Four starters. Nine of their top 11 contributors. Colorado Mesa University (CMU)’s women’s basketball team is primed for back to back historic seasons.
The Mavericks have a lot of returning players this year, including the return of RMAC Freshman of the Year. Last season, sophomore Mason Rowland was nothing short of a star for CMU. Coming off the bench as the sixth player, Rowland averaged 14.6 points per game, 5.2 rebounds per game and 1.8 assists per game during her freshman campaign.
“I think there’s always room for improvement. So when, at the end of the year last year, [I talked to head coach Taylor Wagner] about things to improve on. So that’s what I was working on over the summer. And hopefully when we start getting into the swing of things, I can implement what I’ve been working on,” said Rowland.
Another important returner for coach Wagner’s squad is junior forward Olivia Thyne (Reed). Thyne, formally, Reed got married in the offseason. Thyne was crowned last season’s RMAC Player of the Year, averaging 17.2 points per game, along with 11.3 boards and 2.5 assists. Thyne has now been selected as the recipient of two consecutive awards, with her grabbing the RMAC Freshman of the Year in her true freshman season in 2022-23.
“My focus is really, we haven’t won a title in my last two years, so I’ve been putting all of my focus and efforts into that, and just keeping that in the back of my mind, and I’m just gonna let that be my focus, and everything else will fall into place,” said Thyne.
The duo of Rowland and Thyne were both named to the RMAC Women’s Basketball Players to Watch list. They were joined by senior Kylie Kravig, who averaged 7.6 points and 5.6 assists per game last year.
\\ Jordan Messler for the Criterion
As far as raw numbers go, it would be near impossible to find a team as elite. Last year’s squad was in the top five of nearly every statistical category in the RMAC. A spot that shined for CMU was in the average margin of victory, as they outscored opponents by an average of 11.8 points per game. While that was mostly in thanks to their stellar defense, the offense was equally as impressive, and it’s only gotten better.
Over the offseason, the Mavs were able to grab three players out of the transfer portal. Senior Riley Hayes is one of those players, transferring in from the University of Arkansas – Fort Smith (UAFS). In her time at UAFS, she was a three year starter, averaging 8.4 points per game in the 2023-24 season. Another player primed to make a difference for this squad is senior Brooklyn Palmer. Palmer was a starter for the University of Texas at Tyler in last year’s round of 32 game that knocked CMU out of the tournament. She notched six points, a rebound and two steals in her former team’s victory.
“Those fifth year seniors we brought in are doing a great job. I mean, they’re obviously a little older and more mature and have been through a lot of battles, so they’ve kind of fit in seamlessly. So, there’s always a transition for them trying to pick up on the system, and what we want, but I feel like they’ve done a phenomenal job so far,” said Wagner.
In an early season scrimmage against the Colorado College (CC) Tigers, the Mavericks displayed absolute dominance, defeating CC 85-53. In the contest, Rowland tallied 24 points in her debut as a starter, with Hayes notching nine in 13 minutes of action.
The start of the season is no layup for Mesa either, as they take on West Texas A&M, in a game that can have implications on the postseason later in the year. Both teams are usually at the top of the south-central region, with eight teams qualifying from the Lone Star Conference and RMAC.
“It’s unfortunate that your first couple games have such a huge implication on the season. Last year that benefited us later on in March, and we’re hoping that it’ll do the same this year,” said Wagner.
The Mavericks will now play a pair of contests in Salt Lake City this weekend, before playing their home opener against Colorado State University – Pueblo on Nov. 20. While this game is against an RMAC opponent, it is not counted in the conference standings. Conference play will commence the following week on Dec. 5, with CMU taking on Colorado Christian in Brownson Arena.