CMU is the only Division II institution to have eight winter sports make it to the national championships
CMU athletics is having another one-of-a-kind winter. CMU is the only institution in Division II to be represented at each of the five NCAA National Tournaments happening this week across the country. On top of that, the Maverick women’s wrestling team competed at their respective championship giving the department eight teams in national competition.
MEN’S BASKETBALL
The Men’s Basketball Team is making their third straight appearance in the NCAA Tournament and will enter the South Central Regional as the No. 4 seed. They are set to take on the No. 5 seed Texas A&M-Kingsville on Saturday, March 12, at 6:30pm in Lubbock, Texas.
The Mavericks have had a remarkable year as they have won a program best 24 games this season. Despite losing 2021 All-American Ethan Menzies early due to injury, the Mavericks are 24-9 and have received significant production from seniors Georgie Dancer and Jared Small along with redshirt freshman Trevor Baskin who earned All-RMAC First Team honors for the first time.
WOMEN’S BASKETBALL
The Women’s Basketball Team is making their seventh overall appearance in the NCAA Tournament after finishing the regular season with a 23-6 record and a second-place finish in the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference. They enter the South Central Region Tournament as the No. 8 seed and will play host West Texas A&M Friday, March 11, at 4pm in Canyon, Texas.
Colorado Mesa is led by a strong group of seniors that will be appearing in their third NCAA Tournament. Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference Player of the Year Daniella Turner leads the group of seniors along with All-RMAC selections Mariah Martin, Kelsey Siemons and Sophie Anderson who all have had record-breaking seasons.
MEN’S WRESTLING
As Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference Champions, CMU has a conference-high five wrestlers competing in the NCAA National Tournament beginning on Friday, March 11, at Chaifetz Arena in St. Louis, Mo. They are looking for their second straight top ten team finish as they placed eighth last season with just two wrestlers in the COVID contracted tournament.
Led by senior 197-pounder and returning All-American Donnie Negus, the Mavericks have had a banner season and are looking for more. They are geared with three first-time NCAA National qualifiers, that includes Super Region VI Champion Ryan Wheeler, Negus and two-time qualifier Seth Latham, the Mavericks are in the hunt for a trophy finish.
WOMEN’S WRESTLING
One of the youngest programs in the Athletic Department, the women’s wrestling team has made waves on the national level. The Mavericks competed in their National Tournament last weekend in Adrian, Mich., and finished with six All-Americans in just their fourth season of existence.
They sent the third most wrestlers to the National Meet with 13 and wound up with a fifth-place finish as a team, their third straight top five team finish. Marissa Gallegos and Jayleen Sekona each finished in third place at their respective weights while Claire DiCugno, Holly Beaudoin, Kaylee Haynes, and Tatum Heikkila all finished in the top eight of their weights and named All-Americans.
MEN’S AND WOMEN’S SWIMMING & DIVING
Colorado Mesa is coming off their fourth consecutive Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference Championship and have sent a program record 30 student-athletes to the NCAA Championships in Greensboro, N.C., which began March 9. Those swimmers will represent the Mavericks in 25 of the 28 total individual swimming events.
Lily Borgenheimer leads the contingent of women at the meet as she is the top seed in three separate events (200-yard breast, 200 IM and 400 IM) while Ben Sampson leads the men after earning the top seed in both backstroke events. Jolynn Harris and Ali Lange figure to factor in on both 1m and 3m boards for the women’s divers while Noah Luna, Isaiah Cheeks and Tanner Belliston all look to be poised for a podium finish on both disciplines as well.
MEN’S AND WOMEN’S INDOOR TRACK & FIELD
The Maverick Track and Field programs have been one of the underrated programs nationally since Head Coach Brad Gamble took over. This season, they qualified six individuals that will compete in seven events. The men are bringing a program-record five student-athletes to the NCAA Indoor Championships in Pittsburg, Kan., with competition set to begin on March 11.
Elijah Williams is the Mavericks lone double qualifier in both the 60 and 200 meters while Gunner Rigsby is seeded second in the triple jump and could push for the National Championship in the event. On the women’s side, Mica Jenrette is the lone female representative and will compete in the Pentathlon on March 12. Jenrette ran one of the legs on the 4x400 meter relay team that won the National Championship last year.
With the strong winter sports season paired with the solid fall season, the Mavericks will be setup for a solid finish in the NCAA Division II Learfield Cup standings. Colorado Mesa was in 58th place in the final fall standings after earning points in just two sports (Men’s Soccer and Volleyball) but could pick up points in seven sports during this winter session.
Follow along with all the Mavericks competing this week on CMUMavericks.com.