After a busy week of racing, the 2022 USA Cycling Collegiate Mountain Bike National Championships came to a close on Sunday afternoon. After the completion of all 9 events, Colorado Mesa University took the Varsity omnium title, while University of Colorado Boulder won the Club omnium title.
Racing kicked off with Dual Slalom qualifying on Thursday evening. After very smooth rides in the evening, any riders that qualified went on to the final rounds the next day. On the Women's Club side, Maranda Maliska (St. Luis Obispo, Calif.; Cal Poly) made it all the way to the finals to take gold. In the Women's Varsity race, Fort Lewis College rider, Fiona Dougherty (Durango, Colo.; Fort Lewis College) had a strong final ride to claim the top spot.
During the Men's Club Dual Slalom Finals, Ross Soriano (Littleton, Colo.; Colorado State University), who finished second in 2021, managed to outride second-place finisher and teammate, George Poggemeyer (Littleton, Colo.; Colorado State University). Last year's Varsity men's winner Matt Sterling (San Jose, Calif.; Colorado Mesa University) doubled down to take the top step again after a final ride against Grant Lampson (Bethel Heights, Ark.; Lindenwood University).
With gorgeous weather on tap for the day, the first riders on the course were the Varsity Men. Torbjorn Roed (Grand Junction, Colo.; Colorado Mesa University) had an incredible ride after outsprinting teammate Austin Beard (Grand Junction, Colo.; Colorado Mesa University) for the win. Taking the Club win was last year's winner Keegan Pelton (Golden, Colo.; Colorado School of Mines). On the Varsity Women's side, last year's winner Maddie Munro (Boulder, Colo.; Colorado Mesa University) ended up taking the win, followed by teammate Ruby Ryan (Grand Junction, Colo.; Colorado Mesa University).
On the Women's Club side, Lauren Aggeler (Durango, Colo.; North Arizona University) had a standout performance taking the overall win after beating second by two minutes. The silver standard would be Natasha Visnack (Boulder, Colo.; University of Colorado Boulder).
On Saturday, STXC took place. Kicking off the afternoon with the win was Torbjorn Roed (Grand Junction, Colo.; Colorado Mesa University) after finishing in a time of 29:53 in the Varsity Men's race. On the Varsity Women's side, Maddie Munro (Boulder, Colo.; Colorado Mesa University) would win another endurance event and take home the Stars and Stripes jersey.
In the club division, Robbie Day (Chicago, Illi.; Colorado College) claimed victory in the men's race with Lauren Aggeler (Durango, Colo.; North Arizona University) going two for two to take the win. Munro, Day, and Aggeler all competed in the UCI Mountain Bike World Championships for Team USA and are now finally ending their mountain bike seasons with a few Collegiate National titles.
Downhill seeding took place Saturday evening and the finals started on Sunday morning. In the Varsity Men's and Women's races, Matt Sterling (Grand Junction, Colo.; Colorado Mesa University) and Jazlyn Smith (Grand Junction, Colo.; Colorado Mesa University) took wins in their respective races, marking a gravity sweep for Sterling!
On the Club side, Andrew Driscoll (Burlington, Vt.; University of Vermont) and Lia Westermann (Salt Lake City; University of Utah) won the Men's Club race and Women's Club races, respectively.
The pressure was on when it came to one of the last events of the weekend, the Team Relay. This was a crucial event for teams to grab their final points towards the overall omnium. Each college puts together a team where a man and a woman each must do two laps. Most teams have two men and two women if their roster allows, but some may only have one of each.
In the Varsity race, Fort Lewis College snagged the overall win, with Colorado Mesa University taking second, and Milligan College taking third.
In the Club race, the University of Colorado Boulder took the win. Northern Arizona University would grab second, and U.S. Air Force Academy would take third.
In addition to the Team Omnium, student-athletes also have the opportunity to compete in an Individual Omnium. Racers must compete in at least 3 out of the 4 disciplines and the racer with the most points wins. Congratulations to Cole Punchard, Drew Hartman, Maria Doering, and Lia Westermann on their Individual Omnium National Titles.
Men's Varsity
1. Cole Punchard (Brevard College) - 196 Points
2. Austin Beard (Colorado Mesa University) - 172 Points
3. Owen Clark (Brevard College) - 167 Points
Men's Club
1. Drew Hartman (Colorado School of Mines) - 173 Points
2. Lucas Miers (University of Nevada Reno) - 114 Points
3. Ian Schwing (Mount St. Mary's University) - 97 Points
Women's Varsity
1. Maria Doering (Lees McRae College) - 169 Points
2. Katie Clouse (Colorado Mesa University) - 147 Points
3. Tai-Lee Smith (Colorado Mesa University) - 138 Points
Women's Club
1. Lia Westermann (University of Utah) - 228 Points
2. Lauren Aggeler (North Arizona University) - 200 Points
3. Isabella Heinemann (Cal Poly - San Luis Obispo) - 180 Points
After a long weekend, the Team Omniums were finally decided. Colorado Mesa University took the Varsity win, finishing with a total of 688-points. In the club category, the University of Colorado Boulder grabbed the overall win with 603-points.
Varsity Podium:
1. Colorado Mesa University
2. Fort Lewis College
3. Brevard College
Club Podium:
1. University of Colorado Boulder
2. Colorado School of Mines
3. Colorado State University
It was a great weekend of racing for all of the colleges. Next up on the Collegiate National Championship calendar is Cyclocross Nationals, December 6-11 in Hartford, Conn.
Photos By: Craig Huffman Photography
Videos By: David Kahn // Kahn Creative
Are you interested in racing in college? Click here to learn more. Collegiate racing provides students with the opportunity to race at a high level while attending school. Did you know that some of our top collegiate riders even go on to be professional bike racers?
