The Sidelines

The 2026 RMAC Softball Tournament, hosted by Colorado Christian University, is officially under way. As the only two seniors for the Cougars this year, Leah Garcia and Arriana Wright played their part in guiding their program to a historic 47-game win streak. While their stories to becoming two standout seniors for the Cougars differ in many ways, both Leah and Arriana credit their success to the...

Caitlyn and Cali Cole were practically born into the game of softball. With their mom as their coach growing up in California, the Cole sisters knew that softball was their passion, and the path they both wanted to pursue in college. When Caitlyn committed to play at CSU Pueblo, Cali wasn't far behind, helping the ThunderWolves build the foundation for the historic 2026 season they have had. W...

As the RMAC gears up for its last championship weekend of the 2025-2026 academic year, The Sidelines highlights an inspiring comeback story that has served as one of the foundations for the UCCS baseball team's record breaking season. Gerrit Erickson, senior pitcher for the Mountain Lions, faced a similar frustration to many baseball pitchers when doctors couldn't quite identify the pain h...

The wait is over for the 2026 RMAC Women's Lacrosse Tournament! To set the stage for the semifinal matchup between Colorado Mesa University and Regis University, guest host, Andrew Regan sits down with two of the Rangers' star seniors, Noemi Ramirez and Shea Murphy. Andrew, who was featured on his own episode of The Sidelines earlier this year, takes the reins for Episode 73, showing off a...

Colorado Mesa senior and men's javelin school record holder, Izaak Siefken, has undoubtedly made the most of his collegiate career, even though it hasn't looked exactly how he imagined. From a young age, the Broomfield, Colorado native knew that baseball was a passion that could open the door for a Division I college journey. After spending two years as a pitcher for the University of Illi...

Under the guidance of Coach Brad Lavoie, the Westminster men's lacrosse program has made their mark on the 2026 regular season. Throughout the next week, the Griffins, having recently defeated RMAC foe, Colorado Mesa, look to capitalize on the culture of success that has been building in the program for years. In Episode 71, Coach Lavoie explains the importance of servant leadership on his tea...

The 2026 RMAC Outdoor Track and Field Championships are heading to Pueblo, Colorado's ThunderBowl, April 24-26. Senior, Helen Braybrook, will race at her home track for her last RMAC Championship, looking ahead to continued success at a national stage. Braybrook, an indoor national champion in the 800m and DMR, chases a national outdoor title this year, with plans to continue her running caree...

RMAC spring championships are right around the corner! To prepare for the 2026 RMAC Golf Championships in Boulder City, Nevada, Episode 69 highlights Neige Dunn, a junior representing the MSU Denver women's golf program. Originally from Calgary, Alberta, Neige is a true champion of the Division II student-athlete experience and has fully bought in to the unique opportunities she's been aff...

To kick off the NCAA DII Women's Basketball Tournament, The Sidelines sits down with three-time RMAC Women's Basketball Player of the Year, and the RMAC's career scoring and rebound record holder, Olivia Reed Thyne. The foundation of Olivia's storied career at Colorado Mesa began in La Junta, Colorado, where her dad coached men's basketball at Otero Junior College, before takin...

The RMAC celebrates the beginning of the 2026 Men's Basketball Tournament with three-time RMAC Player of the Week, Stewart Erhart of Fort Lewis College. As one of just two players on the Skyhawks roster when head coach, Jordan Mast, was hired, Stewart demonstrated loyalty and trust to a historically successful program, which has now started a new generation of talent and leadership. Before his...

It's officially tournament week for RMAC basketball! To kick off an exciting night of quarterfinal matchups, The Sidelines: Episode 66 catches up with graduate student, Elaina Watson, and sophomore, Jada Price, of the Adams State Grizzlies. Beyond their shared love for basketball, Elaina and Jada share journeys filled with injuries and health challenges that easily could have ended their baske...

The stage is set for the 2026 RMAC Indoor Track and Field Championships in Gunnison, CO. The highly anticipated championships will not only feature the highest collegiate indoor track in the world, but also three of the nation's top 20 Division II track and field programs this year. Episode 65 highlights Allison Beasley, an All-American distance and steeplechase student-athlete from Western Co...

Division II's oldest football rivalry, the Black Hills Brawl, takes the ice this Saturday, February 21, as the Rapid City Rush face off with the Worcester Railers for a three-game home series in Rapid City, SD. The Rapid City Rush, now led by President Jared Reid and Head Coach, Dave Smith, has offered a consistent source of entertainment and camaraderie to the Black Hills sports community for...

