COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo.— After finishing third in the indoor season standings, both Colorado Mesa University track and field teams were picked in that position in the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference's Preseason Polls, announced this week.

The Maverick men also received four first place votes in the poll, which asked each of the conference's 13 head coaches to rank their opposition without voting for their own squad.  CMU had 126 points in the poll, trailing only UCCS (135) and the Colorado School of Mines (128).  UCCS, which has won the last three outdoor and four straight indoor titles from 2020-23 before taking second this year, received five first place votes and 135 total points.  Mines, which claimed the indoor title last month, had two first place votes and 128 points.

Adams State also received a first place vote while finishing fourth in the men's poll with 106 points ahead of CSU Pueblo (101) and Western Colorado (93).  Chadron State was seventh with 74 points.
CMU took an all-time program best second place at the 2023 RMAC Outdoor Championships with a program-record 125 ½ individual points before setting another program record with 109 team points at the 2024 RMAC Indoor Championships. 

Brad Gamble was named as the RMAC Men's Indoor Coach of the Year.

Meanwhile, CMU's women received 130 points in the polling of the league's 14 coaches, who were asked to rank their opposition 1-13.

Mines received the top-billing with 159 points and claimed six first place votes after winning the 2024 RMAC Indoor title ahead of UCCS, which has won the previous four outdoor titles from 2019-23.  The Mountain Lions picked up two first place votes and 151 total points.

Adams State, which won the NCAA Division II Indoor title after taking just seventh at the conference meet without many of their top athletes, was picked fourth in the RMAC poll with 138 points, one fewer than the Mavs.  The Grizzlies also received six first place votes.

Western Colorado (119), CSU Pueblo (107) and New Mexico Highlands (102) also all received more than 100 points.

The Maverick women took fourth at the 2023 RMAC Outdoor Championships and have been third at the last two indoor championships.

CMU will begin the outdoor season this weekend at the Spank Blasing Invitational in Pueblo and will host three outdoor meets in April, including the RMAC Championships from Apr. 26-28 at the CMU Track & Field Complex.  They will be hosting the conference championship for the first time in program history.

 2024 RMAC Men's Outdoor Track & Field Preseason Poll
 

School (First-Place Votes)	Points
1. UCCS (5)	135
2. Colorado School of Mines (3)	128
3. Colorado Mesa (4)	126
4. Adams State (1)	106
5. CSU Pueblo	101
6. Western Colorado	93
7. Chadron State	74
8. Black Hills State	53
9. MSU Denver	52
10. Colorado Christian	49
11. Fort Lewis	46
12. South Dakota Mines	37
13. Westminster	14

 








   

School (First-Place Votes)	Points
1. Colorado School of Mines (6)	159
2. UCCS (2)	151
3. Colorado Mesa	139
4. Adams State (6)	138
5. Western Colorado	119
6. CSU Pueblo	107
7. New Mexico Highlands	102
8. MSU Denver	71
9. Black Hills State	63
10. Chadron State	57
11. Fort Lewis	51
12. Colorado Christian	46
13. Westminster	38
14. South Dakota Mines	33