Excitement is building as the sports season inches closer. Between football already two weeks into training camp, volleyball practicing back in Brownson Arena and both soccer teams making their presence known, one can feel the buzz for this fall sports season.
All the teams at Colorado Mesa University (CMU) have been working hard during their offseason preparing for their upcoming seasons. But here are the five teams we are the most excited to watch.
Men’s Wrestling
Led by the reigning RMAC Coach of the Year Mike Mendoza, the men’s wrestling team is coming off back-to-back-to-back RMAC Championships.
Last year, the squad went 9-4, and sent four to the national tournament. Redshirt Junior Ryan Wheeler looks to lead the team after going 16-7 last season and placing third at 157 pounds in 2022. Fans should also keep their eyes peeled for junior Kash Anderson (197 pounds) who was the lone All-American last year.
Women’s Wrestling
The Maverick women’s wrestling team is also fresh off a great season on the mat, recording arguably their best season ever with a fourth place national finish, their first-ever national champion, and seven total national placers.
Travis Mercado, who has served as the program’s only head coach, enters his sixth season as the head coach after guiding the team to a 14-2 record and being named the NWCA SouthWest Region NCAA Women’s Coach of The Year. Also on the coaching staff is newly hired assistant coach Marissa Gallegos, who became the first national champion in the team’s history.
The biggest storyline may be redshirt junior 155-pounder Delia Garibay coming off back-to-back national runner-up campaigns. The Mavs also return redshirt junior 101-pounder Jennnesis Martinez, junior Jayleen Sekona at 195 pounds, sophomore Isabella Morales at 101 pounds and sophomore Haley Chapman (130 pounds) all return after all American seasons last year.
Volleyball
The volleyball team expects to have another good season after making the Regional Semifinals last season. The team also finished 22-7, which was good enough for third in the RMAC.
The Mavericks return three honorable mention All-Americans in redshirt junior Sierra Hunt, redshirt senior Savannah Spitzer and redshirt junior Sabrina VanDeList, in addition to junior Sydnye Leffler who is a two time all RMAC outside hitter.
Football
The football team looks to make a leap with second year Head Coach Miles Kochevar. Last year, amid lots of roster turnover and a short offseason for the new coaching staff, they went 4-6, in a disappointing season with a lot of close losses. However, the roster has been almost completely retooled after the team inked a recruiting class of 48 players.
The expected starting quarterback will be former state-champion junior Gavin Herberg who showed promise in limited action last year. They also return key players in leading receiver Keenan Brown and an all RMAC second team safety Liban Shongolo. Kochevar also said recruits Isaiah Williams (defensive line), Nico Moreno and Jamel Acosta should make an immediate impact.
Men’s Soccer
The men’s soccer team looks to rebound after an up and down 2022 season. The Mavericks finished 9-7-1 last year, dealing with youth and injury problems. In fact, the team played an astounding 34 players in matches over the course of last season.
A bright spot for the team is sophomore Manuel Ponce Casas, who led the team in scoring with seven goals in his freshman season. Redshirt goalkeeper Diego Chavez also returns to the team, after an impressive showing over five games started where he recorded 0.94 average goals against. Fans can also have faith in coaches Jon Fridal and Brandon Bautista, who were the Regional Staff of the Year in 2021.
