COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. --- The Western Colorado women's basketball team was selected second in the RMAC Preseason Women's Basketball Coaches Poll released Tuesday by the conference.

The Mountaineers - who picked up three first-place votes - finished behind defending RMAC champion Colorado Mesa in the preseason poll - the Mavericks getting eight first-place votes and 189 points total - while Western finished two points ahead of Westminster, which picked up four first-place votes. Westminster was followed by Colorado School of Mines, Black Hills State and then South Dakota Mines - the same exact order of finish the top six teams finished in the RMAC in 2019-20.

The Mountaineers (who were picked sixth in last season's RMAC preseason poll) are coming off a historic season in 2019-20 where they went 20-7, including 18-4 in the RMAC (the most RMAC wins in program history) and qualifying for the NCAA Tournament for the first time in program history (the tournament was canceled due to COVID-19). The 20 wins was the third most in program history, only behind the 22 wins of 1986-87 and the 21 wins in 1980-81.

Western plays an exhibition game against Colorado on Nov. 25 on the road before opening the season Dec. 4 at home against Black Hills State.

RMAC PRESEASON WOMEN'S BASKETBALL POLL

1. Colorado Mesa – 189 (8)
2. Western Colorado – 179 (3)
3. Westminster – 177 (4)
4. Colorado School of Mines – 157
5. Black Hills State – 138
6. South Dakota Mines – 105
7. Regis – 103
8. Fort Lewis – 102
9. MSU Denver – 95
10. CSU Pueblo – 86
11. Colorado Christian – 81
12. UCCS – 79
13. Adams State – 37
14. Chadron State – 33
15. New Mexico Highlands - 14