GRAND JUNCTION, Colo.— The Colorado Mesa University Mavericks will return to the track and the field on Saturday as the Mavs will compete in their first meet in 49 days at the same site as their first and only meet of the 2025-26 thus far.

The Mavs will join the host Western Colorado University Mountaineers, Trinidad State College and some unattached athletes in Saturday's Big Red Machine Open in Gunnison and inside the Mountaineer Fieldhouse.

A large contingent of 70 Mavericks are entered in the relatively single-day meet, slated to begin at 10 a.m.

The meet will not be streamed although fans can follow the action through live results on the Rapid Results website.

A complete recap will also be posted on www.cmumavericks.com on Saturday evening.

Meet Schedule

The meet will get underway at 10 a.m. with field event action in three disciplines (weight throw, pole vault and long jump).    Running events will begin at 11 a.m. with preliminary round heats in the 60-meter hurdles and dash, which will narrow the field for the finals later in the afternoon.

Action is slated to wrap-up around 2:30 p.m. after the 4x400-meter relays which are scheduled to start at 2:15 p.m.

A full meet schedule, which also includes the event-by-event heat and flight sheets can be seen on the live results page.

Last Time Out

The Mavericks last competed on Dec. 5 and 6 at the Mountaineer Open & Multi, which was also in Gunnison.  The Mavericks combined to win six events throughout the 2-day meet, winning two during a limited slate of Friday night events before grabbing four more wins throughout the Saturday portion of the meet.

Kendra Ritzmann set a NCAA Division II Championship provisional qualifying mark of 11.86 meters (38 feet, 10 ¾ inches) to win the triple jump on the first night while Augustine Hancock also claimed the weight throw win.

On the second day, the Maver men picked up event wins from Teo Casados (60-meter dash), Antonio Wadsworth (200), Aidan Brownell (60-meter hurdles) while Kaelea Gibson claimed another women's win for the Mavs in the high jump. 

Full recaps of both days of the meet can be seen here: Day 1 (Friday, Dec. 5) | Day 2 (Saturday, Dec. 6).

School-Record

Teo Casados got off to a quick start at the Mountaineer Open and Multi, setting the Mavs' school-record in the 60 meters with his time of 6.70 seconds, breaking Elijah William's former record of 6.72, set in February of 2023.

Casados is now the Mavs' school-record holder in six different events, including three indoor disciplines (60, 200, 4x400 Relay).

Top 10's

Casados' school-record time was one of seven new marks on the Mavs' all-time top 10 performers charts set during the Mountaineer Open & Multi.

Fellow sprinter Roman Sackman moved to the No. 9 spot with his time of 6.91 seconds in the same 60-meter event while Austin Schultz moved to seventh in the shot put with his effort of 14.90 meters (48-10.5).

Meanwhile, the Maverick women set four new top-10 marks, including two in the sprints and two in the field.

Kendra Ritzmann's NCAA provisional qualifying and winning triple jump effort of 11.86 meters (38-10.75) moved her to fifth on the Mavs' all-time charts while Aaliyah Bos is now ranked ninth in the shot put after her heave of 11.99 meters (39-4).

Sophomore sprinters Kammi Merritt and Hannah Schissler are now ranked fifth and tenth in their respective events.  Merritt posted a time of 57.96 in the 400 meters while Schissler rank to a time of 7.70 in the 60.

Weekend Entries

Here is an event-by-event look at the 70 Mavericks (37 men, 33 women) currently entered in Saturday's meet.  The team will be represented in 27 total (14 men's, 13 women's) of the meet's 28 events.

Notably, 11 (7 men, 4 women) different Mavericks are expected to make their CMU track and field debuts, marked below with an asterisk.

Men
60m (5): Marik Cummings, Jalen Hale*, Alonzo Leiba, Hayden Moreno, Roman Sackman
200m (4): Blake Ames*, Blake Anderson*, Jackson Berninger, Leiba
400m (5): Ames, Anderson, Berninger, John McGill, Jayden Thulson
800m (6): Dillon Elliott, Edgar Hernandez, Peter Leary, Jack Singleton, Kyle Towne, Winter Whittle
Mile (4): Chase Brown, Quintin Collins, Elliott, Owen Frank
3K (2): Jackson Baker, Alex Spink
5K (1): Spink
60m Hurdles (5): Aidan Brownell, Logan Hafey, AJ Iarusso, Trevor Kendall, Asa Keim*
4x400m Relay: 2 Teams
High Jump (3): Grant Nemeth*, Devin Shea*, Benson White*
Pole Vault (2): Keim, Grant Pekurney*
Long Jump (3): Hale, Keim, Hayden Moreno
Triple Jump (1): Hale
Shot Put (7): Jackson Bevan*, Van Chambers, Dillon Davis, Keim, Kaiden Major, Austin Schultz, Cain Trimble
Weight Throw (7): Bevan, Chambers, Davis, Kannon Garrettson, Major, Schultz Trimble

