COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. – The Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference released the Preseason Coache's Poll and All-RMAC squad this afternoon with Colorado Mesa being represented as the No. 1 team and naming three to the list.
Earning three first place votes and three second place votes, the Mavericks totaled 33 points in this year's poll as selected by the conference's head coaches who ranked their opposition 1-7 without voting for their own squad.
Two other schools also earned first place votes with Adams State garnishing three and Colorado School of Mines earning one. Adams State was selected to finish second in the poll with 28 points while Mines was picked third with 26 points. Western Colorado earned 22 points in fourth place with Chadron State in fifth at 21 points.
CSU Pueblo and New Mexico Highlands rounded out the list at six and seventh.
The RMAC standings and title are determined by dual meets on a round-robin schedule with each school facing off with each other once.
CMU won the crown in 2022 and 2023 while finishing in third in 2024 and second in 2025. Last season the Mavs went 5-2 in RMAC duals while reaching as far as the NCAA National Championships and having five wrestlers represented with three All-Americans.
Representing Colorado Mesa this year on the Preseason All-RMAC team was the trio of Alex Castaneda, Gabriel Carranza and Tyler Doyle. Both Carranza and Doyle were First Team All-RMAC selections last year.
Castaneda, who represents the 149-pound weight class, went 19-11 last year while finishing in fourth place at the NCAA Division II Super Regional VI Championships. He competed in eight duals over the season while compiling a 5-4 record.
Carranza was the 197-pound selection and went 15-9 on the mat last year while going 7-2 in duals and a perfect 4-0 in RMAC duals. He was one of the five Mavs to reach the NCAA Division II Championships.
Rounding out the group to the Preseason Team was Doyle who is the heavyweight, 285-pound representative. Doyle went 26-7 in 2024-25 while being a perfect 11-0 in duals, including a 7-0 mark against RMAC competition. He finished the season as the #12 ranked wrestler in the nation while reaching NCAA Division II Championships and placing seventh to be named as an All-American.
The Mavs will host their annual Maroon vs. White intrasquad dual next Friday (Oct. 24) in Brownson Arena at 5 p.m. with the CMU men on one mat and the Maverick women facing off on the other.
Exhibitions will take place on Nov. 1 against Northeastern Junior College and Colorado Northwestern Community College at Brownson as well with the team officially starting their season on Nov. 9 at the Mines Rookie Open.
CMU will host New Mexico Highlands in their RMAC and home-opening dual on Nov. 16.
