RADical Hope Sponsors Inaugural Fall RMAC Mental Health Week
League advocates for student-athlete mental health through week-long campaign, spearheaded by RMAC SAAC Mental Health Subcommittee
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. – The Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference continues its league-wide Mental Health Week celebration in partnership with the RADical Hope Foundation. Recognized October 10-17, the RMAC’s fall Mental Health Week aims to reduce the stigma around mental health, share resources for support, and raise awareness of the mental health challenges student-athletes face.
Initiated in the spring 2026 semester, the RMAC Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC) formed a mental health subcommittee, which hosted the first-ever RMAC Mental Health Week in late February. The subcommittee has since grown to include seven student-athletes and three athletic trainers and administrators:
- Ellen Adams – Athletic Trainer, CSM
- Elia DeLozier – Softball, CSC
- Rebekah Determan – Athletic Trainer, SDM
- Zoe Evans – Women’s Soccer, BHSU
- Jazmyn Griego – Softball, NMHU
- Adah Minikel-Lacocque – Women’s Soccer, WCU
- Mitch Moravec – Football, BHSU
- Dylan Retzloff – Women’s Lacrosse, CSU Pueblo
- Kiauna Smith – Softball, RU
- Robin Wheeler – Deputy Athletic Director for Performance and Student Success, RU
From September 14 to October 5, the subcommittee met each Monday to complete RADical Hope’s four-week training curriculum, RADical Health. Facilitated by RADical Hope Program Coordinator, Ryan Wesner, RMAC student-athletes progressed through weekly modules on principles and priorities, building resilience, strengthening emotional intelligence, and goal setting. Each theme came to life through peer-to-peer discussions, informational videos, and practical exercises, giving student-athletes tools and resources to take back to their teams and campuses.
“Mental Health Week is a powerful reminder that student-athletes are people first,” said MacKenzie Kelly, Director of Programs at RADical Hope. “Connection is at the heart of everything we do at RADical Hope, and the RMAC has shown real leadership in prioritizing student-athlete wellbeing. Together, we are helping build a culture across the conference where mental and emotional wellbeing are part of everyday life, so no student-athlete has to carry their challenges alone.”
Following the training sessions, the RMAC distributed custom green “Mental Health Matters” t-shirts, generously funded by RADical Hope, to each member campus. Campus SAAC programs and individual teams have worn the shirts throughout the week to raise awareness and celebrate a unified, league-wide commitment to mental health.
RADical Hope also supported three RMAC matches as featured Mental Health Week games: the New Mexico Highlands and Black Hills State volleyball match on October 10, the CSU Pueblo and Fort Lewis men’s soccer match on October 11, and the Western Colorado and Regis women’s soccer match this Friday, October 16. During these games and across the league, RMAC sports information departments have promoted the Mental Health Week logo, a student-athlete PSA, and available resources through in-game productions and social media campaigns.
“We are extremely grateful to our campus student-athletes, coaches and administrators for their participation in the inaugural fall RMAC Mental Health Week,” said Audrey Bloomquist, RMAC Assistant Commissioner for Championships and External Engagement. “Over the next few months, the RMAC SAAC Mental Health Subcommittee will work to enhance our current league-wide mental health best practices, utilizing athletic trainers and RADical Hope team members to guide conversations. These steps lay the foundation for improving the wellbeing of every student-athlete in the RMAC, and we are proud to champion mental health support on a national stage.”
In addition to the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline, a robust list of RMAC-wide mental health resources is available at RMACSports.org. For more information about the RADical Hope Foundation and their RADical Health curriculum, visit RADicalHopeFoundation.org.
About the RMAC
The Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference, headquartered in Colorado Springs, is a premier NCAA Division II conference with 15 institutions located in Colorado, Nebraska, New Mexico, South Dakota, and Utah. The RMAC currently competes in 22 NCAA Division II sports and has earned 71 national championships since 1992. Founded in 1909, the RMAC is the most historic athletic conference in the western United States and Division II.