COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. – The Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference released the Preseason Coache's Poll and All-RMAC squad this afternoon for women's wrestling with Colorado Mesa being represented as the second ranked team in the conference and earning a league-high five players to the Preseason Team.
Earning two first-place votes and two second-place votes, the Mavericks totaled 14 points in this year's poll as selected by the conference's head coaches who ranked their opposition 1-5 without voting for their own squad.
The Mavs came up just one point short of Simon Fraser in the poll who was picked to win the conference while earning 15 points. They earned three first-place votes and one second-place vote.
Chadron State was picked to finish third this year while earning one second-place vote and three third-place votes. Texas Woman's came in at fourth with Adams State rounding out the poll in fifth place.
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 is the defending Tournament Champions heading into this season while placing second in the conference the past two seasons since it has begun its sponsorship by the RMAC. In addition, the Mavs had six champions at last year's tournament which was the first ever Tournament in conference history.
Representing Colorado Mesa this year on the Preseason All-RMAC team was five different wrestlers with no other school having more than three on it. The wrestlers for CMU include Sophia Cornish, Jojo McDaniel, Lorianna Piestewa, Hania Halverson and Celina Preston.
The RMAC's preseason team is determined by placing returning players in order of head coaches' voting from the league's 2024 All-RMAC Teams
Cornish represents the 110-pound weight class after having a dominant freshman campaign last year going 22-7 and finishing as the No. 8 ranked wrestler in the nation. In her season, Cornish was the champion of two opens while placing at both the RMAC Championships and NCWWC Region Eight Championships. She was a Second Team All-RMAC selection.
Coming in at 117 pounds is McDaniel who also had a strong first year with the Mavs going 29-12 and finishing as the No. 9 ranked wrestler in the nation. McDaniel was named as the conference's Co-Freshman of the Year in 2024-25 while being a First Team All-Conference selection. She won the conference at 117 lbs. before ultimately taking eighth at the NCWWC National Championships.
Piestewa was named to the 124-pound weight class, with her being the lone Maverick to earn All-American status this past season. Piestewa finished with a record of 17-2 in her freshman season while winning the conference at 124 lbs. and being named First Team All-Conference. She finished the year, placing third at the NCWWC National Championships.
In the 131-pound weight class was Halverson for the Mavs with her going 21-9 last season and claiming the RMAC Championship at that weight. She was a First Team All-RMAC selection while reaching as far as the NCWWC Region Eight Championships.
The final wrestler to earn honors to the Preseason Team was Preston with her in the 145-pound weight class. Preston finished with a 21-8 record while being perfect in RMAC duals at 3-0. She took fourth place at the Maverick Open last season while also placing fifth at the NCWWC Region Eight Championships.
The Mavs will host their Intersquad Showcase 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.
On Nov. 1 they will take place in an exhibition against Snow College at 6 P.M. before officially starting their season against Texas Woman's University at Brownson as well at 7 P.M. for their first RMAC dual of the year.
