This was a banner year for athletics at UCCS. Between the 12 NCAA teams on campus, the Mountain Lions took home four RMAC championship titles.
The 2024-25 athletic calendar officially ends on May 22 with the NCAA Division II Outdoor Track and Field Championships in Pueblo, Colorado.
However, the Mountain Lions will be back in action before the fall semester even starts. The men’s cross-country team has a meet on Aug. 19 and men’s soccer kicks off their season in early September at home.
Men’s Soccer
The men’s soccer team had arguably their best season in program history, topped off with their second straight appearance in the NCAA Division II Men’s Soccer Tournament.
The season began with a program record eight straight wins, breaking the six-game record from 2015. Their unbeaten streak, including ties, reached 11 games, just shy of the 12-game record set in 2022.
In the RMAC Men’s Soccer Tournament, they were given the No. 4 seed and beat No. 5 Colorado School of Mines 2-1 in double overtime to win the quarterfinal at home. They were beaten by CSU Pueblo, 2-1, in the semifinal.
Their season ended with a 4-2 loss to Fort Lewis in the NCAA Division II Men’s Soccer Tournament Second Round on Nov. 24 at home.
The men’s soccer season ended with an overall record of 14-3-4 and 6-1-3 in RMAC.
Women’s Soccer
After winning an RMAC quarterfinal on Nov. 10, senior midfielder and captain Fie Steenberg said, “We have been on a journey this year. [We] started not the best, but now, we started finding our shape.”
After winning just two of six pre-conference games, the women’s soccer RMAC season started with a four-game losing streak. Eventually, they found their footing and secured the No. 4 seed for the conference championship.
In the RMAC tournament, they won the quarterfinal 2-1 against No. 5 Colorado Christian, before being beaten by No.1 Colorado School of Mines in the semifinal.
Prior to the semifinal game, defender Malia Groshong was named the RMAC Freshman of the Year.
Their season ended with a 10-8-2 overall record and 7-5 in conference play.
Volleyball
The volleyball team had their seventh straight season without a winning record.
The team had early-season success, sweeping the four-game Mountain Lion Classic against non-conference teams, but from there on, they could not put together back-to-back wins.
Ultimately, their season ended with an 11-15 overall record and 5-9 in conference.
Men’s Cross Country
The men’s cross country team finished fourth of 15 teams in the RMAC Championship 8K in Oct. 2024.
Their efforts during the RMAC season enabled them to compete in the NCAA South Central Regional 10K and NCAA Division II National Championship 10K for the sixth consecutive year.
The Mountain Lions were 7th of 24 teams in the South Central Regional 10K and 15th of 34 teams in the national championship.
Women’s Cross Country
The women’s cross country made it to the NCAA Division II National Championship 6K for the eighth consecutive year, finishing seventh of 34 teams.
On the road to getting there, they finished third of 15 teams in the RMAC Championship 6K. They were also third of 25 teams in the NCAA South Central Regional 6K.
Madison Brosig was named the RMAC Freshman of the Year after finishing 21st overall in the RMAC championship.
Men’s Basketball
The men’s basketball team was plagued by injuries this season, according to senior guard Hannes Saar.
Despite the weakened roster, the team still managed to put together a winning overall record of 17-12 and 11-9 in conference. Their 17 wins are the most since the 2021-22 season’s 21 wins.
Their season ended with a narrow loss to Regis in the RMAC tournament quarterfinals, 93-90.
During an away game in January, graduate student forward William Becker broke the record for all-time blocks.
Becker’s record stands at 157. The previous record of 136 was held by Derrick White, who now plays for the NBA’s Boston Celtics. Becker was named the RMAC Defensive Player of the Year in March.
Women’s Basketball
The women’s basketball team captured their first ever RMAC Championship title, after just missing out on it the previous season, with players hitting milestones in the process.
The Mountain Lions won the RMAC Tournament Championship, 63-61 on March 8. Their dominance in Colorado earned them an invitation to the NCAA Division II Tournament for the first time since 2017.
They were beaten, 68-65, in the NCAA South Central Regional Quarterfinal to close out their historic season.
Senior forward Maison White and redshirt junior Amyah Moore Allen hit the 1,000-point club this season. White’s 1,374 points puts her fourth for all-time scoring, while Moore Allen sits in eighth with 1,163 and another season to go.
Moore Allen also set the single-game scoring record with 40 points in February.
Men’s Track and Field
The men’s track and field season isn’t quite over, but so far, it has looked good for the Mountain Lions.
In March, they won the RMAC Indoor Championships after their four-year win streak was snapped in 2024. The team had four All-American placings at the NCAA Division II Indoor Championships.
In April, they won the RMAC Outdoor Championships narrowly over chief rival Colorado School of Mines. The team won eight individual events at the meet.
The men’s track and field season will conclude with the NCAA Division II Outdoor Championships at the end of May.
Women’s Track and Field
Like the men’s team, there are still a few weeks left until the women’s track and field season is over.
Thus far, they finished second in the RMAC Indoor Championships in March. In April, they also won the Outdoor Championships with a 15-point lead.
Their season ends in late May after the NCAA Division II Outdoor Championships.
Baseball
The baseball team completed their fourth consecutive season with a losing record on May 8.
However, their conference record of 12-16 was good enough to make it into the RMAC Championship for the first time since 2022.
They were beaten by Colorado Mesa, 9-3, on the first day of the tournament, and eliminated on the second day after losing to Adams State, 11-4.
Baseball ends their season with an overall record of 23-26 and conference record of 12-18.
Softball
Softball ended their season with a loss in the RMAC Championship Tournament semifinal, their first appearance since 2022.
This season, they swept five series—including one against Regis that was shortened by an April snowstorm. Their season ends with an overall record of 33-24 and 24-17 in conference. That’s 14 more wins overall than they had in 2024.
Lacrosse
The lacrosse team got a new head coach this year in Brice Queener as they made the RMAC Championship Tournament for the fifth consecutive year.
The Mountain Lions won all of their RMAC games, unless their opponent was the ever-tough Regis or Colorado Mesa. They are yet to beat either team in the history of the program.
Their season ended with a 13-5 loss to Regis in the RMAC Tournament semifinal in April. Lacrosse’s overall record is 9-6 and 6-4 in conference for 2025.
Photo courtesy of GoMountainLions.