GRAND JUNCTION, Colo. - Claiming eight of 11 first place votes, the Colorado Mesa men's soccer team took first place in the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference Preseason Coaches' Poll, released Wednesday afternoon by the conference office.

The Mavericks, who finished second in the RMAC regular season last year but won the conference tournament, received 97 points to lead this year's poll, which consists of each of the RMAC's 11 head coaches choosing an order of finish without including their own team.

Colorado School of Mines received the other three first-place votes and finished second with 92 points. The Orediggers were last season's RMAC regular season champions but lost to the Mavericks in the first round of the NCAA Tournament.

CSU Pueblo finished third with 84 points. The projected top three are the same three RMAC teams that received preseason national rankings in the United Soccer Coaches poll, which saw CMU at No. 9, Colorado Mines at No. 20 and CSU Pueblo at No. 23.

The next tier saw Regis finish fourth, receiving 65 points. Westminster, last season's third-place finishers, were picked fifth with 59 points. Fort Lewis placed sixth with 52 points, just ahead of MSU Denver and UCCS, who tied for seventh with 48 points apiece. Colorado Christian (31), South Dakota Mines (15) and Adams State (14) rounded out the poll.

The No. 9 Mavericks open their season with a nationally-ranked showdown against No. 22 Midwestern State on Thursday, August 25 at 3:00 pm (MT). That match will take place on the campus of Texas A&M International University, who the Mavs will play on Saturday, August 27. The Colorado Mesa Men's Soccer Showcase will serve as CMU's home opener, with the Mavs facing MSU Billings on September 8 and Simon Fraser on September 10.