Women
60m (5): Sierra Buzick*, Waycee Harvey, Emily Hruby, Sylvia Johansen, Genesis Nehmer*
200m (6): Elaina Arcand, Buzick, Rimari Facey, Olivia Langner, Atahlia Mills, Nehmer
400m (1): Harvey
800m (3): Quin Gregg, Gianna Kirking, Abby Varner*
Mile (6): Megan Hodges, Lauren Hodges, Brooke Miller, Nadine Klive, Autumn McQuitty, Shirley Weaver
3K (2): Caitlyn Boyle*, Kate Linstedt
60m Hurdles (4): Facey, Mills, Kaitlyn Pearson, Jessie Schaffer
4x400m Relay: 2 Teams
High Jump (1): Kaelea Gibson, Pearson
Long Jump (5): Harvey, Hruby, Addy Kirkpatrick, Kendra Ritzmann, Natalie Smythe
Triple Jump (3): Harvey, Ritzmann, Smythe
Shot Put (6): Aaliyah Bos, Kaiya Graves, Kylie Mayer, Marlee Morris, Pearson, Elly Thiem
Weight Throw (3): Bos, Jaylynn Morgan, Thiem

Long Break Done, Full Force Ahead

After taking the extended break for the holidays, the Mavs will now go full force competing on each of the six weekends through the RMAC Championships on Feb. 27-28.  On two of those weekends (Jan. 30-31 and Feb. 13-14), the Mavs will split their squad between multiple meets.

To see, the Mavs' complete schedule, please click here.

Championship Qualifying Procedures

The Mavericks will be gunning for championship qualifying marks throughout the season, including at this weekend's meet.  To qualify for the RMAC Championships, athletes must be amongst the top 18 declared athletes in their respective events on the conference's season-long performance lists, which will also factor in altitude and track-size conversions, which try to level out the various conditions and locations that RMAC athletes compete in.

The RMAC Championships will be held on Feb. 27-28 in Gunnison.

The national championship selections will be made on a similar basis with the top 18 declared athletes in each of the individual event qualifying.  The top 16 combined event performers (heptathlon/pentathlon) will also receive an invite to the Mar. 13-15 NCAA Division II National Championships in Indianapolis.  The top 12 relay teams will also be selected.

This procedure is identical to 2024-25, but a slight tweak from previous seasons when the number of qualifiers in each event varied slightly when the national committee used a "desired field size" mandate, rather than a hard cutoff.

National List Representatives

Two Mavericks— Teo Casados and Kendra Ritzmann— set NCAA Championship provisional qualifying marks at the season-opening meet.

Casados currently stands in a tie for tenth on the national list with his altitude-converted time of 6.74 seconds in the 60 meters.

Ritzmann ranks 20^th in the women's triple jump with her mark of 11.86 meters (38-11).

RMAC Leaders

Eight different Maverick individuals plus the men' 4x400-meter relay rank amongst the RMAC's top five in their respective events heading into the weekend, thanks to their efforts in the season-opening meet.

Here is a look at the Mavs represented amongst the top five in their respective events on the current lists.

Men
60m- 1. Teo Casados (6.74*)
60m Hurdles- 4. Aidan Brownell (8.38*)
4x400m Relay- 4. Justin Blanton, Brownell, Logan Hafey, Antonio Wadsworth (3:22.80*)

Women
200m- 3. Hannah Schissler (25.03*)
400m- 4. Kammi Merritt (57.41*)
60m Hurdles- 4. Kaitlyn Pearson (8.90*)
High Jump- 4. Kaelea Gibson (1.62m/5-3.75)
Triple Jump- 2. Kendra Ritzmann (11.86m/38-11)
Weight Throw- 4. Augustine Hancock (16.91m/55-5.75)

*-Altitude/Track-Size Converted time

In the Polls

Both Maverick squads were picked fifth in the RMAC Preseason Coaches' Polls, which were announced by conference officials on Thursday.

