Following the 2025 RMAC Volleyball Tournament, the 2025 NCAA Division II volleyball bracket has been set, with five RMAC schools advancing to the tournament. UCCS, in particular, sees its first NCAA tournament appearance since 2007, following one of the most historic seasons for the program. Today's episode features two key components of the program's success, head coach, Tara Hittle, and senior libero, Mackenzie Ransom. This season, Coach Hittle reached her 50th career win at UCCS, while Mackenzie and her teammates earned the most season wins in program history. The road to this season hasn't been easy, however, as both Coach Hittle and Mackenzie have gone through three years of growing pains and culture change in the program. As an Arizona native, Mackenzie is grateful to have seen the hard work she and her teammates have dedicated finally paying off, while Coach Hittle credits her amazing support staff and administration for constantly believing in the program. Be sure to catch the No. 2 seeded Mountain Lions face the No. 7 seed, Colorado School of Mines, in a first round conference matchup at the regional tournament in Denver on December 4.

With the 2025 RMAC volleyball regular season coming to a close, The Sidelines: Episode 57 features starting senior libero for Black Hills State, Ellie Thomas. Originally from Gillette, Wyoming, Ellie accumulated a number of high school volleyball accolades, including Wyoming's 4A Defensive Player of the Year, and spent her first collegiate years playing at Northwest College. This year, Ellie earned the RMAC's Week 7 Defensive Player of the Week and continues to lead the league in total digs and digs per set. While Ellie's story is impressively marked by volleyball accomplishments, she also comes from a long line of firefighters in her family, and has continued that tradition, serving as a part-time firefighter during her summers. Ellie plans to continue her path in firefighting after her college career concludes, and looks forward to maintaining a sense of camaraderie and teamwork beyond the volleyball court.

The 2025 RMAC Men's Soccer Tournament is finally here. To celebrate, The Sidelines: Episode 56 catches up with members of the RMAC's pre-season favorites and No. 1 seed heading into the RMAC tournament, Rory Scott and Nick Walker of UCCS. Rory, an international student-athlete from Australia, and Nick, an out-of-state student-athlete originally from Las Vegas, both had to work through the uncertainty and adjustment of joining a new college team. Luckily, they both found an immediate brotherhood and sense of belonging in the Mountain Lion family, and now, as seniors, get to play important leadership roles in the lives of their teammates. In today's episode, Rory and Nick talk about about their team's pre-conference battles and how their regular season success reflects the passionate commitment from their coaches and teammates to constantly improve and wear the No. 1 title with great honor and confidence. Purchase your tickets, or RMAC Network pass, to watch the Mountain Lions and the rest of the competitive field in the 2025 RMAC Men's Soccer Tournament, starting this Sunday, November 9.

While not entirely unique to Division II, the sport of triathlon is offered as part of just two RMAC athletics departments, including Colorado Mesa and Black Hills State. With USA Triathlon's NCAA National Championships approaching this weekend for both squads, The Sidelines had the honor of catching up with Hannah Longmire, freshman triathlete for BHSU. Hannah, originally from Iowa, competes as a para-athlete for USA Triathlon's PTS3 category. Her goal is to not only compete, but medal at the 2028 Paralympics in LA, and continue her athletic career well beyond college. In today's episode, Hannah shares her keys to achieving incredible athletic milestones at such a young age, including her ability to be coachable, having a motivated mindset, and listening to her body in a sport where recovery and rehab are essential. The RMAC is proud to highlight our institutions' unique triathlon programs and celebrate student-athletes, like Hannah, who boldly make their mark on Division II.

As the 2025 RMAC soccer regular season reaches its final stretch, The Sidelines is honored to highlight Fatso Williams, a graduate student on the Adams State women's soccer team. After a rather challenging upbringing in Deming, New Mexico, the Williams family decided to move to Alamogordo and empower Fatso to chase her soccer dreams. Her high school career was filled with broken records and Division I offers, but was halted by her first ACL tear at the beginning of her senior year. Despite the injury, University of New Mexico welcomed Fatso to their women's soccer squad, where she continued to play for the next four years. Her injury journey unfortunately continued to define her young college career, as she endured three total knee surgeries. Towards the end of her time at UNM, however, Fatso embraced the opportunity of simply being a college athlete and turned her mindset from frustration to gratitude. Now, wrapping up her eligibility as an MBA student at Adams State, Fatso has helped her team reach new heights for the program, and hopes to apply her injury story to helping future student-athletes find their identity and celebrate their small wins.

