.

The Pack came out on top in the second game of the Steel & Silver classic on Sept. 11. The ThunderWolves won 3-2 in a five-set match against St. Edward’s University.

ThunderWolves Volleyball vs St. Edwards from CSU-Pueblo TODAY on Vimeo.

The ThunderWolves prepare for their season opener last week against Central Washington. They won 41-14. | Photo by Dustin Cox

The CSU-Pueblo football team started its 2015 season right where it left off in 2014 by dominating the line of scrimmage, creating turnovers and winning special teams. On Sept. 12, the Pack will meet West Texas A&M in Texas to try and prove its ground game.

On Sept. 5, the Pack defeated Central Washington 41-14, a score that was sparked by a 24-point second quarter. The ThunderWolves totaled three sacks while allowing just one against starting quarterback Malcolm Ruben.

In the last few years the Pack has met the Western Texas Buffaloes four times. Their first meeting was in 2011 in Canyon, Texas with a 26-24 victory. Most recently the Pack went up against the Buffaloes at home last season with a dominating 35-6 win.

This week the Pack continued to be ranked as No. 2 in both the American Football Coaches Association and D2Football.com polls. They also topped the David Boyce Football Power Ranking with the No. 1 spot.

Since 2011, the ThunderWolves have won 49 games and have recorded four losses during regular season play.

This game against West Texas will be a game to see where both teams excel and where some work needs to happen. CSU-Pueblo will find out where they stack up among the other teams in the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference.

The Buffaloes held a 21-0 lead all the way to about six minutes remaining in the first quarter against No. 19 Azusa Pacific last week. Both teams recorded field goals in the third quarter, but two 75-plus yard touchdown drives by APU would push them past the Buffaloes brought it to 27-24.

West Texas was pegged to finish fifth in the Lone Star Conference Preseason Coaches’ Poll. The Buffaloes Head Coach Mike Nesbitt began his third season as the leader of the West Texas A&M football team and is 19-9 in his career.

The Pack is traveling to Canyon, Texas to take on the Buffaloes this Saturday. The game will be available online for fans to watch and live stats will also be available. Fans can get all of the viewing info at www.gothunderwolves.com.

CSU-Pueblo Football took on Central Washington on Saturday and found themselves with a victory. The Pack won 41 to 14 and will take on West Texas next week.

CSU-Pueblo Football 2015 Season Opener from CSU-Pueblo TODAY on Vimeo.

Game Photos by Dustin Cox

The ThunderWolves prepare for the upcoming season at their first practice Aug. 13. Photo by Dustin Cox.

The Colorado State University-Pueblo ThunderWolves will start their season in a game against Central Washington Sept. 5 at 5 p.m.

The Pack will be returning 16 starters from the 2014 NCAA Division II National Championship team, which includes six on a defensive unit that finished first in NCAA Division II in scoring defense.

CSU-Pueblo’s leading tackler is back for the 2015 season. Senior inside linebacker Joe Rosenbrock will again help to lead the defense after he totaled 107 tackles, 61 of them solo, last year as a junior.

Another returning player to watch this season is senior running back Cameron McDondle, who set a ThunderWolves single season record with 2,014 rushing yards to finish third nationally in 2014.

The Pack is also returning three of the four top receivers this year. Kieren Duncan, who is the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference Preseason All-RMAC selection and led the team in reception yards last season, will guide the receivers this season.

Coming into Saturday’s game, the Central Washington Wildcats are coming off of a 7-4 record under second year head coach Ian Shoemaker.  The Wildcats tied for second in the Great Northwest Athletic Conference with a 4-2 mark and were pegged to finish third in the GNAC Preseason Coach’s Poll.

Central Washington has welcomed back their top quarterback, running back, and two of the top three receivers from last season. The junior quarterback Jake Nelson threw for 2,702 yards and 23 touchdowns with 13 interceptions last season.

The contest between the ThunderWolves and Wildcats will be the first time they have played each other. With the ThunderWolves entering the season ranked No. 2 in the preseason poll, they are pegged to win.

Since 2011, the Pack has won 48 games and is well known for home victories with 22 consecutive wins. CSU-Pueblo has won each of its season openers and all seven home openers since the program returned to the school in 2008.

Following the fall camp, the ThunderWolves have named Malcolm Ruben as the starting quarterback for the home opener.

The game will be broadcast on the channel Altitude 2 nationally.

From games and rides to sheep and beyond, the state fair offered many fun activities to students on the CSU-Pueblo Back-To-School day Aug. 28.

