By: Cody Bush, Associate Commissioner
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. – Colorado Mesa University women’s basketball team, the three-time defending Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference champion, is picked to lead the league again in 2026-27 as selected by the league’s head coaches in the RMAC Preseason Women’s Basketball Coaches Poll, released Thursday.
Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference
2026-27 Preseason Women's Basketball
Coaches’ Poll
|
| PL |
Team |
1sts |
2nds |
3rds |
Points |
| 1. |
Colorado Mesa |
11 |
2 |
1 |
192 |
| 2. |
MSU Denver |
1 |
5 |
4 |
166 |
| 3. |
UCCS |
2 |
4 |
2 |
157 |
| 4. |
Black Hills State |
1 |
2 |
2 |
155 |
| 5. |
Fort Lewis |
|
2 |
2 |
143 |
| 6. |
Colorado School of Mines |
|
|
2 |
133 |
| 7. |
CSU Pueblo |
|
|
1 |
129 |
| 8. |
New Mexico Highlands |
|
|
1 |
99 |
| 9. |
Adams State |
|
|
|
87 |
| 10. |
Colorado Christian |
|
|
|
74 |
| 11. |
Western Colorado |
|
|
|
71 |
| 12. |
South Dakota Mines |
|
|
|
66 |
| 13. |
Chadron State |
|
|
|
39 |
|
Westminster |
|
|
|
39 |
| 15. |
Regis |
|
|
|
25 |
Notes:
Head coaches were not permitted to vote for their team.
14 points for a 1st-place vote, 13 for 2nd, etc.
196 points maximum in women’s basketball. |
In addition, the league announced its 2026-27 Preseason All-RMAC Women’s Basketball Team with 10 student-athletes from eight institutions recognized. The preseason team is determined by placing returning players in order of the head coaches voting from the 2025-26 All-RMAC Teams.
Colorado Mesa received a first-place vote from 11 of 14 head coaches who could not select their own team. The Mavericks also received two second-place and a third-place vote, finishing with 192 of a possible 196 points. The Mavericks won both the RMAC regular season and tournament titles last season before winning the NCAA South Central Region crown and advancing to the NCAA Division II Final Four. Reigning RMAC Coach of the Year Taylor Wagner saw three-time RMAC Player of the Year Olivia Reed Thyne leave after graduation. However, senior guard Mason Rowland returns after earning First Team All-RMAC honors last season after averaging 18.4 points, 6.1 rebounds, and 3.8 assists per game to anchor the Colorado Mesa squad.
Behind the Mavericks, the league’s head coaches have a three-way race, with Metropolitan State University of Denver picked second with 166 points, the University of Colorado Colorado Springs in third with 157 points, and Black Hills State University in fourth with 155 points.
MSU Denver recovered from a slow start to conference play last season by winning 10 of 11 games to finish sixth in the standings, but lost back-to-back games to end their season. Junior guard Nevaeh Millard earns Preseason All-RMAC honors after averaging 12.6 points, 2.9 rebounds, and 1.7 steals per game last season.
UCCS finished tied for second in the RMAC regular-season race and runner-up in the tournament behind the Mavericks. Head coach Misty Wilson will lead a largely new group into the 2026-27 campaign with 10 newcomers on the 2026-27 roster, including seven transfers. Senior guard My Wilson, senior forward Brynae Stewart, and senior guard Olivia Towns are the Mountain Lions’ three returnees, with Wilson returning after averaging 24.1 minutes per game while playing in all 33 contests last season.
Black Hills State finished tied for third place last season and reached the RMAC tournament semifinals before falling to Colorado Mesa. Junior guard Bradie Schlabs returns after a First-Team All-RMAC campaign last season, averaging 10.6 points, 4.0 rebounds, 5.4 assists, and 1.7 steals per game.
With those teams picked in the top four spots, the remainder of the league’s eight-team tournament field is projected to be Fort Lewis College (5th, 143 points), Colorado School of Mines (6th, 133 points), Colorado State University Pueblo (7th, 129 points), and New Mexico Highlands University (8th, 99 points).
Adams State University leads the second half of the Preseason Coaches’ Poll with 87 points, followed by Colorado Christian University (10th, 74 points), Western Colorado University (11th, 71 points), and South Dakota Mines (12th, 66 points). Chadron State College and Westminster University are tied for 13th with 39 points, and Regis University closes the poll with 25 points.
The 10-member preseason team includes three returning First Team All-RMAC selections, with Schlabs, Rowland, and Colorado School of Mines’ Sofia Baldessari. They are joined by five second-team selections and two honorable mention picks on the preseason squad.
All RMAC women’s basketball matches broadcast by its member institutions will air on the RMAC Network, with annual, monthly, and single-game passes available for purchase.
The RMAC Network “Peak Pricing” sale is available until October 31. During the sale, fans can purchase an All-Access Pass for $120 by using the code RMACELEVATE26 at checkout. In addition, fans can purchase a $25 Monthly Pass that provides the same access as the All-Access Pass. Single-game passes are available for $12.50 and grant access to a single game or event for 24 hours.
Additionally, a discounted annual subscription price will be available to students, faculty, and staff of each member institution throughout the year. Those fans can use their institutional email address with the code Y27-RMACEDU at any time during the 2026-27 season.
2026-27 Preseason All-Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference: Women's Basketball
|
| Pos. |
Player |
School |
Yr. |
Hometown |
| G |
Kapiolani Anitielu (2) |
New Mexico Highlands |
Jr. |
Farmington, N.M. |
| F |
Sofia Baldessari (1) |
Colorado School of Mines |
Jr. |
Englewood, Colo. |
| F |
Kate Gallery (2) |
CSU Pueblo |
Sr. |
Pueblo, Colo. |
| G |
Aniya Johnson |
New Mexico Highlands |
Jr. |
Shiprock, N.M. |
| G |
Katie Lamb (2) |
Fort Lewis |
Jr. |
Parker, Colo. |
| G |
Neveah Millard (2) |
MSU Denver |
Jr. |
Denver, Colo. |
| G |
Ellie Mitchell |
Westminster |
Sr. |
Springville, Utah |
| G/F |
Makaya Porter (2) |
Fort Lewis |
Sr. |
Elkhart, Ind. |
| G |
Mason Rowland (1) |
Colorado Mesa |
Sr. |
Durango, Colo. |
| G |
Bradie Schlabs (1) |
Black Hills State |
Jr. |
Cheyenne, Wyo. |
| Symbols in parentheses are 2025-26 All-RMAC Recognitions: 1 -was a First Team All-RMAC selection; 2 - was a Second Team All-RMAC selection. |
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 71 national championships 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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