By: Cody Bush, Associate Commissioner / Strategic Communications
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. – For a third consecutive year, Colorado Mesa University senior forward Olivia Reed Thyne is the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference Women’s Basketball Player of the Year, the league announced Thursday, along with the league’s other major award winners and All-RMAC rosters.
Adams State University graduate guard Elaina Watson is the league’s Defensive Player of the Year. South Dakota Mines freshman guard Addison Miranda claimed the RMAC Freshman of the Year award. Colorado Mesa head coach Taylor Wagner is the league’s Coach of the Year honoree.
The All-RMAC teams and awards are selected and voted on by the league’s 15 head coaches. Coaches are not permitted to vote for their players.
The RMAC’s career leader in scoring and rebounding, Reed Thyne now adds three-time RMAC Player of the Year to her resume. She finished the regular season ranked second among league scorers (20.8 points per game) and led the league in rebounding (11.2 points per game). Reed Thyne again led the league in field-goal percentage, making an impressive 61.2 percent (254-of-415) of her shots, ranking fifth among Division II shooters. She also led the league in blocks (1.48 per game). Reed Thyne closed the regular season with a flourish, becoming the first RMAC women’s basketball player to record a triple-double, posting 24 points, 10 rebounds, and 11 assists in a win against South Dakota Mines that secured Colorado Mesa’s undefeated RMAC season.
Watson is the league’s Defensive Player of the Year after leading the league with 3.0 steals per game in regular-season play. She bested her average in 17 of 31 regular-season games and had two seven-steal outings: Dec. 24 against Colorado School of Mines and Jan. 29 against Regis. Watson’s 91 steals were 13th among Division II defenders, and her 3.0 steals per game were 22nd. She averaged 10.4 points and 4.4 rebounds per game during the season.
Miranda, a Milwaukee, Wisconsin product, finished sixth among all RMAC players in minutes per game (33.4) and was among the league’s top three-point shooters. Beyond the arc, she made 67-of-193 (34.7%) and ranked second in total three-pointers made, third in three-pointers made per game (2.39), second in three-point attempts, and sixth in three-point field goal percentage. Miranda finished the season averaging 9.3 points, 2.2 rebounds, and 1.2 assists per game.
Wagner claims his third-straight and eighth overall RMAC Coach of the Year award after leading Colorado Mesa University to its eighth RMAC regular-season title in his 14 seasons at the helm. The Mavericks’ 2025-26 campaign was one for the record books as they became the first team to go undefeated in RMAC play since the 1995-96 season, finishing 20-0 in league play. Colorado Mesa’s unbeaten season pushed its conference regular-season win streak to an RMAC record 37 games. Along the way, Wagner became the RMAC’s all-time wins leader, entering the RMAC tournament with 324 career wins at Colorado Mesa, including a RMAC record 242 conference wins.
Twenty student-athletes representing 12 institutions are recognized on the 2025-26 Women’s Basketball All-RMAC rosters. Adams State and Colorado Mesa each saw three student-athletes recognized. Black Hills State University, Colorado School of Mines, Fort Lewis College, Metropolitan State University of Denver, and Western Colorado University had two students recognized. Colorado State University Pueblo, New Mexico Highlands University, Regis University, and the University of Colorado Colorado Springs also honored a student-athlete.
In addition to her Player of the Year award, Reed Thyne became a four-time First Team All-RMAC selection. Adams State’s Kiiyani Anitielu, UCCS’ Amyah Moore Allen, and Western Colorado’s Ivey Schmidt also repeated as First Team All-RMAC selections. Black Hills State’s Bradie Schlabs moved up to first team honors after earning second team recognition in 2024-25. Five student-athletes made their first appearance on the First Team All-RMAC.
