Senior Cameron McDondle dives for a touchdown. Photo by Jason Prescott.

Saturday was a day of redemption for CSU-Pueblo football, who avenged its singular loss of the 2014 season by defeating Fort Lewis College 45-9 in another dominating performance at the Neta and Eddie DeRose ThunderBowl.

Having handed CSU-Pueblo the lone blemish on last season’s National Championship campaign, FLC came into the game with a 4-1 record, including three wins and zero losses in the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference.

That strong start to the season was not enough to propel the Skyhawks to past CSU-Pueblo, however, as the one-sided win provided the ThunderWolves with a pivotal in-conference victory to improve to 4-0 in the RMAC on the season.

The Pack brought home its fifth victory of the season on the university’s annual homecoming weekend, leaning heavily on the legs of their running backs, brothers Cameron and Bernard McDondle.

The pair combined for 266 yards and four of the pack’s six touchdowns on the day, while Cameron had his lowest yardage of the season, with a more than respectable 152 yards on the ground.

McDondle’s fifth consecutive game surpassing the 150-yard mark brought the senior’s yearly rushing total to 1,079 yards and made him the fastest CSU-Pueblo running back to surpass 1,000 rushing yards in a season in program history.

McDondle’s 1,079 yards currently leads all of NCAA Division II football, with his 13 touchdowns placing him second in the nation in that category.

The Pack’s effective performance was once again anchored by its elite defense, which kept constant pressure on FLCU quarterback Jordan Doyle.

Bernard McDondle breaks a tackle. Photo by Jason Prescott.

CSU-Pueblo held the Skyhawks to just 120 yards passing, and totaled three sacks on the day despite playing without the Division II football leader in sacks, Morgan Fox.

Fox, who suffered an injury last week in a 56-0 shutout victory at Adams State, watched from the sideline as his ThunderWolves defense held FLC to just nine points and 221 total yards on the day.

For the third time this season, the Pack held its opponent to less than 10 points, bringing its season points-per-game total to 15.2. The 45 points scored by the offense brought the Pack’s average per-game up to 39.

The Pack got an added spark from senior wide receiver and kick returner Kieren Duncan, who once again used his explosive play-making ability to provide a momentum advantage for the team.

Duncan set the tone for the game by taking an AJ Thompson pass for a 70-yard catch and run touchdown on the team’s very first play from scrimmage.

From the contest’s opening minutes to its close, the Pack maintained firm control over the game, as it never trailed over the course of the game.

CSU-Pueblo will look to continue its current streak of dominance and add to a 4-game winning streak with another conference victory against Chadron State College next week on Oct. 17.

Photo by Dustin Cox

Harnessing a week-by-week team mindset that every week’s goal is to go 1-0, Pack football will look for another 1-0 week against Adams State with redshirt-freshman AJ Thompson at the helm for their road game.

In last week’s contest against Western New Mexico, the Pack used a defensive-oriented second half approach to stop the Mustangs. In their 42-27 victory, they allowed 21 points in the second quarter but only 6 points in the final two frames.

After both teams went scoreless for their opening drives, both offenses scored 21 points in the second quarter. At halftime the ThunderWolves flipped the switch and garnered a balanced attack on both sides of the ball.

The ThunderWolves allowed only 15 net rushing yards against the Mustangs, their best effort against the ground game since allowing 9 yards to New Mexico Highlands on Nov. 15, 2014.

Looking ahead to the road game against the Adams State Grizzlies, the ThunderWolves currently own a 19-10-2 all-time record against the Grizzlies in a series that dates back to 1938. The Pack has won six straight games against Adams State in this time span.

CSU-Pueblo is 9-4-1 all-time on the road and have won their last three meetings in Alamosa. Last season at home, both teams failed to score in the first half, and the Pack took the first lead with a touchdown six minutes into the second half.

The Pack improved on a 7-7 tie with 10 points in the fourth, capped by a one-yard run by Cameron McDondle with just under three minutes left.

Entering this contest the ThunderWolves are ranked at No. 10 in the American Football Coaches Association Division II Coaches’ Poll. The Pack also rank in the Division II Power Rankings at No. 10.

The Adams State Grizzlies are coming off of a historic home victory against Western State. After trailing 42-6 in the second quarter, Adams State rattled off 36 unanswered points to force overtime at 42-42. Following two overtime sessions, the Grizzlies won 52-51 to secure the largest-ever comeback in NCAA Division II history.

