It was an eventful and windy weekend in Albuquerque where collegiate athletes brought their A-game for the 2024 USA Cycling Collegiate Road National Championships.
TEAM TIME TRIAL
Friday kicked off with the Team Time Trial which covered 30.1 kilometers. For the Club Women, the University of Colorado Boulder took home gold, winning in a time of 41:41.03, followed by the University of Arizona in second and Arizona State University rounding out the podium in third. On the Varsity Women's side, Colorado Mesa University stopped the clock at 40:18.83, which was good enough to secure first. Marian University and Fort Lewis College were hot on Colorado Mesa’s heels, finishing within .82 and 14.65 seconds of the winning team's time.
In the Men’s Club event, Colorado State University won in a time of 36:22.10. University of Colorado Boulder earned second, and California Polytechnic-San Luis Obispo rounded out the podium in third. On the Varsity Men’s side, Marian University took first, finishing in a time of 35:07.10. Fort Lewis College earned silver, and Lindenwood University took bronze.
INDIVIDUAL TIME TRIAL
It was now the individual rider's turn to race against the clock on Friday afternoon on a course that covered 22.6 kilometers. For the Club Women, Zoe Van Winckel (Reston, Va.; UVA Cycling) won the event with a time of 36:15.0. Grace Walther (Indianapolis, Ind.; Indiana University-Bloomington) earned silver, and Claire MacDougall (Antigonish, Nova Scotia; Stanford University) took bronze. In the Women’s Varsity event, Molly Hayes (Wichita Falls, Texas; Midwestern State University) finished with a time of 39:30.3, which earned her gold.
In the Men’s Club event, Aaron Wenk (Scarsdale, N.Y.; Princeton University) took the win with a time of 29:20.3. Gavin Blair (Greenbelt, Md.; University of Maryland-College Park) and Sebastian Silberman (Columbia, Md.; Princeton University) finished second and third, respectively. On the Varsity Men’s side, Jonas Walton (Martinez, Ga.; Belmont Abbey College) earned the gold with a winning time of 29:21.2. Zach Fernau (Show Low, Ariz.; Lindsey Wilson College) and Nicholas Van Rooyen (Mooresville, N.C.; Lees-McRae College) finished second and third, respectively.
ROAD RACE
On Saturday, women and men raced a looped course for a total of 105 kilometers. The first race of the day was the Men’s Club event where Anthony Hilligoss (Eden Prairie, Minn.; University of Colorado Boulder) earned gold with a time of 2:24:27. Aaron Wenk (Scarsdale, N.Y.; Princeton University) earned second, and Nathan Cusack (Chevy Chase Md.; UVM Cycling) claimed third.
The Club Women raced next – Aria Mundy (Boulder, Colo.; University of Colorado Boulder) won the event with a time of 2:58:21. Sarah Duclos (Howell, Mich.; University of Michigan-Ann Arbor) earned second, and Nadine Visser (Boulder, Colo.; University of Colorado Boulder) took the third.
The Varsity Men’s event was a battle for the finish where the top four riders all sprinted in together. Ultimately, Luca Haines (Durango, Colo.; Fort Lewis College) took first, Jonas Walton (Martinez, Ga.; Belmont Abbey College) claimed second, and Ben Kolbie (Dublin, Ga.; Piedmont College) rounded out the podium in third.
The Women’s Varsity event concluded the day where there was another battle for the finish with the top three sprinting to the line together. Cassidy Hickey (Parker, Colo.; Colorado Mesa University) took first, Lizzy Gunsalus (Dudley, Mass.; Marian University) claimed second, and Kylie Small (Centennial, Colo.; Fort Lewis College) earned third.
CRITERIUM
Resilience, speed, and precision were on display for the final day of the 2024 Collegiate Road National Championships, where the Albuquerque wind posed quite the challenge. A 1.8-kilometer circuit was used for all of the criterium events. The first race of the day was the Women’s Club event where Aria Mundy (Boulder, Colo.; University of Colorado Boulder) earned the Stars and Stripes jersey. The battle for silver was a close sprint to the finish – Allison Crow (Golden, Colo.; University of Colorado Boulder) finished second and Zoe Van Winckel (Reston, Va.; UVA Cycling) finished third.
In the Men’s Club event, there was another battle for the gold with the top three riders sprinting to the finish. Simon Abrahamse (Atlanta, Ga; University of Colorado Boulder) won the event, Gavin Blair (Greenbelt, Md.; University of Maryland-College Park) earned silver, and Anthony Hilligoss (Eden Prairie, Minn.; University of Colorado Boulder) took bronze.
There was another close finish in the Women’s Varsity event, where the top seven riders all finished in a sprint to the line. Ultimately, Stephanie Lawrence (Colorado Springs, Colo.; Marian University) snagged it at the line, earning gold. Olivia Cummins (Fort Collins, Colo.; Colorado Mesa University) earned silver, and Katie Clouse (Park City, Utah; Colorado Mesa University) took bronze.
The Men’s Varsity event concluded the day. Jonas Walton (Martinez, Ga.; Belmont Abbey College) broke away from the pack early in the race and continued to advance that lead throughout, finishing over a minute-and-a-half ahead of the chasers. Kellen Caldwell (Milford, Mich.; Fort Lewis College) won the battle for silver, and Vaughn Veenendaal (Boulder, Colo.; Colorado Mesa University) took the bronze medal.
INDIVIDUAL OMNIUM
Club Men
- Anthony Hilligoss (Eden Prairie, Minn.; University of Colorado Boulder) – 152 points
- Gavin Blair (Greenbelt, Md.; University of Maryland-College Park) – 124 points
- Jonathan Lane (Irvine, Calif.; Purdue Cycling) – 111 points
Varsity Men
- Jonas Walton (Martinez, Ga.; Belmont Abbey College) – 166 points
- Luca Haines (Durango, Colo.; Fort Lewis College) – 122 points
- Kellen Caldwell (Milford, Mich.; Fort Lewis College) – 121 points
Club Women
- Aria Mundy (Boulder, Colo.; University of Colorado Boulder) – 163 points
- Nadine Visser (Boulder, Colo.; University of Colorado Boulder) – 148 points
- Sarah Duclos (Howell, Mich.; University of Michigan-Ann Arbor) – 132 points
Varsity Women
- Cassidy Hickey (Parker, Colo.; Colorado Mesa University) – 164 points
- Lizzy Gunsalus (Dudley, Mass.; Marian University) – 131 points
- Olivia Cummins (Fort Collins, Colo.; Colorado Mesa University) – 131 points
TEAM OMNIUM
Club Omnium
- University of Colorado Boulder – 464 points
- Colorado State University – 338 points
- University of Arizona – 320 points
Varsity Omnium
- Colorado Mesa University – 446 points
- Fort Lewis College – 430 points
- Marian University – 410 points
Full results can be found here.
Photo By: Craig Huffman