Students who attended the involvement fair on Wednesday had the opportunity to get free gate admission to the Colorado State Fair just in time for the first day of the annual fair. Students who took advantage of the free gate admission had the opportunity to end their first week of classes on a good note by attending the fair.

Some of those who attended the fair also went to the opening night of the Pro Rodeo Cowboys Association’s RAM Rodeo which was nearly sold out. Student-athletes from the CSU-Pueblo Softball team helped with serving drinks and snacks to the fans that evening. A few students also had the opportunity to check out the opening concert by Tracy Lawrence following the rodeo.

Not only did CSU-Pueblo students get to go to the fair for free but so did the local school districts who also received free passes for the CSU-Pueblo Back-To-School days. Those students in school districts 60 and 70 also received a free Loan ‘N Jug drink and a ticket to the home opener of the 2015 CSU-Pueblo football season.

On Sept. 1, the CSU-Pueblo Alumni Association will be hosting its alumni night at the fair and rodeo. Alumni will have the opportunity to reconnect with old classmates and friends while enjoying a night of entertainment.

Before construction began. Photo by Dustin Cox

After just over a year of construction, the new General Classroom Building at CSU-Pueblo is complete and ready for use by the university.

This last week has been a busy one for the staff and faculty who are moving into the new building in preparation for the fall 2015 semester. Students will notice the new building listed as the location for some of their classes during the upcoming semester. The new building will be listed as “GCB” with a classroom number on their schedules.

According to Deborah Proctor of CSU-Pueblo facilities, the building was completed on time and within the $12 million budget. Students will now enjoy more space on campus to hang out, along with more places to study with groups this fall. There is also a new coffee bar available in the building.

Second floor of the new General Classroom Building. Photo by Dustin Cox

Gwen Gilley, architect from Hord Coplan Macht, said the building is completely ready to have students come and enjoy the new classrooms and space for studying. She said the contractor will be around for the next few months to ensure that all is well with the new building, which comes with a one year warranty to make sure everything is kept in good working order.

There will be a ribbon cutting event held on Aug. 28 at 2 p.m. with cookies available to students for free, Gilley said.

Full story in the video below.

General Classroom Building Now Open from CSU-Pueblo TODAY on Vimeo.

CSU-Pueblo received a $1.8 million dollar grant that is set to help the university upgrade its information technology system. The grant will help to improve on campus-wide internet connectivity issues and will also provide an upgraded data center. According to a university news release, “This funding will support the strategic goals of the university, by providing a totally wired and wireless campus by 2020.”

$1.8 million IT funding from CSU-Pueblo TODAY on Vimeo.

Photo Gallery:

Photo courtesy of csupueblo.edu.

A Colorado State University-Pueblo student died Tuesday morning in his room at Belmont Residence Hall.

Several students said in passing that they had seen a fire truck, ambulance and sheriff’s department personnel outside the residence hall earlier in the day, and at 3:58 p.m., an email was sent to the campus community from Cora Zaletel, director of external affairs that stated a student had died. The press release said that Juan Munoz, 30, died unexpectedly in his Belmont Residence Hall room.

An informational and awareness meeting was held in the Fireplace Room of Belmont Hall Tuesday evening at 5 p.m. to discuss the incident and offer counseling to students. A sign was placed on doors at Belmont Hall announcing the meeting time and availability of resources.

“We have little information that we can share at this time about how Juan died,” Zaletel said in the press release.

Sara Bale, a junior psychology major who lives in Belmont Hall, said, “My prayers and thoughts go out to the family and friends of this fellow ThunderWolf. Please don’t listen to the rumors going around campus or on social media as there is very little true info at this time.”

According to the press release, the Sheriff’s Office on campus said they do not believe there is any reason to be afraid or that there are any safety issues.

Counseling services and representatives from the university are available to all students Tuesday evening in the Fireplace Room of Belmont Hall, and after, those who continue to need counseling services are encouraged to contact Student Counseling Services at 719-549-2830.

Condolences go out to the Munoz family and those who knew Juan. As more details surface, we will update this story.

Coach John Wristen discusses the recent NFL Pro Day that was held at CSU-Pueblo last week. Seven former ThunderWolves showcased their skills for teams including the Denver Broncos and the San Diego Chargers.

CSU-Pueblo NFL Pro Day from CSU-Pueblo TODAY on Vimeo.

CSU-Pueblo Women’s Lacrosse made history on Wednesday when they won their first-ever game in the first season. They won 12 to 11 over Rockhurst University.

Women’s Lacrosse Gets First Ever Victory from CSU-Pueblo TODAY on Vimeo.

Photo Gallery: