COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo.— The Colorado Mesa University swimming and diving teams were both selected as nearly unanimous picks to win their sixth consecutive Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference titles this winter, according to the league's preseason polls, released on Monday morning.
 
The Maverick men received all five possible first place votes and topped the poll with 25 points, ahead of the Colorado School of Mines, Oklahoma Christian and new affiliate member Simon Fraser, who were all tied for second in the poll with 17 points.  UTPB (Texas-Permian Basin) was picked fifth with nine points while Adams State was sixth with five points.
 
Polling procedures called on each of the league's six head coaches were asked to rank their opposition 1-5 without voting for their own squad.
 
The Maverick men won last year's RMAC title by 335 points over Oklahoma Christian and went on to finish a program-record fifth at the NCAA Division II National Championships.  The 2023-24 roster will be headlined by 2023 NCAA Division II National Swimmer of the Year Ben Sampson, and 2022 National Diver of the Year Isaiah Cheeks.
 
Oklahoma Christian finished second behind the Mavs at last year's conference meet while Mines was third.
 
Meanwhile, the CMU women received seven first place votes to top the 9-team poll with 63 points.  The Mavs broke their own conference championship scoring record with 1,325 points at last year's meet and went to take the fourth place trophy at the NCAA Division II National Championships.
 
23-time all-American Lauren White and 11-time all-American Katerina Matoskova, who have combined to win 25 conference titles in their careers, are expected to lead a deep 2023-24 Maverick roster than also includes three new NCAA Division I transfers.
 
Mines, which finished second to the Maverick women at the 2023 conference championship meet, was picked second in the poll with 52 points while Simon Fraser and Oklahoma Christian were tied for third with 49 points.  Simon Fraser received the other two first place votes as coaches were asked to rank their opposition 1-8 without voting for their own team.
 
Western Colorado was picked fifth with 31 points while UTPB was right behind with 30.  CSU Pueblo (20), Nebraska-Kearney (18) and Adams State (12) rounded out the poll.
 
The Mavericks will begin their season this weekend hosting RMAC rival CSU Pueblo as well as three NCAA Division I opponents in Air Force, BYU and Utah during the Intermountain Shootout at the El Pomar Natatorium.
 
The RMAC Championships are scheduled for Feb. 13-17 in Lenexa, Kansas.