The RMAC's next championship event, the 2026 RMAC Swimming and Diving Championships, highlights one of the most dominate swimming and diving programs in the country in Colorado Mesa. One of the Mavericks' seniors, Ryan Campbell, joins Episode 63 to offer some insight into the impressive sport of diving. Ryan, a repeat RMAC Diver of the Week, and last year's RMAC Diver of the Year, accr...

The RMAC is thrilled to host its third RMAC Women's Wrestling Championships in Colorado Springs at the United States Air Force Academy. To set the stage for a highly competitive championship, Episode 62 features Julia Richey of Simon Fraser University. The senior for the Red Leafs is the RMAC's defending conference champion at 207, and has been a dominate presence in the league this season...

To continue The Sidelines' celebration of the 2025-26 RMAC wrestling season, Episode 61 features Chadron State men's wrestling head coach, Brett Hunter. Coach Hunter is in his 14th season coaching the Eagles, with his Chadron roots extending back to his time as a men's wrestling student-athlete in the program. Chadron's strong sense of community has significantly impacted Coach Hun...

As the 2026 RMAC wrestling season continues to develop, The Sidelines' 60th episode highlights Aaden Valdez, senior wrestler for Adams State. Collegiate athletics naturally pose challenges for any student-athlete, however, Aaden has endured unique adversity after a firework accident in high school caused him to lose his left eye and four fingers on his left hand. Wrestling soon turned from a s...

The RMAC has officially added its 69th National Title and first ever Volleyball National Championship Title, courtesy of the MSU Denver Roadrunners. Today's episode features sophomore middle and Texas native, Alyssa Boyte, member of the NCAA Division II All-Tournament team, South Central Region Middle Blocker of the Year, and RMAC Defensive Player of the Year, as she recaps her team's NCAA...

Following the 2025 RMAC Volleyball Tournament, the 2025 NCAA Division II volleyball bracket has been set, with five RMAC schools advancing to the tournament. UCCS, in particular, sees its first NCAA tournament appearance since 2007, following one of the most historic seasons for the program. Today's episode features two key components of the program's success, head coach, Tara Hittle, and...

With the 2025 RMAC volleyball regular season coming to a close, The Sidelines: Episode 57 features starting senior libero for Black Hills State, Ellie Thomas. Originally from Gillette, Wyoming, Ellie accumulated a number of high school volleyball accolades, including Wyoming's 4A Defensive Player of the Year, and spent her first collegiate years playing at Northwest College. This year, Ellie e...

The 2025 RMAC Men's Soccer Tournament is finally here. To celebrate, The Sidelines: Episode 56 catches up with members of the RMAC's pre-season favorites and No. 1 seed heading into the RMAC tournament, Rory Scott and Nick Walker of UCCS. Rory, an international student-athlete from Australia, and Nick, an out-of-state student-athlete originally from Las Vegas, both had to work through the...

While not entirely unique to Division II, the sport of triathlon is offered as part of just two RMAC athletics departments, including Colorado Mesa and Black Hills State. With USA Triathlon's NCAA National Championships approaching this weekend for both squads, The Sidelines had the honor of catching up with Hannah Longmire, freshman triathlete for BHSU. Hannah, originally from Iowa, competes...

As the 2025 RMAC soccer regular season reaches its final stretch, The Sidelines is honored to highlight Fatso Williams, a graduate student on the Adams State women's soccer team. After a rather challenging upbringing in Deming, New Mexico, the Williams family decided to move to Alamogordo and empower Fatso to chase her soccer dreams. Her high school career was filled with broken records and Di...

This semester, the RMAC has had the honor of partnering with Regis University's Global Inclusive Program, welcoming Andrew Regan to the RMAC office as a fall intern. Andrew, now a third year student in the Global Inclusive Program, brings a passion for broadcasting and student-athlete storytelling to his work, building on the foundation of his Communications and Advocacy major and his past int...

To celebrate World Mental Health Day, Alana Howard, senior cross country runner for South Dakota Mines, joins The Sidelines for a special episode. Recognized on October 10, World Mental Health Day offers an opportunity to celebrate global mental health education, awareness and advocacy against social stigma. It also creates a perfect opportunity for the RMAC to highlight incredible student-athlete...