COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. – The Colorado State University Pueblo women's basketball team has been tabbed to finish third in the Preseason Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference Coaches' Poll that was released by the league office on Tuesday afternoon.

In the poll voted on by the league's 15 head coaches, the ThunderWolves garnered 160 points and three first place votes. The Pack sit 10 points behind second place UCCS, who earned 170 points and three first place votes and 27 points behind preseason league favorite Colorado Mesa, who earned 187 points and seven first place votes. Colorado Mesa is the defending regular season RMAC Champion as they went 25-7 a season ago and advanced to the second round of the NCAA Division II South Central Regional Tournament.

Behind the threesome of Colorado Mesa, UCCS and CSU Pueblo in fourth place is Adams State, who received 153 points and one first place vote, while Colorado School Mines, who advanced to the NCAA Tournament last season, was tabbed fifth with 152 points and Regis, who repeated as the RMAC Tournament Champions for the second straight season, was tabbed sixth as the Rangers earned 150 points and the final first place vote.

MSU Denver was slotted seventh as the Roadrunners earned 107 points and is followed at No.  8 by Colorado Christian, who earned 103 points and at No. 9 by Black Hills State, who earned 94 points. Western Colorado (77 points) was tabbed 10th, while South Dakota Mines (60 points) was tabbed 11th. The final four teams in the poll are No. 12 Fort Lewis (52 points), No. 13 Chadron State (45 points), No. 14 New Mexico Highlands (36 points) and No. 15 Westminster (29 points).

The Pack, who is coached by Tommie Johnson, welcomes back four starters and four others letterwinners from last season's 17-15 team that finished eighth in the RMAC with an 11-11 record and advanced to the semifinals of the RMAC Tournament after upsetting top-seeded Colorado Mesa (66-57) in the quarterfinals on Mesa's home court.

Among the key returners for the Pack are redshirt senior two-time All-American forward Alisha Little. Last season, Little was named the RMAC Defensive Player of the Year, along with being a Second-Team D2CCA All-American and a WBCA Honorable Mention All-American. During the 2023-24 season, Little led the RMAC in scoring (20.8 ppg), rebounds (11.9 rpg), blocked shots (3.6 bpg) and double-doubles (24), which was also tops in Division II women's basketball. She was also a nine time RMAC Player of the Week, including earning seven Defensive Player of the Week accolades and two Offensive Player of the Week honors.

In addition to Little, the Pack's other returning starters are senior guard Landri Hudson (Aurora, Colo./University of Wyoming), senior guard Tomia Johnson (Colorado Springs, Colo./Florida Gulf Coast) and redshirt senior forward Autumn Watts (Centennial, Colo./McNeese State).

Hudson averaged 7.8 points per game last season and shot 34 percent from the 3-point line and 88 percent at the free throw line, while Johnson, who was an Honorable Mention All-RMAC selection last season, averaged 6.7 points, 2.2 rebounds and 3.4 assists per game in 2023-24 and Watts, who was a Second-Team All-RMAC selection, averaged 10.1 points and 6.1 rebounds last season.

Along with the seven returners, Johnson and his coaching staff have added five newcomers to the roster, including three transfers and two high school players. The new transfers include senior guard Tosjanae Bonds (Denver, Colo./MSU Denver), who is a transfer from MSU Denver, junior guard Genesis Sweetwine (Aurora, Colo./Northeastern JC) and junior guard Destiny Smith (Tulsa, Okla./Garden City CC), while the two high school players are freshman guard Diamond Stevenson (Glendale, Ariz./Deer Valley) and freshman forward Brooklyn Meza (Windsor, Colo./Roosevelt).

CSU Pueblo will open its 2024-25 schedule on Nov. 8-9 as they compete at the South Central Regional Crossover hosted by the University of Texas-Tyler. The Pack will open the two-day event on Friday, Nov. 8 against Lubbock Christian and will play the host school, UT-Tyler, on Saturday, Nov. 9.

The Pack will open its 2024-25 home schedule with its annual Al Kaly Shrine Classic on Nov. 15-16. At the annual event, the Pack will face Texas A&M-Kingsville on Nov. 15 at 5 p.m. and conclude the annual event on Nov. 16 at 5 p.m. against Missouri Western State University.

CSU Pueblo's first RMAC contest of the season is scheduled for Thursday, Dec. 5 as the Pack plays a 5:30 p.m. game in Salt Lake City, Utah, against Westminster University.