By: Cody Bush, Associate Commissioner / Strategic Communications

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. –  South Dakota Mines senior Savea Mansfield and Colorado School of Mines sophomore guard Jade Leon claimed the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference Women’s Basketball Players of the Week awards, presented by Genesee Nutrition and announced Monday.

Offensive

Savea Mansfield, South Dakota Mines (Senior, Forward, Washougal, Washington)
Mansfield averaged 30 points and eight rebounds per game to lead South Dakota Mines to a 1-1 mark last week with an 82-69 win at Metropolitan State University of Denver, followed by a narrow 78-76 loss at Colorado School of Mines. She had a game-best 28 points in the win at MSU Denver, making 10-of-15 from the floor, including 2-of-2 from three-point range, and converting all six of her free throw attempts while adding eight rebounds, two assists, and two steals. Mansfield then scored a career-high 32 points in Golden, making 11-of-16 from the floor, 1-of-2 from three-point range, and going 9-of-10 at the free-throw line while adding eight more rebounds, an assist, a steal, and a blocked shot.

Also Nominated:  Brinlee McRae, Black Hills State; Jada Bobb, CSU Pueblo; Audrey Quintana, Chadron State; Olivia Reed Thyne, Colorado Mesa; Emma Sixta, Colorado School of Mines; Mikylah Espinosa, MSU Denver; Kapiolani Anitielu, New Mexico Highlands; Kate Gallery, Regis; Amyah Moore Allen, UCCS; Ivey Schmidt, Western Colorado.

Defensive

Jade Leon, Colorado School of Mines (Sophomore, Guard, Miami, Florida)
Leon wins the defensive honor for a second consecutive week with nine steals last week after nabbing eight the week before. She opened the week with three steals, three rebounds, and six points in Colorado School of Mines’ 81-55 victory against Chadron State. Leon then had an RMAC season-best six-steal performance that included eight rebounds (four defensive) and 16 points in the Orediggers’ 78-76 victory against South Dakota Mines. Her 17 steals in the first two weeks of 2026 have moved her into the No. 2 spot in total steals and No. 3 in steals per game in the league.

Also Nominated:  Sayer Stoebner, Black Hills State; Laci Roffle, CSU Pueblo; Amya Winfrey, Chadron State; Olivia Reed Thyne, Colorado Mesa; Keira Mitchell, MSU Denver; Aniya Johnson, New Mexico Highlands; Caitlin Turnbow, Regis; Savea Mansfield, South Dakota Mines; Mayah Moore Allen, UCCS; Ivey Schmidt, Western Colorado.

Previous Weekly Award Winners

Week	Offensive	Defensive
Weeks 0-1: Nov. 17	Ayianna Johnson, UCCS	Olivia Reed Thyne, Colorado Mesa
Week 2: Nov. 24	Katie Lamb, Fort Lewis	Olivia Reed Thyne, Colorado Mesa
Week 3: Dec. 1	Olivia Reed Thyne, Colorado Mesa	Olivia Reed Thyne, Colorado Mesa
Week 4: Dec. 8	Mason Rowland, Colorado Mesa	Elaina Watson, Adams State
Week 5: Dec. 15	Ivey Schmidt, Western Colorado	Elaina Watson, Adams State
Week 6: Dec. 22	Kapiolani Anitielu, New Mexico Highlands	Olivia Reed Thyne, Colorado Mesa
Weeks 7-8: Jan. 5	Sofia Baldessari, Colorado School of Mines	Jade Leon, Colorado School of Mines
Week 9: Jan. 12	Savea Mansfield, South Dakota Mines	Jade Leon, Colorado School of Mines

 

RMAC Approach: Women’s Basketball Week 9

Schedule Grid

Tuesday, Jan. 13
	#10 Colorado Mesa at Western Colorado	5:30 p.m.	RMAC Network
Thursday, Jan. 15
	Adams State at Chadron State	5 p.m.	RMAC Network
	New Mexico Highlands at Black Hills State	5 p.m.	RMAC Network
	Regis at UCCS	5 p.m.	RMAC Network
	Fort Lewis at South Dakota Mines	5:30 p.m.	RMAC Network
	Colorado School of Mines at CSU Pueblo	5:30 p.m.	RMAC Network
	Westminster at #10 Colorado Mesa	5:30 p.m.	RMAC Network
	MSU Denver at Colorado Christian	6 p.m.	RMAC Network
Saturday, Jan. 17
	MSU Denver at UCCS	1 p.m.	RMAC Network
	Fort Lewis at Black Hills State	1 p.m.	RMAC Network
	Colorado School of Mines at Colorado Christian	1 p.m.	RMAC Network
	Regis at CSU Pueblo	1 p.m.	RMAC Network
	Western Colorado at Westminster	1 p.m.	RMAC Network
	Adams State at South Dakota Mines	1 p.m.	RMAC Network
	New Mexico Highlands at Chadron State	1 p.m.	RMAC Network

Rankings: WBCA Coaches Poll (updated on Tuesdays). Yellow indicates an RMAC contest.

The Weekly Preview

A meeting between the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference’s leading scorers is on tap when nationally-ranked Colorado Mesa travels to Western Colorado in Week 9’s opening game on Tuesday.

