The 2022 USA Cycling Collegiate Road National Championships came back with a bang after a two-year hiatus due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Athletes from 29 states representing 52 schools converged on Augusta, Ga., to contest 14 events at two venues over three days.
Friday kicked off on Fort Gordon, a large, multi-mission, multi-service military installation southwest of Augusta, Ga. Team time trial events used a looped course that covered 21.9 miles (35.2 kilometers) of rolling rural roads lined with loblolly pine trees in the morning. For the Club Women, the University of Arizona took home the gold, winning in a time of 56:17.20, followed by the U.S. Air Force Academy and the University of Vermont. They placed second and third, respectively. On the Varsity Women's side, Milligan University led the field, with their time of 51:10.5. Fort Lewis College and Marian University were hot on Milligan's heels, finishing within 45 seconds of the winning team's time.
The University of Colorado - Boulder team successfully defended their Club Men's team time trial title for a third time, finishing in a time of 46:37.7. The Unversity of Vermont took home the silver in the event, while Colorado State University took home the bronze. Colorado Mesa University successfully defended their team time trial title in the Varsity Men's division, stopping the clock at 43:48.9. It was a close race for second and third, with just eleven seconds making the difference, but Marian University beat Milligan University.
It was now the individual rider's turn to race against the clock on Friday afternoon. Incoming thunder clouds and rising humidity cloaked the riders as they used an out-and-back, 13.8-mile (22.2-kilometer) course to decide the new champions. Unlike in past years, Club and Varsity riders raced together for the chance to earn the title.
Bethany Matsick (Warrington, Penn.; Liberty University) proved to be the fastest individual woman on the day, stopping the clock at 32:56.5. 2018 winner of the event, Margot Clyne (Boulder, Colo.; University of Colorado - Boulder), took home the silver, and Cecily Decker (Bozeman, Mont.; Montana State University) the bronze. Clyne's teammate, Nikolai Lyssogor (Denver, Colo.), would earn gold in the men's race with his time of 30:01.6. Andrew Scarano (Athens, Ga.; Savanah College of Art & Design - Atlanta) placed second, and Frederick Johne (Charlottesville, Va.; University of Virginia) rounded out the top three.
On Saturday, women and men used a 14.72-mile (23.7-kilometer) looped course that rolled over undulating, tree-lined roads on the Army base property with long straightaways, few sharp corners, and a decisive climb 500 meters from the finish. Club and Varsity Women raced four laps for a total of 60 miles (96.6 kilometers). The Club and Varsity Men completed five laps, totaling 73.6 miles (120.7 kilometers).
The first race of the day was the Club Women's event, where Cara O'Neill (Tucson, Ariz.; University of Arizona) successfully defended her title, taking the field sprint at the line. Anna Hicks (San Luis Obispo, Calif.; California Polytechnic - San Luis Obispo) took the silver, and Samantha Fox (Warren, Vt.; University of Vermont) the bronze. The Varsity Women raced next, where Megan Jastrab (Apple Valley, Calif.; Milligan University) earned another national championship title for herself and her team. Olivia Cummins (Fort Collins, Colo.; Colorado Mesa University) and Arielle Coy (Indianapolis; Marian University) would go toe-to-toe with the multi-time national champion but earn silver and bronze, respectively.
In the Club Men's Road Race, Wells Willett (New Paltz, N.Y.; Dartmouth College) took the title, beating Keelan Ontiveros (Portland, Ore.; University of Oregon) and Patrick Frank (Niskayuna, N.Y.; University of Vermont). The Colorado Mesa University duo of Torbjorn Roed (Norway) and Lance Abshire (Baton Rouge, La.) broke away from the Varsity Men's field late in the race and held it to go one-two at the finish. Patton Sims (Sterlington, La.; Belmont Abbey College) took the field sprint for third.
Speed and precision were on display in downtown Augusta on Sunday for the final day of the Collegiate Road Nationals. A 1.1-kilometer (0.7-mile) circuit was used for all criterium events, using a four-block downtown section to circle Augusta Commons. Women raced for 70 minutes, with the Club division starting at 9 a.m. and the Varsity division at 10:30 a.m. For the men, champions were decided after 80 minutes of racing, with the Club division taking place at 12:15 p.m., followed by the Varsity division. Each race had four points sprints throughout their duration.
Aileen Pannecoucke (Pocatello, Idaho; Idaho State University) would take a close field sprint in the Club Women's race, with the road race winner, Cara O'Neill, and Jacqueline LaRouche (Ann Arbor, Mich.; University of Michigan) hot on her wheel. Varsity Women's road race winner, Megan Jastrab, proved dominant again, taking all four of the available point sprints and the final sprint. Olivia Cummins also duplicated her efforts from the road race, earning silver in the crit. Alijah Beatty (Washington, Iowa; Marian University) took bronze.
The Club Men's crit was action-packed, and Yumeto Shigihara (Los Angeles; University of California - Los Angeles) came away with the victory. Wells Willett, the winner of the Club Men's road race, earned silver. Reade Warner (Golden, Colo.; University of Colorado - Boulder) took the third step of the podium. Ama Nsek (Ontario, Calif.; Milligan University) earned his first stars-and-stripes jersey, winning the Varsity Men's race. Sindre Hvesser Brein (Norway; Colorado Mesa University) and Liam Flanagan (Black Mountain, N.C.; Lees-Mcrae College) placed second and third.
The Individual Omnium at Collegiate Road Nationals is calculated using a point system where the better you do, the more points you receive, and four points sprints during the criterium. Athletes must do both the road race and the criterium to be included in the omnium standings.
- Cara O'Neill (Tucson, Ariz.; University of Arizona) - 159 points
- Aileen Pannecoucke (Pocatello, Idaho; Idaho State University) - 135 points
- Jacqueline LaRouche (Ann Arbor, Mich.; University of Michigan) - 135 points
- Megan Jastrab (Apple Valley, Calif.; Milligan University) - 188 points
- Olivia Cummins (Fort Collins, Colo.; Colorado Mesa University) - 152 points
- Anna Christian (Boulder, Colo.; Savanah College of Art & Design - Atlanta) - 118 points
- Wells Willett (New Paltz, N.Y.; Dartmouth College) - 162 points
- Duncan Clark (Los Angeles; University of California - Los Angeles) - 111 points
- Sean Christian (Tucson, Ariz.; Arizona Independent) - 108 points
- Sindre Hvesser Brein (Norway; Colorado Mesa University) - 139 points
- Lance Abshire (Baton Rouge, La.; Colorado Mesa University) - 130 points
- Michael Hemmerlin (Mesa, Ariz.; Marian University) - 117 points
The team omnium is possibly the most sought-after award of the championship, with teams strategically placing riders to ensure the max points accrual in each event. This year's club team omnium came down to a tie-breaker; it was so close.
- University of Arizona - 378 points
- University of Vermont - 378 points
- University of Colorado - Boulder - 292 points
- Colorado Mesa University - 448 points
- Marian University - 424 points
- Milligan University - 411 points
It was a great weekend of racing for all of the schools. Next up on the Collegiate National Championship calendar is Track National Championships, September 8-10, 2022, at the Major Taylor Velodrome in Indianapolis.
Photos By: Weldon Weaver
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