COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (GoThunderWolves.com - Aug. 1, 2011) - CSU-Pueblo was picked to finish tied for second, receiving one first place vote, in the RMAC Preseason Football Coaches' poll, released Monday. Senior linebacker Lee Meisner (Sr., Sterling, Colo.) was also selected as the preseason defensive player of the year.
The ThunderWolves, which finished in a tie for third place last season with a 9-2 record, was picked to finish one spot higher, and garnered one of 10 first place votes, the first time in RMAC history it gained votes in the preseason poll.
Meisner headlined a crop of ThunderWolves named to the Preseason All-RMAC squad, numbering seven in all. Joining him were tailback Jesse Lewis (Sr., Loveland, Colo.), tight end Koby Wittek (Sr., Golden, Colo.), offensive lineman Ryan Jensen (Jr., Fort Morgan, Colo.), defensive end Grant Jansen (Sr., Colorado Springs, Colo.), safety Josh Costa (Jr., Nanakuli, Hawaii), and placekicker Kyle Major (Sr., Littleton, Colo.).
CSU-Pueblo head coach John Wristen talked about the ThunderWolves' chances at the 2011 Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference Football Media Day, where he humbly admitted that a conference championship must be in the ThunderWolves' plans this season.
"We want to be first by the end of the year," Wristen said. "We're close, but when you're that close, you're still that far away and we have to close that gap."
One of the keys for the Pack this season, Wristen said, is the team's depth at all positions, which creates a great deal of competition.
"Having depth and competition at every position is really the best coach you can have," Wristen said.
CSU-Pueblo's players will report to fall camp in just 10 days, reporting at 12:01 a.m. on the morning of August 11. The Pack's first game of the season is on Sept. 1 at nationally-ranked West Texas A&M.