Western Colorado senior guard Ivey Schmidt enters the game leading the league with 19.7 points per game, while Colorado Mesa senior forward Olivia Reed Thyne is second in the league with 19.4 points per game. The pair are atop the scoring leaderboard in different ways, with Reed Thyne leading all RMAC shooters with her 59.8 field-goal percentage, while Schmidt is the league’s top three-point threat, converting 51.1 percent of her three-pointers.  The pair also rank among the league’s Top 4 in rebounding, Reed Thyne leading that category with 10.5 rebounds per game and Schmidt entering the contest ranked fourth at 7.3 rebounds per game.

Colorado Mesa gained control of the league title race last week with a pair of road wins and stands alone atop the league with a 6-0 mark. Western Colorado is among five teams tied for fourth at 4-2. Elsewhere, Black Hills State continued its midseason charge with a pair of road wins, extending its win streak to seven games, and is tied with Adams State at 5-1 in the RMAC to start the fourth weekend of league play.

Mavericks Charging On

Colorado Mesa (15-1, 6-0 RMAC) extended its winning streak to 13 games, which is tied for the seventh-longest in Division II, with wins at Adams State and New Mexico Highlands. The Mavericks also have a six-game road winning streak, the 11th-longest in Division II.

Mountaineers Defending the Highest Court in the Land

Meanwhile, Western Colorado owns the league’s longest home win streak at nine games, which is tied for the 11th longest in Division II as well. That streak will be put to the test straightaway when nationally-ranked Colorado Mesa visits Paul Wright Gym on Tuesday.

Mavericks’ Reed Thyne Targeting RMAC’s Career Top Spots

With 14 regular-season games remaining, Colorado Mesa senior forward Olivia Reed Thyne’s sights are set on becoming the RMAC’s career leader in both scoring and rebounding. Entering this week’s action, she needs just two rebounds to break the RMAC’s 28-year-old record of 1,154 rebounds held by New Mexico Highland’s Nicole Allman. The RMAC scoring mark would be next on her radar as she needs just 78 points to break the record of 2,002 points set by NMHU’s Becky Gonzalez when her career ended in 2002.

Reed Thyne currently ranks No. 4 among the NCAA Division II active career leaders in scoring and is the division’s active career leader in rebounding with nearly 200 more rebounds than the second on the active list (Emporia State’s Gracie Gilpin).  Entering 2025-26, only 47 Division II women’s basketball players had recorded 2,000 points and 1,000 rebounds during their careers.

RMAC Career Scoring Leaders

Rank	Points	Player
1.	2,002	Becky Gonzales, New Mexico Highlands, 1998-02
2.	1,996	Diana Lopez, Regis, 2003-07
3.	1,951	Abby Kirchoff, UC-Colorado Springs, 2011-15
4.	1,925	Olivia Reed Thyne, Colorado Mesa, 2022-current
5.	1,920	Tonya Stites, Colorado Mesa, 1991-94
6.	1,869	Tricia Lukawski, Chadron State, 1989-93
7.	1,859	Vera Jo Bustos, Adams State, 2007-11
8.	1,850	Tae’lor Purdy, Regis, 2009-14
9.	1,801	Alisha Little, CSU Pueblo, 2021-25
10.	1,795	Sharaya Selsor, CMU/MSU, 2008-09, 10-11, 12-14

RMAC Career Rebounding Leaders

Rank	Points	Player
1.	1,154	Nicole Allman, N.M. Highlands, 1994-98
2.	1,153	Olivia Reed Thyne, Colorado Mesa, 2022-current
3.	1,036	Dominique Skeehan, Adams State, 1982-85
4.	1,032	Tonya Stites, Colorado Mesa, 1991-94
5.	1,020	Abby Rosenthal, Colorado Christian, 2006-10
6.	1,012	Pam DeCosta, Colorado Mesa, 1983-86
7.	960	Nadia Furcha, CSU-Pueblo, 2000-04
8.	950	Denise Lopez, Regis, 2003-07
9.	946	Kristin Valencia, MSU Denver, 2009-13
10.	945	Amy Mohr, Fort Lewis, 2001-05

Colorado Mesa, Behind Returning Player of the Year Reed Thyne, Picked as Favorites to Win RMAC Women’s Basketball Crown

Colorado Mesa, the reigning Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference regular-season champion, is the 2025-26 preseason favorite as selected by the league’s head coaches in the RMAC Preseason Women’s Basketball Coaches’ Poll.

In conjunction with the preseason poll, the 10-person 2025-26 Preseason All-RMAC Team was also announced, led by returning RMAC Player of the Year Olivia Reed Thyne. She was joined by student-athletes representing eight other league teams, including New Mexico Highlands’ Kapiolani Anitielu, the reigning Freshman of the Year.

Colorado Mesa received nine first-place votes and scored 191 points, topping second-place University of Colorado Colorado Springs, which picked up the remaining six first-place votes and totaled 181 points.

RMAC Network Now PPV

All RMAC football games 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. A discounted annual subscription price is available to students, faculty, and staff of each member institution. Revenue generated by the network will be redistributed to the league’s membership to enhance their programs. Visit RMACNetwork.com/Purchase for more information and to subscribe.

About the RMAC

The Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference, headquartered in Colorado Springs, is a premier NCAA Division II conference with 15 institutions located in Colorado, Nebraska, New Mexico, South Dakota, and Utah. The RMAC currently competes in 22 NCAA Division II sports and has earned 69 national championships and 53 national runners-up since 1992. Founded in 1909, the RMAC is the most historic athletic conference in the western United States and Division II.

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