SPEARFISH, S.D. – A storied career for the native of Colorado Springs, Colorado comes to a close as Matthew Ragsdale writes his name into the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference (RMAC) record book in four offensive categories. The Colorado native played in 138 career games and started in 123 of them in his career at both Black Hills State University and Western Colorado University.
 
The storied career of Ragsdale includes a pair of First Team All-RMAC honors and helped guide the men to their second-straight National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division II Final Four appearance in 2022-23. In his final season this year, Ragsdale won the league's scoring title, averaging 22.6 points per game in the regular season. He was also named an Honorable Mention All-American and First Team All-South Central Region performer by D2 Conference Commissioner's Association (D2CCA) this season.
 
"It was an absolute honor to serve as Matthew's coach for his last two years of college basketball. He elevated our program in his first season and carried our team in his final season at BH," noted Ryan Thompson, head men's basketball coach. "More than the stats and awards, what I will remember most about Matthew was how he carried himself on a daily basis. He consistently put in extra work, had great enthusiasm, always put the team first, and had the upmost integrity in all that he did."
 
The guard spent his first three seasons at Western Colorado University (2019-2022) and his final two years of eligibility at Black Hills State (2022-2024). The below information takes into account his information at both institutions combined. He's the only men's basketball player in RMAC's 115-year history to score 1,000 points at two different league institutions.
 
Ragsdale was a prolific threat from behind the arc in his career, both at Black Hills State and Western Colorado. He ends his collegiate basketball career sitting second in 3-point field goals made (370).
 
"Matthew was a phenomenal shooter with deep range and a quick release. He needed very little space to get his shot off and had a knack for making big shots when it mattered most," commented Thompson on his 3-poin shooting ability. "None were bigger than his 3-point shot at the buzzer to defeat nationally ranked Colorado Mines in their gym this past season."
 
Yellow Jacket fans will recount for years to come how easy it was for Ragsdale to score. He ends his career as the league's third all-time leading scorer with 2,456 career points in his 138 games played between the two schools.
 
Ragsdale now makes it two Yellow Jackets inside the top-5 all-time in RMAC history in scoring, joining former teammate Joel Scott who sits second in the league with his 2,471 career points. Ragsdale recorded a career total of 14 games with 30 or more points, including a career-best 53 points as a Mountaineer against Black Hills State in December of 2021. With all that scoring lands Ragsdale inside the top-5 in field goals.
 
"Matthew will go down as one of the best scoring guards in the history of the RMAC. He is the best shot maker that I have ever been around," concluded Thompson. "Matthew has the ability to take and make highly difficult shots at an efficient rate. His skill set was off the chart with his shooting range, ability to create his own shot off the dribble, touch in the paint, and post-up game." 
 
Furthermore, the Colorado Springs native appears in five different RMAC individual records in his career. He sits third in points scored in a single game with his 53-point game with Western Colorado against BHSU on December 3, 2021 in Spearfish. That same game put him in eighth in field goals made (20). Also, while in a WCU uniform, he also put made 19 field goals against CSU Pueblo on February 16, 2021 which sits T10th in RMAC history for a single contest. His 526 field goals attempted this season in a BH uniform goes down as 10^th-most in RMAC history.