GRAND JUNCTION, Colo. – For the third time this season, Mac Riniker has captured the RMAC's Defensive Player of the Week award.  

Riniker becomes the RMAC's first three-time weekly award winner of the 2023-24 season after previously taking home the honor on November 14 and December 4. Riniker averaged 14 points, nine rebounds, 3.5 blocks and 1.5 steals per game as the No. 11 Colorado Mesa men's basketball team tallied a pair of wins over Chadron State and Colorado Christian.

The redshirt junior finished with a 19-point, 11 rebound double-double to go with three blocks in a 102-95 overtime win over Chadron State last Friday, Riniker's first double-double of the season and second of his career. Riniker led a dominant Mavericks defensive effort on Saturday, finishing with seven rebounds, four blocks and three steals as the Mavs held Colorado Christian to just 43 points.

Riniker leads the RMAC with 31 steals and 2.38 steals per game and ranks tied for sixth with 15 total blocks. He also ranks second in the conference in field goal percentage (.642) and ranks 14^th in the RMAC in both scoring (15.2 per game) and rebounding (5.3 per game).

Colorado Mesa is unbeaten in the RMAC with a perfect 9-0 conference record. The Mavs hold a one-game lead over Fort Lewis and Colorado School of Mines for first place in the RMAC standings. The No. 11 Mavs have three consecutive home games coming up on the schedule, with Black Hills State and South Dakota Mines this Friday and Saturday before a showdown with Fort Lewis on Friday, January 26. The Fort Lewis game will also be the annual Blizzard in Brownson Presented by Coca-Cola.