The ThunderWolves look to challenge the Grizzles on the road in what some call a rivalry game in Alamosa this weekend.  This will be the 32nd meeting with the Grizzlies.

The Pack beat Western New Mexico University 42-27  Sept. 26. Photo by Dustin Cox.

Colorado State University-Pueblo football celebrated its annual Military Appreciation Day at the game against Western New Mexico University Sept. 26, and fittingly, the majority of the contest was an absolute war.

In the final Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference battle between the two teams, as WNMU is set to leave the RMAC to join the Lone Star Conference in 2016, the Pack delivered yet another dominant performance, winning 42-27 at the Neta and Eddie DeRose ThunderBowl.

While the CSU-Pueblo football program showed its appreciation to United States servicemen and women off of the football field by offering free tickets to active and retired military personnel, the two teams on the field showed their appreciation by putting on an exciting and closely contested show.

Commanded by freshman A.J. Thompson, who was in his second start for the Pack, CSU-Pueblo attacked the WNMU Mustangs not only by land, but also by air.

Thompson passed for 220 yards against the Mustangs, completing 11-of-15 passes, two of which were touchdowns, displaying the poise and decisiveness of a general leading his troops to battle.

Every general needs firepower however, and just as the Allied Forces relied heavily on the Sherman Tank as its backbone in WWII, Pack football relied on its own version of the Sherman: Cameron McDondle.

Torching opposing defenses has become somewhat of a routine for McDondle, who entered the day third in the nation and first in the RMAC in rushing yards, and continued right where he left off, totaling 193 yards on the ground with three scores in the game for the Pack.

WNMU did not surrender without a fight however, as the Mustangs went toe-to-toe with CSU-Pueblo for the majority of the afternoon, trading blows throughout the first half before eventually being overwhelmed by the relentless Pack offensive in the third and fourth quarters.

The Pack’s defense withstood major blows throughout the game by senior WNMU quarterback Mitch Glasmann, whose aerial attack was as relentless as the Blitz of London.

Glasmann threw for 501 yards, including an 86-yard touchdown in the first quarter for the game’s first score. The Pack’s defense withstood and responded however, totaling 4 sacks and one interception, while holding the Mustangs to an impressive season low of 15 net yards rushing on the day.

In an exhilarating contest that featured big-time plays, explosive hits, and back-and-forth action, the CSU-Pueblo and WNMU football programs definitely put on the type of show that told the military men and women in attendance they are definitely appreciated.

Paige and Shannon Vrana were welcomed to the CSU-Pueblo volleyball team as honorary members after losing their mother. | Photo by Dustin Cox.

At a CSU-Pueblo volleyball game on Sept. 11, two special guests were invited to join head coach Jen Gomez on the bench as honorary members of Pack volleyball.

Paige and Shannon Vrana, 10 and 11, who live in Avondale, Colorado and attend Avondale Elementary and Vineland Middle school’s respectively, high-fived players, listened in on team huddles and cheered enthusiastically throughout the course of the game after being invited to attend as honorary members.

“It was actually pretty fun, I kept getting excited when we kept getting points and when we’d get close, I always had to jump for joy,” Shannon said.

“It was crazy!” Paige said.

After losing their mother to an act of domestic violence in their Wyoming hometown, Gomez looked at the gesture as a great way for her volleyball team to positively impact the lives of the two young girls, who are new to the Pueblo community.

“I just thought what great way for my kids to help out,” Gomez said.

“I think my volleyball team players are phenomenal young women anyways and I just thought what a great way for them to reach out and influence the lives of these young girls to show them its all going to be OK and they’re going to be a part of our team in their own special way,” she said.

The team planned a variety of activities for the girls in order to make them feel at home on the team.

“They got to stand out on the end line and be introduced with the team and run through the line and shake hands, you just saw their smiles were as big as they can be,” Gomez said. “These kids had a ball.”

“(My favorite part) was meeting the players,” Paige said.

“Mine was sitting on the bench with the team and trying to cheer them on,” Shannon said.

The experience was a heartwarming one, not only for the girls themselves, but also for all of the players and coaches of CSU-Pueblo volleyball who knew their story.

“I just kept looking down there and I would just smile because I knew that at least for these couple of hours, everything is OK,” Gomez said. “I have a special place in my heart for kids.”

The girls said they plan to stick with volleyball in the future and their relationship with Pack volleyball has already enhanced their passion for the sport.

“I have a plan for the future to play volleyball when I’m a grownup,” Paige said.

Shannon has already started her young volleyball career, playing for her school’s team at Vineland Middle, where her favorite position to play is setter.

