GRAND JUNCTION, Colo. – The quest to defend its RMAC titles and make a run for the NCAA Tournament starts this weekend for the CMU men's lacrosse team.

The Mavericks open the 2023 season at NCAA Division III Colorado College at noon at Saturday. That game will kick off a stretch of 10 road or neutral site games to open the season before CMU's home opener on April 1.

Colorado College will have a live video stream and live stats available for the game.

Looking Back
The 2022 version of the Mavericks finished 14-4 overall, with impressive records at home (4-0) and in conference play (5-1). Colorado Mesa ended up sharing the regular season title with Westminster, then defeated the Griffins in the RMAC Tournament final for the program's fourth tournament title in the six years that it has been contested.

The Mavericks split two regular season meetings against Westminster, with the tournament win tilting the season series in the Mavs' favor. CMU earned season sweeps over CSU Pueblo and Adams State. Neither team has ever beaten the Mavericks in men's lacrosse.

Even some of the Maverick losses were impressive showings, as the team narrowly fell to No. 14 Florida Tech 16-15 on the road and came within three of then-No. 2 Tampa, losing 15-12. That Tampa team went 21-0 on its way to an NCAA championship and are the unanimous preseason No. 1 team this year. The Mavs will travel to face Tampa again on March 20.

Despite the conference success, Colorado Mesa was not selected for a spot in the NCAA Tournament. Their 2022 season did not feature a win over a ranked opponent, something the Mavericks will have plenty of chances to remedy this season.

Preseason Polls
Colorado Mesa will start the 2023 season ranked No. 19 in the USILA Poll, the same slot they finished 2022 in.

The Mavs finished atop the RMAC Preseason Coaches Poll, earning all three possible first-place votes. This marks a return to the number one spot for CMU, which ranked second in last year's preseason poll behind Westminster.

Westminster finished second this year, receiving two second place votes and Colorado Mesa's first-place vote as no coach could vote for their own program. CSU Pueblo and Adams State tied for third in the poll with one second-place vote and two third-place votes each.

Returning Contributors
The vast majority of CMU's 2022 roster is back, including a pair of 2022 honorable mention All-Americans in redshirt junior midfielder James Steinke and junior faceoff specialist Dylan Checketts. Also returning are two-time RMAC Attacker of the Year Hunter Holcomb and reigning RMAC Freshman of the Year Caden Hathaway.

Seven players who won a share of the RMAC's individual yearly awards last season return – Co-Attackers of the Year Jed Brummett and Holcomb, Co-Midfielders of the Year Sergio Pelayo and Steinke and Co-Defenders of the Year Trey Corkin III, Hayden Scherr and Hathaway. Short stick midfielder Drew Eickelman and his twin brother, long stick midfielder Jake Eickelman, also come back after earning first-team All-Conference honors a season ago.

New Faces
One area where Maverick fans could see plenty of new faces is in goal, as the top two players to spend the most time in net for CMU do not return. Among players coming back, Calvin Doucette appeared in eight games, starting three, with a 7.65 GAA and 12 saves. Mac Bayless had five relief appearances totaling 48 minutes, allowing five goals against four saves. Luke Parrish and Dom Pasquale are potential freshman options for the Mavs.

New incoming transfers for CMU include midfielder Sal Iaria, who joins after playing four seasons at Division I Vermont, where he was part of a program that made two NCAA Tournament appearances and won two conference tournament titles. Attacker Philip Petersen also joins after two seasons at Howard Community College in Maryland, where he starred for the Dragons. In 2022, Petersen ranked second in both goals (30) and assists (25) for a team that went to the National Junior College Athletic Association (NCJAA) national championship game. Philip Petersen is also joining his brother, Erich Petersen, who is a CMU freshman playing attack/midfield.

Head Honcho
The 2022-23 season will be the first in charge for new head coach Troy Moyer, who has served as an assistant at CMU since the 2019 season.

Former head coach Vince Smith resigned to pursue other opportunities after winning his third RMAC Coach of the Year award in 2022. Moyer was named the interim head coach after Smith's departure on July 13 and was hired as the permanent head coach on September 30. Moyer retained all current players through the coaching transition.

With Moyer as an assistant coach, Colorado Mesa has won two regular season RMAC titles and the RMAC Tournament Championship last season. Prior to Colorado Mesa, Moyer coached at Division III Muhlenberg College in Allentown, Pennsylvania, his home state. He played Division I Lacrosse at Sacred Heart University.

About Colorado College
Colorado College plays in the competitive Division III Heartland Collegiate Lacrosse Conference. The Tigers finished atop the Heartland preseason poll with all seven possible first-place votes.
In 2022, the Tigers went 7-9 but won the Heartland Conference Tournament. Colorado College frequently punches above its weight class as the Tigers will play not only CMU but also exhibitions against Division I Colorado and Colorado State.

The Tigers have consistently played the Mavericks competitively with a 2-4 record against CMU. The programs split the first four meetings that took place from 2011-2015. After a six-year hiatus, this will be the third consecutive year that these programs will match up. The Mavericks pulled out a 13-12 double-overtime win on the road in 2021 before winning by a 15-12 score in Grand Junction in 2022.

Colorado College returns four players who received all-conference honors a year ago – a pair of 2022 first-teamers in attacker Dylan Brown and midfielder Declan Maguire and two second-teamers in defensive midfielder Luca Lietti and goalie Ben Anastos. Like CMU, the Tigers will be making their official 2023 season debut on Saturday.