSU Pueblo and Adams State from the RMAC and lost a Mar. 19 home game against Rollins, a team the Mavs lost to in a neutral-site encounter in Jacksonville, Florida more than a month prior.
 
Sam Lindahl has been impressive, scoring 20 goals while assisting on 20 as well.  Alec Helfin leads the team with 21 goals while Brooks Hanson (17) and Ricky Bloom (15) have also contributed significantly.  John Myran also ranks second on the team with 12 assists and has added seven goals.
 
Zach Cegielski has won 51.6 percent of his face-offs (95-184) and leads the team with 54 grounds balls, nearly twice as many as goalkeeper Hayden Harris, who is second on the team with 28. 

Luke Goetz leads four Hawks in double-figures for caused turnovers with 16.
 
Harris has started all ten games in net and has posted a 10.94 goals against average and .538 save percentage.  He has made 105 saves in total, averaging 10.50 per contest.
 
Series Histories
 
Thursday's game against the Quincy Hawks will be the first ever meeting between the teams.
 
The Mavericks and the Rockhurst Hawks, who were former associate members of the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference, have met ten previous times.  The Mavs have a 9-1 overall series lead and have won each of the last four match-ups.
 
The Mavs are 3-1 all-time against the Hawks in Kansas City.  Each of the last two of those match-ups have been decided by a single goal.  CMU claimed a 10-9 win on Apr. 14, 2018 while the Hawks had won by an 11-10 score on Feb. 24, 2017. 
 
The two teams last met on Mar. 8, 2020, when the Mavericks won a 14-10 home decision in what ended up being their game of the season before the COVID related cancelation of the remainder of the season.
 
Up Next
 
The Mavericks will resume RMAC play next week when they face CSU Pueblo and Adams State in a split home-and-away weekend.  The Mavs will play at CSU Pueblo on Friday, Apr. 22 before returning home for their Senior Day game against Adams State on Sunday, Apr. 24.