Division II's oldest football rivalry, the Black Hills Brawl, takes the ice this Saturday, February 21, as the Rapid City Rush face off with the Worcester Railers for a three-game home series in Rapid City, SD. The Rapid City Rush, now led by President Jared Reid and Head Coach, Dave Smith, has offered a consistent source of entertainment and camaraderie to the Black Hills sports community for the past 18 years. This year, the local ECHL professional squad takes their community contributions a step further, by celebrating the rivalry of Black Hills State and South Dakota Mines. In Episode 64, Coach Smith joins Black Hills State athletics director, Mark Nore, and South Dakota Mines athletics director, David Crum, to share the importance of the longstanding traditions and competitiveness this rivalry has sparked in the region for decades. Following the game Saturday, the Rapid City Rush will be auctioning off the South Dakota Mines and Black Hills State special jerseys, worn by the players, further supporting both athletics departments and capturing the power of sport through community. Purchase your tickets for Saturday's 7:05pm puck drop at rapidcityrush.com.

The RMAC's next championship event, the 2026 RMAC Swimming and Diving Championships, highlights one of the most dominate swimming and diving programs in the country in Colorado Mesa. One of the Mavericks' seniors, Ryan Campbell, joins Episode 63 to offer some insight into the impressive sport of diving. Ryan, a repeat RMAC Diver of the Week, and last year's RMAC Diver of the Year, accredits much of his success to the development he gained through junior college, explaining that oftentimes, competing at a high level in Division II doesn't always occur on a linear path. Ending his career at Colorado Mesa has shown Ryan what a true college community looks like, and has encouraged him to take each dive and each opportunity to compete as a privilege. As Ryan sets his sights on a National Championship this season, the RMAC is excited to celebrate him, and the rest of the competitors, during their stop at the 2026 RMAC Swimming and Diving Championships next week in Grand Junction.

The RMAC is thrilled to host its third RMAC Women's Wrestling Championships in Colorado Springs at the United States Air Force Academy. To set the stage for a highly competitive championship, Episode 62 features Julia Richey of Simon Fraser University. The senior for the Red Leafs is the RMAC's defending conference champion at 207, and has been a dominate presence in the league this season, bringing home an RMAC Women's Wrestler of the Week title in late November. Off the mat, Julia has capitalized on her personal brand as a student-athlete, entering a number of NIL partnerships and promoting her platform as a personal trainer. Julia recognizes that being a collegiate athlete has not only made her a better student, but has set her up to overcome any obstacle life may present after her time at SFU. Join The Sidelines in preparing for the excitement of Julia's season ahead, including her stop at the 2026 RMAC Women's Wrestling Championships this Saturday, January 31.

To continue The Sidelines' celebration of the 2025-26 RMAC wrestling season, Episode 61 features Chadron State men's wrestling head coach, Brett Hunter. Coach Hunter is in his 14th season coaching the Eagles, with his Chadron roots extending back to his time as a men's wrestling student-athlete in the program. Chadron's strong sense of community has significantly impacted Coach Hunter's journey, both on the wrestling mat, and throughout his adult life. This same community, including a crew of current and former Chadron State wrestlers, helped support him to the finish line of a 100-mile race in the Black Hills of South Dakota this past summer. In Episode 61, Coach Hunter describes the incredible physical and mental toll that comes with training for and executing a 100-mile race, while also sharing the significant lessons he took from the experience and applied to his coaching. Coming off a recent dual win, the Eagles eagerly look towards the end of the RMAC wrestling season, with hopes of securing the 2025-26 regular season title.

As the 2026 RMAC wrestling season continues to develop, The Sidelines' 60th episode highlights Aaden Valdez, senior wrestler for Adams State. Collegiate athletics naturally pose challenges for any student-athlete, however, Aaden has endured unique adversity after a firework accident in high school caused him to lose his left eye and four fingers on his left hand. Wrestling soon turned from a sport he casually competed in throughout high school to an avenue for Aaden to prove his tenacity and positivity to everyone around him. As a Division II All-American and this week's RMAC Men's Wrestler of the Week, Aaden continues to showcase his determination on the mat, as well as his commitment to his teammates in life beyond wrestling. Tune in to help the RMAC celebrate Aaden's journey and his plans to continue his involvement at Adams State and improve the lives of future wrestlers well beyond his career as a Grizzly.

The RMAC has officially added its 69th National Title and first ever Volleyball National Championship Title, courtesy of the MSU Denver Roadrunners. Today's episode features sophomore middle and Texas native, Alyssa Boyte, member of the NCAA Division II All-Tournament team, South Central Region Middle Blocker of the Year, and RMAC Defensive Player of the Year, as she recaps her team's NCAA tournament experience. As the first RMAC team to make a National Volleyball Title appearance since 2005, MSU Denver quickly made their presence known in Sioux Falls, playing with what Alyssa referred to as an overwhelming sense of freedom. Alyssa credits much of the team's success and confidence to what they call their "line of belief," which offered a clear roadmap to achieving the program's first National Championship Title. Alyssa's humility, maturity and leadership as an underclassman is extremely impressive, and reflects the culture of the MSU Denver program that will continue to foster success for years to come. Join the RMAC in celebrating and congratulating the MSU Denver Roadrunners and Coach Jenny Glenn for earning the 2025 NCAA Division II Volleyball National Championship Title.

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.