“I started playing when I was with my mom,” Shannon said. “We played at the recreation center there and I got really interested in it.”

“This is the college that I want to go to,” Shannon said.

Paige (left) and Shannon (right) Vrana sing the national anthem before the Sept. 11. volleyball game. | Photo by Dustin Cox.

Although Paige’s school, Avondale Elementary, doesn’t have a volleyball team, she looks forward to playing when she is in middle school like her sister does.

Friday’s game might have been the first Pack volleyball game as honorary members for Paige and Shannon, but it is not likely to be their last.

“They’re invited to every home game we have, they get to be with us on the bench and they go in the locker with the team beforehand,” Gomez said. “My team just talks with them and lets them have fun and hang out.”

Paige and Shannon seemed to enjoy the experience immensely and Gomez believes the girls’ presence is also extremely beneficial to the players on the team.

“It’s really great for my team as well to be around these young girls who just kind of want to belong somewhere,” she said. “Our players get to see that, yeah, it is just a game, but to these young kids it’s a big deal and how you treat these young people is a big deal.”

“To see my kids grab their hands and give them high-fives and stand by them and give them a hug …  I already knew I had special kids on my team here at CSU-Pueblo but to see the way they embrace these young girls just really makes my heart smile.”

The girls’ aunt, Mandi Meece, who moved out to Avondale from Wyoming around the same time as the girls, said it is important for the girls to feel at home in their new community.

“This is their home now and they need positive influences,” she said. “(It’s great for) the friendships that they can build and the learning they can do, everything, it’s good all the way around for them.”

“I think that they really enjoyed this whole experience, being able to come here and be under the coaches and the girls’ wings I think it really meant a lot to them.”

For Gomez and Pack volleyball players, Friday’s game was a chance to see firsthand the impact college athletics can have in comforting young people through hard times, if by nothing else, providing a brief escape.

“For just a couple of hours they’re not just in their world they’re in our world, they’re part of Pack volleyball, and they’ve got 18 of my players around them, so they’re acting silly and high-fiving and watching the game and cheering so it’s just about getting them into a different environment where for a couple hours its just about a game and cheering on a game,” Gomez said.

Senior Cameron McDondle spent the game rushing 189 yards, getting a touchdown on 30 carries, in addition to a 75-yard reception. | Photo by Dustin Cox

In the team’s second home game of the 2015 season, the Colorado State University-Pueblo ThunderWolves took on the Western State College Mountaineers Sept. 19, in a 20-10 victory that was dominating, yet somewhat uninspired.

Though the Pack came out strong against WSCU from the opening moments, the team didn’t have its normal panache against an outclassed and outmatched Mountaineers team.

To power the team to victory, the Pack decided to stick to what they do best: dominate defensively and give Cameron McDondle the ball.

McDondle carried the Pack’s offense throughout the contest, rushing for 189 yards and a touchdown on 30 carries, adding a 75-yard reception.

Senior defensive end Morgan Fox, who entered the game tied for second in the nation in sacks and tackles for loss in Division II, continued his streak of dominance as he sacked junior WSCU quarterback Brett Arrivey three times for a combined loss of 21 yards.

It was a new look under center for the Pack, as a season ending shoulder injury to senior Malcolm Ruben last week against West Texas A&M paved the way for freshman A.J. Thompson to lead the ThunderWolves in his first start.

Thompson added an element of versatility to the team’s offense unseen in past weeks, as the Pack ran numerous play-action passes and option-reads to compliment the speedy youngster’s skill set.

Thompson put that speed on display during the games first drive, as he rushed for the teams first touchdown of the game on a 7-yard scramble with 11:42 remaining in the first quarter.

Thompson finished the day 11-for-18 for 169 yards through the air, adding 56 yards and a touchdown on the ground.

Two missed field goals by senior kicker Greg O’Donnell in the second and third quarters seemed to suck some of the life out of the Pack, as the team’s offense seemed lethargic throughout the second half. A 6-yard touchdown by McDondle with 7:49 remaining broke the stagnation.

Injuries once again plagued CSU-Pueblo, as explosive wide receiver and kick-returner Kieran Duncan left the game in the first half with a concussion.

“The first half was just a blur to me,” Duncan said.

Although the old saying, “a win is a win” of course rings true, the Pack seemed to have a bit of a lingering hangover after last week’s tough loss in West Texas.

Although the Pack will need to be more balanced if they hope to defend their national championship title, sticking to what they know by leaning on McDondle and their elite defense, has been a tried and true formula for the Pack so far in the 2015 season.

