CMU’s Olivia Reed Selected as RMAC Women’s Basketball Player of the Year

CMU’s Olivia Reed Selected as RMAC Women’s Basketball Player of the Year

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COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. – Colorado Mesa sophomore forward Olivia Reed is the 2023-24 Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference Women’s Basketball Player of the Year, the league announced Wednesday alongside its other individual honors and all-conference rosters. In addition to her Player of the Year honor, Reed also received an RMAC All-Conference First Team distinction and is one of three members of the Mavericks program to be recognized for their individual efforts. These awards and the all-conference rosters are voted on by the league's 15 coaches. Coaches are not permitted to vote for their own student-athletes. 
 
In just her second collegiate season, Reed follows up her stellar debut campaign with the prestigious RMAC Player of the Year award. The Windsor, Colo., native shined offensively this season and owns the conference’s best field goal percentage (58.3%). She also ranks second in the league in rebounding (11.3) and blocks (1.6) and fifth in points per game (17.2). Reed’s efforts helped the Mavericks grab the No. 1 seed in the 2024 RMAC Women’s Basketball Tournament and claim a share of the four-way tie for the regular-season crown. 
 
For the second consecutive year, a Colorado Mesa freshman takes home the Freshman of the Year honor. Mason Rowland, a guard from Durango, Colo., also played a role in helping the Mavs clinch the RMAC Tournament’s top seed. She averaged 14.7 points per game, went 27-for-76 from the three-point line this season (35.5%) and shot 87.2% from the free-throw line in her first season in Grand Junction, Colo. Moreover, Rowland converted the third-most free throws in the RMAC with 130 makes and checked in with the third-best percentage in that category among conference student-athletes.
 
Alisha Little secures the RMAC’s Defensive Player of the Year distinction after a record-breaking season at Colorado State University Pueblo. Little led the conference in scoring with 20.4 points per game, rebounding (11.5) and blocks (3.5), while putting up 22 double-doubles this season, the most in NCAA Division II. The redshirt junior averaged 32.9 minutes in 30 games and converted 51.2% from the field. Little became the new Colorado Collegiate women’s basketball leader in blocks while also becoming the 18th CSU Pueblo player to reach 1,000 career points.
 
Colorado Mesa’s Taylor Wagner is the RMAC Coach of the Year after leading the Mavs to a share of the regular-season title and the top seed in the conference tournament. Wagner picks up his sixth RMAC Coach of the Year accolade in 12 seasons at the helm of the Mavericks’ program. Along with a share of the regular-season crown, Wagner improved his team’s conference record from a 12-10 finish in 2022-23 to an 18-4 showing in 2023-24. Under his leadership this season, the Mavericks dominated the glass and tallied the most rebounds in the league. Additionally, the Mavs limited opponents to 35.9% from the field, the lowest in the RMAC.
 
Twenty student-athletes from 13 league institutions comprise the 2023-24 RMAC Women’s Basketball All-Conference rosters. Colorado Mesa and Regis lead the way with three selections each, followed by Adams State, CSU Pueblo and University of Colorado Colorado Springs with two honorees each. Colorado Christian, Colorado School of Mines, Fort Lewis and Metropolitan State University of Denver each checked in with a single first-team honoree. Black Hills State, Chadron State, South Dakota Mines and Western Colorado filled out the rosters with one second-team member apiece.
 
RMAC Player of the Year: Olivia Reed, Colorado Mesa
RMAC Freshman of the Year: Mason Rowland, Colorado Mesa
RMAC Defensive Player of the Year: Alisha Little, CSU Pueblo
RMAC Coach of the Year: Taylor Wagner, Colorado Mesa
 
2023-24 RMAC Women’s Basketball First Team All-Conference
Name Pos. Cl. School Hometown
Harmanie Dominguez G So. Adams State Las Cruces, N.M.
Maggie Hutka F So. Colorado Christian Royse City, Texas
Olivia Reed F So. Colorado Mesa Windsor, Colo.
Ashley Steffeck G Gr. Colorado School of Mines Fort Collins, Colo.
Alisha Little F R-Jr. CSU Pueblo Aurora, Colo.
Lanae Billy G So. Fort Lewis Shiprock, N.M.
Mikylah Espinosa G So. MSU Denver Thornton, Colo.
Erin Fry PG Sr. Regis McKinney, Texas
Maison White C Jr. UCCS Grantsville, Utah
Amyah Moore Allen G Jr. UCCS Colorado Springs, Colo.
 
2023-24 RMAC Women’s Basketball Second Team All-Conference
Name Pos. Cl. School Hometown
Kiiyani Anitielu G So. Adams State Farmington, N.M.
Kalla Bertram G Jr. Black Hills State Colome, S.D.
Ashayla Powers PF/C Jr. Chadron State Longmont, Colo.
Kylie Kravig G Jr. Colorado Mesa Greeley, Colo.
Mason Rowland G Fr. Colorado Mesa Durango, Colo.
Autumn Watts F R-Jr. CSU Pueblo Centennial, Colo.
Josey Ryan G Gr. Regis La Vista, Neb.
Athena Saragoza G Jr. Regis Santa Barbara, Calif.
Piper Bauer G Jr. South Dakota Mines Gig Harbor, Wash.
Rachel Cockman C Jr. Western Colorado Cantwell, Alaska
 
2023-24 RMAC Women’s Basketball Honorable Mention
Name School
Riahana Davis Adams State
Angelline Nageak Adams State
Morgan Hammerbeck Black Hills State
Ellie Moore Black Hills State
Nicole Bowlin Colorado Christian
Dasiya Jones Colorado Christian
Jenna Siebert Colorado School of Mines
Tomia Johnson CSU Pueblo
Kelsey Sorenson Fort Lewis
Juliana Aragon New Mexico Highlands
Sam Deem Regis
Rylie Ottman UCCS
Ivey Schmidt Western Colorado
Elizabeth Means Westminster