As NCAA Division II women’s basketball shifts into a new campaign, all eyes in the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference (RMAC) and across the country are on Grand Junction, Colorado. At the heart of the excitement is Colorado Mesa University’s generational star, Reed Thyne. Having cemented her status as one of the most decorated student-athletes in Division II history, Reed Thyne enters her senior/extended leadership spotlight with a legacy already carved in stone, yet hungry for the ultimate team prize.
Local Impact: Community Icon and RMAC Standard-Bearer
Locally, Reed Thyne is more than just a stat-sheet stuffer; she is a cornerstone of the Colorado Mesa community. Hailing from Windsor, Colorado, the 6-foot forward has captured Maverick fans’ imagination with relentless work ethic, unmatched court vision, and elite consistency.
Her impact on the Western Slope and the RMAC is historic. Reed Thyne shattered long-standing conference milestones, overtaking decades-old RMAC records for both career scoring and rebounding. Under head coach Taylor Wagner, she has turned Brownson Arena into a must-watch venue, drawing packed crowds eager to see her trademark efficiency in the paint and tenacious defensive rebounding. Beyond the hardwood, her dominance carries over to the classroom, where she has repeatedly earned prestigious honors like the RMAC Academic Player of the Year and College Sports Communicators (CSC) Academic All-America recognition, proving herself the quintessential Division II student-athlete.
Regional Dominance: Ruling the South Central
Regionally, the Mavericks enter the 2026–2027 season as perennial favorites in the NCAA South Central Region, largely because of the gravity Reed Thyne commands on both ends of the floor. Opposing coaches in the region lay out defensive game plans designed to limit her low-post scoring and elite rebounding—often to little avail.
Coming off deep postseason runs—including a stellar national tournament performance where she averaged near the top of the national leaderboard in points and rebounds—Reed Thyne and the Mavericks remain the standard-bearer for regional excellence. Conference opponents across Colorado, Utah, and New Mexico know that any path to an RMAC title or a regional crown must go through Grand Junction. Her ability to elevate her game against top-tier regional competition ensures that Colorado Mesa will once again be heavily targeted night in and night out.
National Prospects: Chasing the Ultimate Prize
On the national stage, Reed Thyne’s name is synonymous with elite Division II basketball. Recognized nationally through multiple All-American nods (WBCA and D2CCA) and an appearance on the NCAA All-Tournament Team, her game translates seamlessly against any competition in the country.
As the Mavericks eye another deep national tournament run—backed by program momentum and veteran leadership—Reed Thyne’s national prospects point to Player of the Year conversations and a relentless pursuit of a national championship. For a player who has broken nearly every record put in front of her, her final chapter of collegiate basketball is defined by one overarching goal: cutting down the nets on the biggest stage in NCAA Division II basketball.
Olivia Reed Thyne setting basketball records at Colorado Mesa
This news segment provides a closer look at Olivia Reed Thyne’s record-shattering legacy and her impact on the Colorado Mesa basketball program.
For the 2026–2027 NCAA Division II women’s basketball season, early computer ratings (such as Massey Ratings) and national projections place several elite programs at the forefront as the season gets underway:
- Grand Valley State University – Frequently cited near the top of national indicators following strong recent tournament performances and high ranking expectations.
- Minnesota State University, Mankato – Positioned strongly in early national power ratings among top DII contenders.
- Colorado Mesa University – Continues to draw attention as a regional powerhouse after deep postseason runs.
- Indiana University of Pennsylvania (IUP) – Perennially strong contender, traditionally anchoring the top tiers of the WBCA coaches poll.
- Point Loma Nazarene University – Ranked highly as competitive program evaluations enter the stretch.
These conferences have published their 2026‑27 men’s basketball preseason polls.
- Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference (CACC) – Holy Family University is the preseason pick after winning the 2025-2026 CACC regular-season championship and reaching the conference final. Holy Family (30-5, 20-0 CACC in 2025-26) became the first CACC women’s basketball team to win the NCAA Division II East Region title.
- Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association (CIAA) – Winston-Salem State enters the season atop the poll after capturing last season’s conference championship. The Rams also lead the Preseason All-Conference Team with four selections: Maia Charles, Nevaeh Farmer, Breonna Roaf and Ah’Kiyah Pye. Charles, Farmer and Roaf return after earning All-CIAA honors last season.