Josh Bredl (left) returned to CSU-Pueblo for the football team’s season opener. | Photo by Dustin Cox

On the campus of Colorado State University-Pueblo during the football team’s season opener, many community members reported a yeti sighting.

CSU-Pueblo alumnus Josh Bredl, known to fans of the USA network’s reality series, “WWE’s Tough Enough” as “The Yeti”, came out to support CSU-Pueblo football, as well as to take pictures and sign autographs with many of the fans who supported him and voted for him throughout his course on the show.

A fan-favorite turned local celebrity, Bredl embraced conversation with current players, fans and alumni, all while screams of “yeti!” followed the former Pack defensive lineman throughout the Neta and Eddie DeRose ThunderBowl.

In a challenge of physical and mental strength, endurance, likability, and of course, toughness, Bredl outlasted all other male competitors and won a $250,000 contract with the WWE, with a resounding 70 percent of fan votes on Aug. 25.

“It was crazy. It was definitely very unique, something new to me, but I definitely rose to the occasion and came home with the W,” Bredl said.

As for his unique nickname, “I got that about 9th grade, it was just something I had it wasn’t really a ‘Tough Enough’ gimmick or anything,” Bredl said. “Here at CSU-Pueblo everyone called me the yeti too. It was something I acquired in high school as a upperclassman that just stuck and I rode it out.”

As a member of CSU-Pueblo’s 2014 Division II National Championship football team, Bredl developed many of the skills and abilities that helped push him through his time on the show.

“(Football) definitely builds that mental threshold and mental toughness you need to stay resilient through adverse situations, going through dirty dozens and spring ball is really tough and that’s one of the reasons I’m ‘Tough Enough’,” Bredl said.

Bredl won the reality show
“WWE’s Tough Enough” in August. | Photo courtesy of WWE.

Although his time on the show is now over, Bredl’s future in the WWE has just begun. After the game, he headed to Florida to start his career there.

“I’m moving out to Orlando on Monday, I’m gonna start another show on Wednesday and I’m gonna start practicing ASAP and getting in the mix,” Bredl said.

Bredl will then join with the WWE’s developmental branch NXT, where he will further hone his skills in order to pursue his dream of being a WWE superstar.

“I’ll start doing the local shows and the Florida loop, and then in December we have the NXT UK takeover in London. I’m excited for that and then its gonna just start snowballing from there,” he said.

Former Pack player Paul Browning returned to CSU-Pueblo for the football season opener. | Photo courtesy of gothunderwolves.com

Pack nation was out in full effect for the first football game of the season against Central Washington as students, fans, faculty and university alumni came out to support the team.

Well-known CSU-Pueblo alumni, such as former Carolina Panthers wide receiver Paul Browning, current Arizona Cardinals practice squad cornerback C.J. Roberts and former ThunderWolves defensive lineman and winner of the USA network’s reality series “WWE’s Tough Enough,” Josh Bredl, came out to get their first impression of Pack football’s 2015 roster.

“(I had to) see the 2015 squad, I’m excited. We ended on such a high note last year I know they’re gonna be great, so I just had to come out and show my support,” Browning said. “They look great, they’re clicking on all cylinders and they can be as great as they wanna be.”

Roberts said the team is looking like it will repeat last season’s successes.

“I’m enjoying it, we’re looking good, we’re looking like a repeat is what we’re looking like,” Roberts said.

In a night that featured a dominating CSU-P victory, fans and players alike were left with a multitude of reasons to be excited for the ThunderWolves 2015 campaign.

“I’m loving to see all the young guys out there, it’s good to see Cam (McDondle) back on the field nice and healthy, Morgan (Fox) out there making big plays, and I’m excited to see our young secondary out there getting after it,” Roberts said.

The pack handled CWU in a 41-14 victory at the Neta and Eddie DeRose ThunderBowl, giving fans and supporters a slight peak into what’s in store for CSU-P football in 2015.

“I leave town on Monday so I just had to come back and see the roots and check out the game. The team is looking solid, defense is lights-out like always,” Bredl said. “41-14 right now has us looking pretty nice.”

Although the Pack could not replicate its success Sept. 12 against West Texas A&M and lost 31-30 in the game’s final moments, both expectations and hopes are high as CSU-Pueblo seeks to defend its 2014 Division II National Championship.

C.J. Roberts | Photo courtesy of gothunderwolves.com

As for what’s next for the Pack alumni who attended the game, they, like their alma maters football team, seek to keep on progressing to bigger and better things.