The Maverick women received four third place votes and picked up 142 total points in the 15-team poll.  CMU's men received three third place votes and scored 100 points in the 13-team poll.

In conjunction with the polls, the RMAC also announced the preseason all-conference team, made up of one returning athlete in each individual event and based on last year's NCAA and RMAC Championship results.

Redshirt senior Jordan Burnett was the Mavs' lone selection after claiming the 400-meter title at last year's RMAC Indoor Championships.

A full summary of the polls can be seen here.

A look back

The Maverick women took third at last year's RMAC Indoor Championships, scoring 87 points in what was Director of Cross Country/Track & Field Travis Floeck's first year with the program.  The Mav women have now finished third in three straight years and have placed second or third in each of the last five and amongst the top four in six straight campaigns.

The Maverick men finished sixth at the RMAC Championships with 41 points.

The Mavs also had a pair of RMAC event champions and two NCAA Championship qualifiers.

Jordan Burnett (women's 400 meters) and Salem Brunk (men's triple jump) both return in 2025-26 after winning RMAC titles.

National qualifiers Gaby Horton (women's 200) and Antone Higgs (men's long jump) also return.

All-Conference returners

The Mavericks had 17 different athletes earn 20 total All-RMAC honors at the 2025 RMAC Championships.

All four of the Maverick men who garnered five total plaudits return.

Eight of the 13 Maverick women who combined for 15 total all-conference honors a year ago are back in 2025-26.

Here's a full list of the returning all-conference honorees.

Women (8 Athletes, 9 Honors)
Gaby Horton (60m-1^st Team; 200m-1^st Team)
Jordan Burnett (400m-1^st Team)
Brooke Miller (800m-2^nd Team)
Atahlia Mills (60m Hurdles-2^nd Team)
Kaitlyn Pearson (Pentathlon-2^nd Team)
Kaelea Gibson (High Jump-2^nd Team)
Addy Kirkpatrick (Long Jump-2^nd Team)
Augustine Hancock (Weight Throw-1^st Team)

Men (4 Athletes, 5 Honors)
Marik Cummings (60m- 2^nd Team)
Aidan Brownell (60m Hurdles- 2^nd Team)
Antone Higgs (Long Jump-1^st Team; Triple Jump-2^nd Team)
Salem Brunk (Triple Jump-2^nd Team)

First Team All-RMAC honors are given to the top three finishers in each individual event plus members of the winning relay teams at the conference championships.  Second team accolades are given to the fourth through sixth place finishers in individual events and to the members of second place relay teams.

RMAC Network News
 
Although this weekend's meet will not be streamed, the RMAC Network has moved to a pay-per-view model for the 2025-26 season.  This season, all RMAC athletic events broadcast by its 15 full-member institutions and associate members will only be available for purchase via a single-game pass or a monthly or annual subscription. Revenue generated by the network will be redistributed to the league's membership to enhance their programs.
 
RMAC fans can purchase monthly and annual subscriptions that will provide them with access to all regular-season, championship, and archived broadcasts on the RMAC Network. A monthly subscription costs $25, and an annual subscription costs $130. Single-game passes are available for $10, which grants access to a single game for 24 hours.
 
Additionally, a discounted annual subscription price will be available to students, faculty, and staff of each member institution throughout the year. Purchasing options and pricing for individual RMAC Championships will be announced closer to each event.
 
Colorado Mesa turns 100
 
The CMU Century Celebration stands as the cornerstone of Colorado Mesa University's year-long centennial celebration. This ambitious initiative unites our community in honoring a rich heritage while boldly envisioning the next hundred years of academic excellence.

Led by the Steering Committee and six specialized sub-committees, we're orchestrating a transformative experience that will resonate through generations. Each committee brings unique expertise to create an unforgettable commemoration of our past, present and future.
 
To learn more about Colorado Mesa's 100-year celebration, visit cmucentury.com.
 
Up Next

The Mavs will be in action at two meets next weekend sending athletes to both the Mines Winter Classic in Golden, Colorado and to the New Mexico Team Open in Albuquerque.  Both meets are 2-day meets on Friday, Jan. 30 and Saturday, Jan. 31.