RAPID CITY, S.D. – The Colorado State University Pueblo men's and women's cross country teams will begin their postseason journeys this Saturday, Nov. 7, as the ThunderWolves travel to Rapid City, S.D., to compete in the 2026 Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference (RMAC) Cross Country Championships at Hart Ranch Camping Resort.
Hosted by South Dakota Mines, the conference championships will feature some of the top NCAA Division II cross country programs in the country, as the Pack looks to build upon a successful regular season under Head Coach Matt Morris.
The men's 8-kilometer championship race is scheduled to begin at 9:30 a.m. MT, followed by the women's 6-kilometer race at 10:15 a.m. MT. An awards ceremony will follow the conclusion of both races.
The ThunderWolves men enter the championships ranked No. 26 nationally in the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) NCAA Division II National Coaches' Poll, while the CSU Pueblo women are currently unranked.
Both CSU Pueblo squads enter the weekend carrying momentum from their final regular-season competition at the Colorado Springs XC Open on Oct. 24, where the ThunderWolves women captured the team championship and the men finished runner-up. The Pack combined for 11 top-25 individual finishes, highlighted by an individual championship from senior Jon Sweepe.
The postseason opener also represents another opportunity for both programs to continue their pursuit of national championship qualification. The CSU Pueblo women are seeking a sixth consecutive appearance at the NCAA Division II National Championships, while the men are looking to return to the national stage after qualifying in 2023 and 2024.
Women Look to Continue National Championship Tradition
The CSU Pueblo women's program enters Saturday's conference championships looking to continue one of the most successful stretches in program history.
The ThunderWolves have qualified for five consecutive NCAA Division II National Championships, highlighted by a program-best third-place national finish in 2024 and a 10th-place showing last fall in Kenosha, Wis.
Despite losing several key contributors from last season's nationally ranked squad, including All-Americans Camille Renou and Olivia Drodz, the ThunderWolves have continued to showcase their depth with a combination of experienced returners and talented newcomers.
Leading the way is senior Charlotte Young, who has emerged as one of the Pack's most consistent performers this fall.
Young, a member of CSU Pueblo's record-setting 2026 NCAA Division II Indoor National Championship Distance Medley Relay team, paced the ThunderWolves at the Joe I. Vigil Open in Alamosa on Sept. 12, finishing eighth overall in the 5,000-meter race with a personal-best time of 18:32.0.
The Kent, United Kingdom native followed that performance by leading CSU Pueblo to its first team championship of the season at the Colorado Springs XC Open, placing fifth overall in the 6,000 meters with a time of 21:59.1.
Young was the lone ThunderWolf to break the 22-minute barrier at the meet, helping the Pack finish with 53 points and place all five scoring runners inside the top 25.
Junior Harriet Tuson has also provided an immediate impact in her first season with the program after transferring from the University of New Mexico.
Tuson placed 11th at the Joe I. Vigil Open with a personal-best 5K time of 18:53.0 before recording a 10th-place finish at the Colorado Springs XC Open, completing the 6K course in 22:16.2.
Fellow newcomer Alyssa Kulesa, a junior transfer from Iowa Western Community College, has added another reliable scoring option for the ThunderWolves. Kulesa finished 12th at the Joe I. Vigil Open in a personal-best 18:57.3 and followed with a 14th-place showing in Colorado Springs, clocking 22:22.9.
Junior Lily Smithson and sophomore Ella Egizio provide additional championship experience, having both competed at the 2025 NCAA Division II National Championships.
Smithson finished 16th overall at the Colorado Springs XC Open in 22:28.5, while Egizio rounded out CSU Pueblo's scoring five in 24th place with a time of 22:43.8.
Perhaps the most encouraging aspect of the Pack's most recent performance was its depth, as the five scoring runners finished within just 44.7 seconds of one another.
The ThunderWolves have also received valuable contributions from senior Sofia Camacho and freshman Lilia Flo throughout the fall, giving Morris additional options entering the championship portion of the season.
CSU Pueblo was selected in a tie for fifth place in the RMAC Women's Cross Country Preseason Coaches' Poll with 130 points, joining Colorado Mesa behind preseason favorites Colorado School of Mines, Adams State, UCCS and Western Colorado.
Despite entering the weekend unranked nationally, the Pack will look to translate its late-season momentum into another strong conference championship performance as the program continues its pursuit of a sixth consecutive trip to Nationals.