“It was a dream come true being able to suit up and play on an NFL roster, but I’m ready for much more and I know that’s going to come,” Browning said of his time with the Panthers.

“I’m just going to continue to work hard, continue to grind, I’m just waiting for that next phone call and that next opportunity, it’s going to come and I’m going to be ready when it happens,” he said.

C.J. Roberts, who was released by the Cardinals on waivers, was later reclaimed by the team as a member of its practice squad.

“The adjustment was definitely hard because of the intensity in the mental aspects of the game, but the preseason all in all was good, and I’m happy I was able to come out with a job,” Roberts said.

Kieren Duncan receives a first down pass early in Saturday’s game from quarterback Malcolm Ruben. The ThunderWolves won 41-14 in their season opener against Central Washington. | Photo by Dustin Cox

In the world of college football, very few phrases can be less inspiring to preview an upcoming season than the colloquial, “more of the same.”

Unless of course the aforementioned “same” happens to have won you the Division II National Championship in the previous year.

It is a distinct possibility that many students and fans who attended the CSU-Pueblo vs. Central Washington football game on Saturday experienced an intense feeling of deja vu.

A tall and agile quarterback who can get outside of the pocket and isn’t afraid to throw the ball downfield? Check.

An explosive and dominant run game, capable of surpassing well over 100 yards on the ground? Check.

A stingy and aggressive defense that creates turnovers and turns them into scoring opportunities? Double check.

Although many of the faces have changed from the 2014 roster, for the CSU-Pueblo ThunderWolves and Head Coach John Wristen, the formula is undoubtedly the same: play tough defense, establish the running game on offense, compliment it with the passing game and above all else, win.

With tremendous expectations following the university’s first national championship, the Pack did not disappoint.

Ranked second in the preseason American Football Coaches Association poll, the defending champs entered Saturday’s game as if they had something to prove.

And prove it they did, in a dominant 41-14 season opener against the Central Washington University Wildcats.

Led by senior running back Cameron McDondle, CSU-Pueblo scored early and often against CWU, putting up the contest’s first points on a 1-yard McDondle rushing touchdown with 11:43 remaining in the first quarter. With the one exception of a 34-yard touchdown pass by CWU junior quarterback Jake Nelson to tie the game at 7, the night belonged to the Pack.

McDondle, who set a single season rushing record for the Pack in 2014 with 2,014 yards, looked in midseason form as he rushed for 176 yards, many of which came after first contact. He also contributed a team high three rushing touchdowns.

Cameron’s brother, Bernard McDondle, had 159 all purpose yards, 129 on the ground, bringing the Pack’s single game rushing total to an impressive 298 yards, with a team average of 6.8 yards per carry.

Senior quarterback Malcolm Ruben, who started his first game at QB for the pack, went 7-for-14 for 113 yards, with one interception and a touchdown. Eighty of those yards came on two passes to senior wide-out Kieren Duncan who finished the day with 80 yards receiving, including a 38-yard TD.

It was business as usual for the CSU-Pueblo defense, led by senior defensive end Morgan Fox. They dominated the line of scrimmage, as well as the turnover margin, totaling 3 sacks, with 3 turnovers that led to 17 CSU-Pueblo points.

Throw into the mix the blocked punt by linebacker Samuel Singleton in the second quarter, returned by defensive back Zach Young for a touchdown, and it’s easy to see how the overall margin of victory was so lopsided in favor of the Pack.

The Pack’s victory over CWU has students and fans as excited as ever for CSU-Pueblo football, and although one game cannot be considered indicative of how an entire season will play out, one thing is for sure: we’re all just hoping for more of the same.

ASG President Sarah Zarr said plans for the year include increasing technology funding, ensuring students feel safe to be themselves and furthering existing programs. | File photo

With the 2015-16 academic year underway, the Colorado State University-Pueblo Associated Students’ Government is gearing up to address campus initiatives most important to students.

ASG President Sarah Zarr, a senior mass communications major elected last April, said she primarily wants the ASG to promote a culture that not only represents CSU-Pueblo students, but also connects them with their elected representatives.

“We have a strong focus on our slogan, ‘stronger as a pack,’” Zarr said. “We want to foster that spirit on campus that we are a community and we are stronger if we stick together.”

“We want people to have pack pride. We want to help you have fun but also help you get the experience necessary to develop as a person,” she said.