- East Coast Conference (ECC) – Coming off their fifth straight ECC Championship, the Daemen University Wildcats were picked as favorites in the 2026-2027 poll. Queens senior forward, Nkiru Awaka, was unanimously named Preseason Player of the Year.
- Great Midwest Athletic Conference (G‑MAC) – After a dominant 2025–2026 campaign, Northwood University is the preseason favorite. Northwood and reigning Coach of the Year Autumn Hunter enter the year with high expectations led by Lea Holmes, who anchors the frontcourt after earning Great Midwest Freshman of the Year honors early in her career. Holmes averaged 17.0 points and 7.1 rebounds across 34 games during the 2025-26 season. Holmes and the Timberwolves captured their first G-MAC title and advanced to the Midwest Region championship before falling to the national champions, Grand Valley State.
- Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) – Two-time defending national champion Grand Valley State is the prohibitive favorite to capture the 2027 crown. After an impressive 36-1 season, including a 19-1 conference mark, the Lakers will lean heavily on junior forwards MacKenzie Bisballe (14.8 ppg, 6.5 rpg) and Ava Scanlon (8.3 ppg, 3.5 rpg) as they pursue a third consecutive national title.
- Great Northwest Athletic Conference (GNAC) – Tabbed to win its second consecutive regular-season title, Western Washington was picked over Central Washington in the coaches’ poll.
- Gulf South Conference (GSC) – After capturing its first league title and a trip to the NCAA Division II Final Four last season, UAH topped the preseason poll
- Lone Star Conference (LSC) – Texas Woman’s is predicted to win its fifth consecutive regular season title. West Texas A&M junior guard/forward Kerbie Cash claimed the preseason player of the year honors.
- Mid-American Intercollegiate Athletic Association (MIAA) – Defending regular-season champion Central Missouri is predicted to reclaim the conference crown. With a 17-2 MIAA record last season, the Jennies earned an at-large bid to the NCAA postseason, where their season ended in the regional semifinals, with a conference-leading overall record of 26-7. Central Missouri returns All-MIAA First Team and All-Defensive Team selection Taylor Wieshaar, who ranked in the league’s top ten in scoring, rebounding, and blocking and averaged 14.5 points, 7.8 boards, and 1.6 blocks per game last season.
- Mountain East Conference (MEC) – Fairmont State is the preseason favorite. The Falcons posted a 21-9 overall record, went 13-7 in conference play last season, and finished in the MEC tournament semifinals, losing to Glenville State.
- Northeast‑10 (NE10) – Bentley, a perennial women’s basketball powerhouse, has been ranked first in the poll four times in the past five seasons. Bentley returns its top two scorers from last year, Kayana Armbrister and Niya Morgen, a duo that helped the Falcons rank in the top three of all NE10 programs in both scoring offense and scoring defense.
- Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference (NSIC) – Minnesota State, Mankato is the overall and South Division preseason favorite. The University of Mary, the North Division preseason favorite, placed fourth overall.
- PacWest (PWC) – Vanguard, in its first season of NCAA eligibility in 2026, won the Pacific West Conference regular-season and tournament titles. Can they do it again? They think so, putting them at the top of the annual preseason poll with 98 voting points, including eight first-place nods.
- Peach Belt Conference (PBC) – Reigning tournament champions Augusta are the preseason favorite to claim the title. Augusta claimed their first PBC tournament title in 33 years last season, defeating No. 1 seed Columbus State in the semifinals before knocking off No. 7 seed GCSU in the championship game. The Jaguars finished the season at the NCAA Southeast Regionals with a 21-10 overall record and a 13-7 mark in PBC play. Junior standout Quinasia Abercrombie highlights Augusta’s returning class after earning PBC Tournament MVP honors and First Team All-Conference recognition last season.
- Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference (RMAC) – Led by Mason Rowland, a first-team All-RMAC honoree after averaging 18.4 points, 6.1 rebounds, and 3.8 assists per game, three-time defending champion Colorado Mesa is picked to lead the league again.
- Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SIAC) – Miles is favored to win its fourth consecutive conference championship. Sophomore guard Samarian Franklin and sophomore forward Nayla Wesley were among 15 student-athletes the conference named to the Preseason All-Conference squad.
- Sunshine State Conference (SSC) – Embry-Riddle is the preseason favorite.
Six conferences have not posted a preseason women’s basketball poll.
- California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA)
- Conference Carolinas
- Great American Conference (GAC)
- Great Lakes Valley Conference (GLVC)
- Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC)
- South Atlantic Conference (SAC)
