RAPID CITY, S.D.— Led by three all-conference performances, the Colorado Mesa University women's cross country team recorded its best Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference Championship finish in 12 years on Saturday here at the Hart Ranch Camping Resort.
 
The Mavericks, ranked 22^nd nationally, scored 138 points and placed fifth in the loaded 15-team field that included eight nationally-ranked squads, including four of the top seven.  That finish is CMU's best since placing fourth in 2014.
 
Jordan Staniszewski led the Mavericks for the fourth time in as many meets this season, placing 11^th with a 6-kilometer time of 21 minutes, 26.4 seconds.  She earned First Team All-RMAC honors with the effort as one of the top 14 finishers.
 
Meanwhile, Autumn McQuitty and Wehazit Kelati both picked up second team accolades after placing 26^th and 28^th, respectively.  McQuitty finished with a time of 22:00.7 while Kelati posted a career-best mark of 22:04.4 to grab the last available all-conference certificate, which Staniszewski had done in 2025.
 
The Mavs also had impressive depth and had four other runners finish between 40^th and 45^th.  Quin Dedrick led that bunch in 22:38.1 while Kate Linstedt was 41^st in 22:40.9 as the Mavs' No. 5 runner.
 
Daisy Lalonde was 44^th in 22:49.0 while Shirley Weaver had a 45^th place time of 22:49.8 as the Mavs' seventh runner.
 
Freshman Lily Nichols and Chloe Swan also finished near the middle of the field as Nichols placed 60^th in 23:14.0 while Swan placed 78^th in 24:05.1.
 
Lola Boice rounded out the Maverick contingent in 85^th with a time of 24:18.8.
 
National poll No. 5 Western Colorado recorded a minor upset to take the team title with 40 points.  The Mountaineers, who had last won the crown in 2020, had the second, third and fourth place finishers.
 
Top-ranked Adams State also had three top ten finishers but finished with 55 points ahead of No. 7 UCCS, which finished third with 64 points.
 
Defending champion and No. 3 ranked Colorado School of Mines was fourth with 69 points and had the individual winner in Emily Lamena, who beat Western's Peyton Weiss by 13.3 seconds.  Lamena finished in 20:38.2.
 
CSU Pueblo finished well behind the Mavs in sixth place with 194 points.
 
The Mavs also finished higher than three nationally-ranked teams as No. 27 Black Hills State finished seventh with 205 points while No. 11 Colorado Christian and No. 12 Fort Lewis both scored 324 points to finish 11^th and 12^th, respectively.
 
The Mavs' three All-RMAC performances are the most CMU has had since 2014, when they had a program-record four honorees.
 
CMU has had at least one honoree in seven straight years.
 
The Mavs, who claimed their first team win since 2015 in their last regular season meet, will look to continue their momentum at the NCAA Division II South Central Regional Championships on Nov. 21 in Lubbock, Texas.  The results of that meet will largely determine if the Mavs are able to qualify for a third straight NCAA Division II National Championship.
 
CMU's men will also run at that meet after placing sixth in Saturday's RMAC Championships to earn their best placement in four years.