Some of the ASG’s major plans for the year include increases in funding for campus technology, ensuring students feel safe to be themselves and furthering popular student programs already in place.

“We have an unstoppable team this year that’s dedicated to the students,” Zarr said. “There’s so much passion, so much pride. People should expect to see a lot more action this year than years past.”

“We’re going to provide a better structure for ASG and a more consistent base going forward so students can always know what to expect,” she said.

One of the top priorities for the ASG this year will be to strengthen successful student programs already in place, such as the Student Emergency Fund, which helps students in crisis to secure funds in order to stay in college, and the Student Discount Program, which encourages students to venture off campus and utilize discounts for students within the Pueblo community.

A large part of furthering these programs is ensuring students know about them.

ASG President Sarah Zarr | Photo courtesy of csupueblo.edu.

Perhaps the ASG’s highest priority, however, will be to cultivate a collaborative and interactive campus community, unparalleled by administrations of years past.

“We’ll provide open forums where students can give their input as well as seek to collaborate more with students, I’m also beginning a president’s council to connect all of CSU-P’s student organizations,” Zarr said. “We have a vibrant campus atmosphere so we want to foster this culture and spirit at CSU-P.”

Zarr said other ASG initiatives for 2015 will include tackling sexual assault preventability on campus, addressing mental health in order to, “break the stigma of mental health issues,” and furthering the university’s successful relationship with the Colorado Student Government Coalition in order to secure better funding for higher education in the state of Colorado.

Students who wish to be more involved in the CSU-Pueblo campus community are encouraged to get involved and voice their opinions to ASG members, as well as to Zarr herself.

Zarr said students are encouraged to attend senate meeting on Tuesdays at 6 p.m. in the Occhiato University Center ASG chambers or voice their opinions to staff any time between 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. in their office, which is located in OUC 217.

CORRECTION Sept. 3, 2015: A previous version of this report said the Associated Students’ Government meets for meetings on Thursdays. The ASG meets on Tuesdays at 6 p.m. in the Occhiato University Center. Also, ASG President Sarah Zarr said the ASG will place an emphasis on ensuring that students feel safe to be themselves, not that the ASG is specifically prioritizing campus safety.

Head coach of the women’s soccer team Paul Regrutto said the team has steadily improved. Photo courtesy of gothunderwolves.com.

The women’s soccer program at CSU-Pueblo will embark on its annual journey Sept. 6 to try and win the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference.

After finishing sixth last season in the conference with an overall record of 7-9-2 and ensuring their first RMAC tournament bid since 2008, the CSU-Pueblo women’s soccer team and head coach Paul Regrutto have much to look forward to, as well as build upon.

“I think that our program is going through an evolution,” Regrutto said.

“From where we were two years ago we have steadily gotten better and better. It’s a process where the ladies are not only doing a better job but starting to understand things better. Plus for me as a young coach I’m starting to figure out what it’s takes to win in this conference,” he said.

Being relatively young and trying to establish a foothold in collegiate sports is a characteristic Regrutto shares with many of his players. The 2015 ThunderWolves roster features 16 freshmen and sophomores, only five of whom will redshirt.

“I think the thing with youth is you need them to get experience of course but it helps that our younger players have done a really good job assimilating and bought into what we’re doing. We have young players on this team already assuming roles as leaders whether it’s on the field or just how they organize things,” Regrutto said.

According to Go ThunderWolves, the team will head into the 2015 season ranked fifth in the conference by the preseason RMAC Coaches’ Poll.

Considering the Pack finished sixth in 2014 and clinched their first tournament bid in six years, things are shaping up for Regrutto and the team with the potential to make a splash in the RMAC in 2015.

“I think we should be a really good team,” Regrutto said. “The goal more than anything is to try and create a positive environment this year. To create an environment where we can be as good as we can be.”

“We are really trying to develop that synergy this year amongst the team. If we do that there’s no doubt I think we can beat anybody. It’s more of the process right now then the results, the results will come.”

Despite a blossoming team synergy and high preseason expectations, however, Regrutto and the Pack know the road back to the RMAC tournament will have challenges.

“(The RMAC is) one of the toughest conferences in the country whether you’re playing the first place team or the last place team, it’s really tough. We don’t approach any game differently than any other. We prepare for the top team like we do the bottom team.”

“I think the girls are looking forward to playing everybody this year. Sometimes when the group has had struggles against programs in the past some people think, ‘Oh that’s going to be a tough game this year,’ but the girls are looking forward to playing them. They’re motivated this year and really excited to go out and play every single team,” Regrutto said.