The Colorado Mesa University women’s basketball team came home to a crowd of cheering fans on Friday after the most remarkable season in program history. The Mavericks finished 37-2 and reached their first-ever Division 2 Final Four, falling just short of a national championship with a 75-70 loss in the title game in Pittsburgh.
A Season That Rewrote the Record Books
The 2025-26 campaign will go down as the greatest in Colorado Mesa women’s basketball history. The Mavericks tore through the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference, going undefeated in league play for the first time.
Their 37-2 record set a new program standard for wins in a single season.
Star player Olivia Reed-Thyne became the face of this historic run. She set team and RMAC conference records in both points and rebounds, putting herself among the elite players in all of Division 2 basketball.
“As a team, we put a lot of work in this year and we went through a lot of adversity in practice and coach really pushed us,” Reed-Thyne said. “And just to see that show up on the court and through our success with winning, it was really great to see and just super fun to experience.”
Here is a look at the numbers behind CMU’s incredible season:
- Season record: 37-2
- Conference record: Undefeated in RMAC play
- Postseason milestone: First D2 Final Four in program history
- Championship game result: Lost 75-70
Head coach Taylor Wagner built this Mavericks squad into a national contender through relentless preparation and a culture of accountability. Her coaching turned Grand Junction into a women’s basketball powerhouse almost overnight.
Championship Heartbreak in Pittsburgh
The Mavericks traveled to Pittsburgh for the NCAA Division 2 national tournament carrying the hopes of an entire community. They powered through the bracket and reached the championship game, a place no CMU women’s basketball team had ever been.
But the trophy slipped away. Colorado Mesa fell 75-70 in a hard-fought final that stayed close until the very end.
CMU President John Marshall admitted the loss stings but refused to let it define the season.
“Look, they’re competitors. Anything short of a national title, I’m sure, is going to sit pretty tough with them,” Marshall said. “But what they have done was really incredible.”
Reed-Thyne acknowledged the disappointment. She also made it clear that one game would not erase everything the team built.
“It is disappointing, but that doesn’t take it away from all the success that we have had,” she said. “So just trying to focus on that.”
Grand Junction Rallies Behind the Mavericks
When the team’s plane touched down at Grand Junction Regional Airport on Friday afternoon, a wave of emotion hit them. Community members, students, families, and fans had gathered to welcome the players home.
The scene was proof that the Mavericks’ run meant far more than basketball.
Marshall said the team’s journey lifted the entire campus.
“Anytime you get to be around something that’s really special, it lifts all of our spirits,” Marshall said. “And they were the women out there that actually did all the hard work and exhibiting all that talent. But all the rest of us get to elevate with that too.”
Coach Wagner called the community support the single best part of the whole season.
“I mean, that’s the best part of this whole thing is how the community rallied behind us the whole year,” Wagner said. “And it just kept gaining momentum and momentum. And we knew what was going on here in Pittsburgh, and we felt that energy for sure.”
Reed-Thyne was moved by the reception waiting for her and her teammates.
“Just seeing the support that we got back home and even the people who showed up for us in Pittsburgh, it was really just overwhelming and amazing and just super special,” she said.
What This Run Means for Colorado Mesa
Colorado Mesa University sits in western Colorado’s Grand Valley and serves roughly 10,000 students. For a school of that size in a smaller market, a Final Four run puts the entire institution on the national map.
The ripple effects of a season like this go well beyond the court. The kind of attention that comes with deep postseason runs can boost enrollment interest, strengthen fundraising efforts, and attract top recruits from across the country.
Marshall pointed to the broader impact. He noted that the Mavericks brought visibility to Grand Junction and CMU in ways that athletics rarely does at the Division 2 level.
| Area of Impact | What It Means for CMU |
|---|---|
| Recruiting | Top D2 prospects now have CMU on their radar |
| Campus pride | Students and staff feel a deeper connection to the school |
| Community engagement | Local businesses and fans invested in the program all season |
| National visibility | Media coverage introduced CMU to audiences across the country |
For the players, competing on the biggest stage in D2 women’s basketball is an experience that will shape the rest of their lives.
Eyes Already on Next Season
The final buzzer in Pittsburgh barely faded before some Mavericks started thinking about what comes next. Several key contributors from this roster are expected to return, and the hunger to finish what they started is already building.
Falling five points short of a championship has a way of fueling motivation like nothing else.
For a team that went 37-2 and broke nearly every program record, the only thing left to chase is the title itself. Coach Wagner has laid a strong foundation in Grand Junction. The culture is set. The recruits are watching. And the community is ready to pack the gym all over again.
Colorado Mesa’s 2025-26 season may have ended without a trophy, but it gave an entire city something just as powerful: a reason to believe. The Mavericks proved they belong among the best in Division 2 women’s basketball, and this story is far from over. If you followed this team’s incredible journey, drop a comment below and share what this season meant to you.