This semester, the RMAC has had the honor of partnering with Regis University's Global Inclusive Program, welcoming Andrew Regan to the RMAC office as a fall intern. Andrew, now a third year student in the Global Inclusive Program, brings a passion for broadcasting and student-athlete storytelling to his work, building on the foundation of his Communications and Advocacy major and his past internship experience with Judge Larson in Boulder. Andrew also works with Regis University's men's basketball program as a student assistant, combining his love for basketball with his passion for coaching and serving student-athletes. Andrew's positive outlook on life and appreciation for others is truly inspiring, and the RMAC office is extremely proud to have Andrew as a part of our staff and to celebrate the impactful work of our member institutions beyond athletics.

To celebrate World Mental Health Day, Alana Howard, senior cross country runner for South Dakota Mines, joins The Sidelines for a special episode. Recognized on October 10, World Mental Health Day offers an opportunity to celebrate global mental health education, awareness and advocacy against social stigma. It also creates a perfect opportunity for the RMAC to highlight incredible student-athletes, like Alana, who serve as leaders on their campus in prioritizing mental health and creating a safe space for their peers to feel supported. Alana serves as the South Dakota Mines SAAC president, and recently joined an organization called NDUR for Athletes as a campus Game Changer to provide further access to mental health resources for student-athletes. Tune in to Episode 52 to learn more about Alana's passion to leave a legacy of mental health support at her school, and her impressive plans to pursue a career in agricultural engineering next year. Happy World Mental Health Day from the RMAC!

In recognition of Fall Officials' Appreciation Week, sponsored by the Division II Conference Commissioners Association and the Division II Athletics Directors Association, today's episode highlights Jacob Loper, an RMAC soccer referee and Colorado Christian men's soccer alum. After conversations with his coach towards the end of his collegiate career and consideration of life after the game, Jacob decided to pursue a path in officiating, serving as a great success story for the NCAA's Player to Referee program. Jacob attributes much of his success as a high-level referee to his understanding of the game from an athlete's perspective, as well as his empathy for what student-athletes go through, both on and off the field.

The RMAC is incredibly proud to have Jacob as part of its soccer officiating crew, and is extremely grateful for the work of all fall officials across the league. The RMAC's high level of competitiveness and integrity would not exist without our tremendous officials and officiating coordinators . Thank you for your service!

The 2025 RMAC Cross Country Championships in Colorado Springs are officially one month out. To celebrate, Episode 50 features Colorado School of Mines All-American, Jeremiah Vaille. Having completed his undergraduate and graduate degrees in civil engineering, and currently pursuing a master's in engineering and technology management, Jeremiah is the epitome of a successful and driven Division II student-athlete. On top of all his incredible accolades, Jeremiah recently represented the United States at the World University Games in Italy and finished fourth in the ski mountaineering vertical race. His humility and passion for supporting others shines through the way he speaks about his teammates and his future career path. The RMAC looks forward to celebrating Jeremiah and the rest of the league's incredible cross country student-athletes at the 2025 Cross Country Championships October 25.

After putting the Colorado School of Mines football program on the national map in the early 2000s, Coach Bob Stitt is back at the helm for the Orediggers, having taken his coaching career around the country for the past 11 years. Coach Stitt, who was inducted into the Mines Athletics Hall of Fame in 2021, joined the Orediggers again earlier this year, making it a point to not only sit down with each of his new players one-on-one, but to truly get to know them and support them beyond the football field. His passion for coaching and watching players reach their full potential is very evident throughout Episode 49, as is his commitment to family and loved ones who've supported him through the highs and lows of coaching college football. Behind the leadership of Coach Stitt, the Orediggers will take the field for their home opener this Saturday at noon against Washburn.