Class Notes
Alumni

Two Fort Lewis College Cycling Team alums have joined new teams heading into the 2026 season. Gravity racer Cole Fiene (Marketing, '23) will race for the T3 MTB Race Program focused on downhill and enduro. Fiene worked for the FLC Cycling Team as a gravity coach during the Fall 2025 season. The Skyhawk mountain bikers finished third place overall at the Collegiate Mountain Bike National Championships at Powderhorn Mountain Resort near Grand Junction, Colorado. 

Cobe Freeburn (Computer Information Systems, '24) signed a contract with the Trek Driftless gravel cycling team. He will focus on the national Life Time Grand Prix series during the 2026 season. As a Skyhawk, Freeburn competed at several Collegiate National Championship races and helped FLC stay competitive in the Rocky Mountain Collegiate Cycling Conference. 

Peter Bloomquist (English, '10) won first place in the Vail Film Festival for his screenplay titled "Age of War" about the Roman General Arminius. It's Bloomquist's second screenplay but the first to win first prize. The Bayfield Middle School teacher graduated from FLC with a degree in English in 2010 before earning his teaching license from FLC in 2013. 

“I took a class at Fort Lewis, actually a screenwriting class, and it was super enjoyable. And I really enjoyed telling stories that way,” he told The Durango Herald. “I always liked reading and writing, but screenwriting just felt like it was more for me. So I started writing pretty consistently.” 

Read more here. 

Christian Covyeau (Business Administration, Management, '12) is the Director of Football Operations for The American Bowl, the country's new college football all-star game taking place January 22, 2026. The event brings together NFL draft-eligible players from across the country as they travel to Orlando to compete in front of scouts from the NFL, CFL, and UFL. The Bowl also partners with Soldiers to Sidelines, who will provide veterans and members of the military community the opportunity to learn from former NFL coaches and serve as coaching assistants during The American Bowl. The game will be broadcast live on the NFL Network. An FLC Football Team alum, Covyeau went on the earn his Master of Science in Sport Administration from the University of Louisville before coaching for several college football teams. 

Tina Denetclaw (Chemistry, '83) will publish a book of poetry titled 'Life Travels' with Finishing Line Press on March 27, 2026. The collection of poems explores the underpinnings of a life prepared to embrace purpose in the face of adversity; to sense self and place when the moorings are unlashed; to gather the small moments; to see beauty in the arc of time and the remarkable people who fill one’s life. "The imagery is heightened but remains relatable, blending the mundane with the sublime in sacred harmony," said Synkroniciti Editor Katherine McDaniel. Denetclaw is a Clinical Professor of Pharmacy at the University of California San Francisco School of Pharmacy. The book is available for pre-order here. 

Erik Ozolins (Anthropology, '94) won the 2025 Ron Brandolini Award for Excellence at a Two-Year Institution from the National Collegiate Honors Council. The award is given to a two-year college honors director or faculty member for their outstanding contributions to the honors community. Ozolins is the honors Director at Mt. San Jacinto College, a position he has held since 2008. His teaching includes anthropology, biology, and cultural studies. In addition, he has served as President and Conference Chair of the Honors Transfer Council of California. Read more about Ozolins and the award. 

Justin and Mikquel Matherson (English '06 and Psychology '09) met at Fort Lewis College in 2005. Ten years later, the alumni couple began Rez Meetz Urban Salsa, selling in local stores. The salsa is also used by Fresh Ideas, FLC's campus dining partner. 

Justin was born and raised in inner city Denver, while Mikquel is from New Mexico and Arizona and is of Navajo and Hopi descent. Hence the Rez who met Urban! Mikquel’s roots in the Southwest played a huge role in her love for delicious salsa and chili. When she was a freshman in college, she missed the NM green and red chili and salsas so much that she decided to learn how to make it herself. When she and Justin got married in 2009, he fell in love with her salsa and in 2015, he convinced her that the salsa was good enough to sell.

They ventured out to turn their family recipe into an enterprise. They got into their first store in November 2015, and today they are in 15 different locations in Southwest Colorado and Northern New Mexico. They also have a handful of stores in the Colodrado Springs area. “Our aim is to always serve fresh, authentic salsa, using quality ingredients which produce rich & savory flavors. And as alumni, we’re honored to be able to serve the entire FLC community," the Mathersons said. 

Tristan MacLean (Management, '18) continues to reach new heights after winning the 2018 Hawk Tank business plan competition. His company, Always Time to Fly, has grown steadily since he launched it after his Hawk Tank success. Tristan now holds the corporate sponsorship and pilot contract for ExxonMobil at the Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta, one of the most prestigious opportunities in the ballooning industry. He has piloted for ExxonMobil since 2019 and was recently awarded a new five-year contract beginning in 2025. In addition to his full-time career, Tristan continues to expand his business, operating three balloons and pursuing new corporate partnerships. He recently returned to Durango to fly in the Animas Valley Balloon Rally. You can follow Tristan’s ballooning adventures on Instagram at @alwaystime.2.fly. 

Hayley Kirkman (Graphic Design, '17) is working to compile and publish the first anthology of Colorado’s poets laureate. Kirkman is working with Durango's Turner Wyatt, and the project will be the first-ever dedicated poets laureate anthology to be published in the United States. Kirkman designed the book jacket and website, and she is managing the project's social media, marketing, and events. 

Learn more about the book at ColoradoPoets.org.