It was another year of excellence for Maverick athletics. Along with dominating the RMAC, many teams and athletes participated in the NCAA postseason. These are the four athletes and coaches we think stood above the rest.
Megan Remec- Women’s Soccer:
Going into the season, the Mavs were picked to finish sixth out of 13 teams in the RMAC. Led by head coach Megan Remec, the team may have turned in the best season out of everyone at Mesa this year.
The Mavs went 18-4-1, setting the program record in total wins, highlighted with an RMAC championship. The squad also set the program record for NCAA tournament wins, reaching the third round of the tournament.
For Remec, the outstanding coaching job began over the off-season. The team lost their all time and single season goal scoring record holder to the transfer portal. In response, Remec went with a very balanced team, with a true freshman as the team’s keeper.
The record breaking season for Remec will be her last at CMU. The fourth year coach will be moving closer to home, and is now the girls club director at Chicago FC United.
Trevor Baskin- Men’s Basketball:
Saving his best for last, forward Trevor Baskin led the Mavs on a 29-5 season, becoming the second All-American in program history.
From the first game of the year, the 6’9” redshirt junior put on a show for fans, whether it was high flying dunks, behind the back passes, or dagger three pointers. Baskin went on to average 18 points, eight rebounds and four assists a game on a team that was ranked top 15 in the country almost the whole year.
More impressively, when the Mavericks other star, forward Mac Riniker, had a season ending injury, Baskin played even better. While upping all his season averages, Baskin led the Mavs all the way to the sweet 16 of the NCAA tournament.
After graduating this May, Baskin will transfer to play DI his final collegiate season at the University of Colorado, where he is expected to be a major piece for the Buffs.
Ben Sampson- Men’s Swim & Dive:
Ben Sampson is undeniably the best swimmer in CMU history.
This season, the redshirt junior won four individual national titles and earned his second straight Division II Men’s Swimmer of the Year Award. Sampson now lays claim to six national titles, which ties him for the most in school history alongside former Maverick diving legend Ammar Hassan.
Along with his national championships, Sampson earned seven All-American designations at Nationals in March, the most possible for the third straight year. Now with 21 of these designations, the Arvada native holds the record for the most All-American titles in any Maverick sport. Sampson also broke his own DII backstroke record with a 1:40.74 mark and helped the men’s team finish fourth-best in the country.
With his last year of eligibility, Sampson will transfer to the University of Texas, a storied program at the DI level.
Myah Arrieta- Softball:
Shortstop Myah Arrieta is arguably having the best season in program history. The RMAC player of the year broke the school conference record with 27 home runs, including hitting one in 10 straight games which is a record across all divisions of softball.
The local product was top five in the country in batting average all season, in addition to being second in the county with her 27 home runs. Her power hitting was contagious, as the Mavs hit the most home runs in RMAC history.
The most absurd statistic Arrieta had was her nation leading slugging percentage. Her percentage breaks the calculation at over 1.000, the national average this year was around .400%.
For Arrieta, she is in the midst of an NCAA tournament run for the Mavs, and has one more year to repeat as the RMAC player of the year.