No. 26 Men's Squad Eyes Return to National Stage
On the men's side, No. 26 CSU Pueblo enters the RMAC Championships with a veteran lineup that has demonstrated the ability to compete near the front of the field throughout the 2026 campaign.
The ThunderWolves will have an opportunity to strengthen their national standing against one of the strongest conference fields in NCAA Division II.
After qualifying for the NCAA Division II National Championships in both 2023 and 2024, the ThunderWolves narrowly missed a third consecutive appearance last season. With several key contributors returning, the Pack has its sights set on returning to the national stage this December.
Leading the charge is senior Jon Sweepe, who enters Saturday's race fresh off an individual championship at the Colorado Springs XC Open.
Sweepe, CSU Pueblo's 2025 Male Athlete of the Year and an NCAA Division II Track & Field All-American, captured the men's 8K title in Colorado Springs with a time of 24:52.3, becoming the only runner in the field to break the 25-minute barrier.
The Peoria, Ariz., native also delivered an impressive performance earlier in the season at the Joe I. Vigil Open, placing sixth overall with a personal-best time of 24:23.8.
Joining Sweepe at the front of the Pack lineup is junior Caden Schweer, who has established himself as one of CSU Pueblo's most consistent runners this fall.
Schweer turned in one of the top performances of his collegiate career at the Joe I. Vigil Open, finishing runner-up with a personal-best 8K time of 23:57.0. Schweer matched the winning time but finished second in the official results.
The junior followed that performance with another runner-up finish at the Colorado Springs XC Open, crossing the line in 25:04.0 and giving CSU Pueblo a sweep of the top two individual positions.
Fifth-year senior Ricky Diaz has provided another veteran presence for the ThunderWolves, recording an impressive sixth-place finish at the Colorado Springs XC Open with a time of 25:12.7. Diaz's performance gave CSU Pueblo three runners among the top six finishers.
The Pack also features reigning NCAA Division II Outdoor 1,500-meter National Champion Caleb McLeod, who has continued to contribute to CSU Pueblo's distance-running success.
McLeod finished 12th at the Joe I. Vigil Open with a personal-best 8K time of 25:15.5 before placing 36th at the Colorado Springs XC Open in 26:01.0.
Senior Kameron Eustace has also been a reliable contributor throughout the fall, finishing 14th at the Joe I. Vigil Open in 25:19.9 before placing 16th in Colorado Springs with a time of 25:32.6.
Senior Tim Anstett, an All-American in the 800 meters, adds another accomplished distance runner to the ThunderWolves lineup. Anstett finished 23rd at the Colorado Springs XC Open in 25:41.1, completing the Pack's five scoring runners.
CSU Pueblo's scoring five finished within just 48.8 seconds of one another in Colorado Springs, demonstrating the team's balance heading into the postseason.
Additional contributors include Aaron Roberds, Nick Hogge, Luke Ware and Brock Wilhjelm, all of whom have gained valuable competition experience throughout the fall.
The ThunderWolves men were selected sixth in the RMAC Preseason Coaches' Poll with 123 points, narrowly ahead of Colorado Christian and behind perennial conference powers Colorado School of Mines, Adams State, Western Colorado, UCCS and Fort Lewis.
With a combination of championship experience, individual talent and proven depth, the nationally No. 26-ranked Pack will look to make a statement against one of the strongest conference fields in the country.
ThunderWolves Carry Strong Regular Season Into Postseason
Both CSU Pueblo programs have enjoyed productive regular seasons, combining for five runner-up team finishes and one team championship across their three competitions.
The ThunderWolves opened their 2026 campaign on Sept. 5 at the Bob Timmons Rim Rock XC Classic in Lawrence, Kan., where both teams finished second. The women scored 44 points, finishing behind host Kansas, while the men totaled 55 points.
The season-opening competition also gave the Pack an early opportunity to experience Rim Rock Farm, the site of this December's NCAA Division II National Championships.
One week later, both programs traveled to Alamosa for the Joe I. Vigil Open, where the men placed second with 40 points and the women also finished runner-up with 50 points.
The regular season concluded Oct. 24 in Colorado Springs, where the Pack women claimed their first team championship of the season with 53 points and the men finished second with 44 points.
Across those three meets, CSU Pueblo showcased improvements in its individual performances and depth, putting both squads in position to compete for strong finishes at the RMAC Championships.
Loaded Championship Fields
The ThunderWolves will face one of the strongest conference championship fields in NCAA Division II on Saturday, as the RMAC continues to establish itself as the premier cross country conference in the country.