2025-26 Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference Women’s Basketball Award Winners
Player of the Year: Olivia Reed Thyne, Colorado Mesa
Defensive Player of the Year: Elaina Watson, Adams State
Freshman of the Year: Addison Miranda, South Dakota Mines
Coach of the Year: Taylor Wagner, Colorado Mesa
2025-26 First Team All-Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference: Women’s Basketball
|
| Player |
School |
Pos. |
Ht. |
Yr. |
Hometown |
| Kiiyani Anitielu (1) |
Adams State |
G |
5-7 |
Sr. |
Farmington, N.M. |
| Sofia Baldessari |
Colorado School of Mines |
F |
6-1 |
So. |
Englewood, Colo. |
| Mikylah Espinosa |
MSU Denver |
G |
5-9 |
Sr. |
Thornton, Colo. |
| Taejhaun Hill |
Adams State |
F |
6-0 |
So. |
Albuquerque, N.M. |
| Seneya Martinez |
CSU Pueblo |
G |
5-8 |
Sr. |
Windsor, Colo. |
| Amyah Moore Allen (1) |
UCCS |
G |
5-8 |
RSr. |
Colorado Springs, Colo. |
| Olivia Reed Thyne (1, 4x) |
Colorado Mesa |
F |
6-0 |
Sr. |
Windsor, Colo. |
| Mason Rowland |
Colorado Mesa |
G |
5-7 |
RSo. |
Durango, Colo. |
| Bradie Schlabs (2) |
Black Hills State |
G |
5-6 |
So. |
Cheyenne, Wyo. |
| Ivey Schmidt (1) |
Western Colorado |
G |
5-10 |
Sr. |
Ginnell, Iowa |
2025-26 Second Team All-Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference: Women’s Basketball
|
| Kapiolani Anitielu (2) |
New Mexico Highlands |
G |
5-11 |
So. |
Farmington, N.M. |
| Kate Gallery |
Regis |
F |
6-1 |
Jr. |
Pueblo, Colo. |
| Katie Lamb |
Fort Lewis |
G |
5-8 |
So. |
Parker, Colo. |
| Savea Mansfield (H) |
South Dakota Mines |
F |
5-11 |
Sr. |
Washougal, Wash. |
| Jayda Maves (H) |
Western Colorado |
G |
5-9 |
Jr. |
Lakewood, Colo. |
| Brinlee McRae |
Black Hills State |
G |
5-8 |
Sr. |
Sandy, Utah |
| Nevaeh Millard (H) |
MSU Denver |
G |
5-8 |
So. |
Denver, Colo. |
| Mykaela Moore |
Colorado Mesa |
G |
5-7 |
Sr. |
Windsor, Colo. |
| Makaya Porter |
Fort Lewis |
G/F |
6-0 |
Jr. |
Elkhart, Ind. |
| Jenna Shandy |
Colorado School of Mines |
G |
5-9 |
RSr. |
Parker, Colo. |
| Elaina Watson |
Adams State |
G |
5-7 |
Gr. |
Farmington, N.M. |
| Symbols in parentheses: 1 – was a First Team All-RMAC selection in 2024-25; 2– was a Second Team All-RMAC selection in 2024-25; H – was an Honorable Mention All-RMAC selection in 2024-25, 3x – Three-Time First Team All-RMAC Selection; 4x – Four-Time First Team All-RMAC Selection. Eleven named to Second-Team All-RMAC due to a tie in voting. |
2025-26 Honorable Mention All-RMAC: Women’s Basketball
ADAMS STATE: Ashiian Hunter
BLACK HILLS STATE: Sawyer Stoebner
COLORADO CHRISTIAN: Elise Grosdidier, Jordon Heckert, Hayley Luther
COLORADO SCHOOL OF MINES: Emma Sixta
CSU PUEBLO: Ruby Sweeney-Spitzeck, Genesis Sweetwine,
NEW MEXICO HIGHLANDS: Aniya Johnson, Aspen Salazar
SOUTH DAKOTA MINES: Morning Grace Spotted Bear
UCCS: Ayianna Johnson
WESTERN COLORADO: Alyssa Eckroth
WESTMINSTER: Ellie Mitchell