COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo.— The Colorado Mesa University women's lacrosse team has once again been picked to finish second in the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference, according to the league's preseason coaches' poll, which was released on Tuesday.
The Mavericks have finished second in the RMAC Tournament in each of the last four years and have taken second in the regular season standings in three of the last four years while sharing the title in 2023.
Coming off an 11-6 overall season, which saw them go 8-2 in RMAC play with, the Mavericks received 20 points in the polling of the conference's six head coaches, who ranked their opposition 1-5 without voting for their own squad. The Mavs also received Regis' first place vote while the Rangers claimed the other five first place votes to top the poll with 25 points. The Rangers went 20-2 last season, winning the RMAC Regular Season and Tournament titles before advancing to the semifinals of the NCAA Division II Tournament.
UCCS, which received 16 points, Westminster (14), CSU Pueblo (8) and Fort Lewis (6) finished behind the Mavs in the poll.
In conjunction with the poll, the RMAC also released a Players to Watch list, made up of returning First and Second Team All-RMAC selections. Teams that did not have any such returning all-conference selections were allowed to place one player on the list as well.
The Mavs' two returning All-RMAC selections on the Players to Watch list are attackers
Justine Anderson and
Carson Dickey.
Anderson, a junior from Colorado Springs, was named as the RMAC Attacker of the Year last season and has been on the First Team All-RMAC squad in both of her previous collegiate seasons. She scored 54 goals last season, the fourth highest total in CMU history, and led the RMAC in goals per game (3.18) last year. She also earned Honorable Mention All-America honors from the USA Lacrosse Magazine and was a Second Team IWLCA (Intercollegiate Women's Lacrosse Coaches Association) All-Midwest Region pick.
Dickey, a junior from Murrieta, California, was named to the Second Team All-RMAC squad in 2024 after finishing second behind Anderson in scoring with 38 goals and 48 offensive points.
Both players were also named to the RMAC All-Tournament Team in 2024.
The Mavericks will begin the 2025 regular season on Feb. 14 and will play four non-conference away games before taking on Grand Valley State in their home-opener on Mar. 6. They then begin RMAC play on Mar. 14 at Regis.
The six RMAC teams will play ten total conference games apiece, facing their five opponents twice in home and away contests. Those standings will set the field four the 4-team RMAC Tournament, which will be contested on Apr. 25 and 27 at the No. 1 seed.
