COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. - The Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference unveiled its 2025 preseason cross-country polls, with Colorado State University Pueblo men's and women's programs both earning strong recognition ahead of another highly anticipated campaign.
On the women's side, the ThunderWolves were slotted third in the RMAC preseason poll, collecting 160 points and one first-place vote. The nod comes on the heels of a historic 2024 season in which CSU Pueblo placed second at the RMAC Championships before delivering the best national performance in program history—third place overall at the NCAA Division II Championships in Sacramento. That podium finish was powered by All-Americans Helen Braybrook, Margot Thomas-Gatel, and Leah Keisler, all whom are out of eligibility in 2025.
Head coach Matt Morris has bolstered his roster with a wave of new talent, welcoming eight newcomers into the lineup. The ThunderWolves also add depth with three standout athletes from the track program—Leyah Martinez, Janise Everett, and Gabby Dunich—transitioning into cross country. Dunich, a 2025 national champion in the distance medley relay (DMR), brings championship pedigree and experience to an already elite women's squad.
Jadyn Herron will be called upon to lead the Pack, as the veteran runner was named to the conferences' Preseason All-RMAC team.
On the men's side, CSU Pueblo was tabbed fifth in the RMAC poll with 131 points. The ThunderWolves finished in the same position at the conference meet last fall before turning in a 14th-place national finish in Sacramento, proving they could hold their own against the deepest field in Division II.
The men's squad will look to regroup after losing key contributors. Reece Sharman-Newell transferred to Division I Texas A&M, while Kaleb Beloy and Matisse Virey graduated. Still, the ThunderWolves bring back a core of experienced leaders in Jon Sweepe, Aaron Roberds, and Kameron Eustace, who will aim to keep CSU Pueblo in the national conversation.
Eustace will look to carry the load, as the New Mexico native and veteran runner was named to the conferences' Preseason All-RMAC team.
The polls also reinforced the RMAC's reputation as the toughest distance running conference in the nation, with defending National Champion, Colorado School of Mines topping the men's poll, while women's defending National Champion, Adams State earning the top spot on the women's side.
With a combination of proven veterans and promising newcomers, the ThunderWolves enter the 2025 campaign hungry to build on last year's success and continue to raise the standard for CSU Pueblo cross country.