According to the Oct. 15 U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) NCAA Division II National Coaches' Poll, the RMAC features a combined 15 nationally ranked teams between the men's and women's fields.
On the women's side, eight RMAC programs appear in the national rankings, twice as many as any other conference in the country. The Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association (MIAA) is the next closest with four ranked teams.
The conference features four of the nation's top seven women's programs and six of the top 12, led by top-ranked Adams State and No. 4 Colorado School of Mines, the defending RMAC champion.
No. 5 Western Colorado, No. 7 UCCS, No. 11 Colorado Christian and No. 12 Fort Lewis round out the conference's six nationally ranked programs inside the top 12. No. 22 Colorado Mesa and No. 27 Black Hills State complete the RMAC's eight nationally ranked women's teams.
The CSU Pueblo women will enter Saturday's championship unranked nationally but look to challenge the conference's elite programs after closing the regular season with a team title at the Colorado Springs XC Open on Oct. 24.
The men's championship field is equally impressive, featuring seven nationally ranked RMAC programs, including two of the top three teams in the country.
Colorado School of Mines enters the meet ranked No. 2 nationally, followed closely by No. 3 Adams State, the defending RMAC champion. Western Colorado checks in at No. 9, giving the conference three programs among the nation's top 10.
No. 13 Fort Lewis, No. 14 UCCS and No. 19 Colorado Christian add to the conference's nationally ranked depth, while CSU Pueblo rounds out the RMAC's seven ranked men's programs at No. 26.
No other NCAA Division II conference features more than three nationally ranked men's teams in the 30-team poll, further demonstrating the strength of Saturday's championship field.
For the No. 26 ThunderWolves, the conference championships will provide an opportunity to compete against six nationally ranked opponents and potentially strengthen their standing heading into the NCAA South Central Regional Championships.
What's at Stake
In addition to competing for conference team championships, Saturday's races will feature 15 teams battling for individual All-RMAC honors and several of the conference's major postseason awards.
The top 14 individual finishers in both the men's 8-kilometer race and women's 6-kilometer race will earn First Team All-RMAC recognition, while runners finishing 15th through 28th will receive Second Team All-RMAC honors.
The individual winner of each race will also be named the RMAC Runner of the Year, while the highest-finishing freshman in each race will earn RMAC Freshman of the Year honors.
Academic excellence will also be recognized through the RMAC Summit Awards, which will be presented to the eligible student-athlete with the highest cumulative grade-point average competing in each championship race.
Additionally, the RMAC Men's and Women's Cross Country Coach of the Year awards will be determined by a vote of the conference's head coaches and announced Saturday.
For CSU Pueblo, the conference championships provide an opportunity to earn individual recognition while positioning both programs for success during the remainder of the postseason. The No. 26-ranked ThunderWolves men will look to make a statement against the conference's nationally recognized competition, while the unranked Pack women aim to build upon their strong regular-season finish and continue their pursuit of a sixth consecutive NCAA National Championship appearance.
RMAC Championship Meet Information
The men's 8-kilometer championship race is scheduled to begin at 9:30 a.m. MT on Saturday, followed by the women's 6-kilometer race at 10:15 a.m. MT. An awards ceremony will follow the conclusion of both races.
The championships will be hosted by South Dakota Mines at Hart Ranch Camping Resort in Rapid City, S.D., with both races streamed live on the RMAC Network. A subscription is required to view the broadcast.
Live results will also be available throughout the championships, while a complete recap of the ThunderWolves' performances will be posted on GoThunderWolves.com following Saturday's competition.
Fans planning to attend the championships should be aware of a $10 spectator parking fee per vehicle. Spectators are encouraged to purchase parking passes in advance through the RMAC Championship Tickets webpage.
Additional information regarding the championships, including the official fan guide, parking details and spectator information, is available on the RMAC Championship webpage.
Up Next
Following Saturday's RMAC Championships, the ThunderWolves will continue their postseason competition at the NCAA Division II South Central Regional Championships on Saturday, Nov. 21, in Lubbock, Texas.
The South Central Regional, along with seven other regional championships held across the country, will determine the teams and individuals advancing to the 2026 NCAA Division II National Championships, scheduled for Friday, Dec. 4, at Rim Rock Farm in Lawrence, Kan.
The CSU Pueblo women will look to qualify for their sixth consecutive NCAA National Championship appearance, while the No. 26-ranked men seek their third national championship berth in the last four seasons.
