The team omnium awards were awarded across divisional (Division I & II) and funding status (Varsity & Club). The Division I Club title went to the University of Colorado - Boulder team with 738 points, taking top points in five out of the nine competitions throughout the weekend. This is CU’s third consecutive mountain bike team omnium title. Colorado State University was second with 620 points, scoring top points in the Club Men’s Downhill. Rounding out the podium was the University of Vermont, with 547 points.
Claiming their first team title in the past five years, Colorado School of Mines won the Division II Club omnium. Fielding just a women’s team at the event, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology took home the silver in the team omnium with 279 points. Similarly, Michigan Technological University won bronze fielding just a women’s team.
On the Varsity side, Fort Lewis College won the Division I omnium, taking home their twenty-fourth national team omnium title. Dominating all but two events, the team scored hoping 803 points over the weekend. Coming in second was fellow Colorado school, Colorado Mesa University, who scored top points in the Varsity Men’s dual slalom event. Marian University, winner of the recent Collegiate Track National Championship Varsity team omnium, would take home bronze.
Duplicating their efforts from last year, Western Colorado State University won the Division II Varsity omnium, scoring 386 points. King University out of Tennessee would take the second step of the podium, close on Western’s heels with 322 points. Union College - KY would round out the podium with 247 points.
Kathryn Lawrence (Boulder, Colo./Massachusetts Institute of Technology), made a podium appearance in each of the four individual events for the Club Women, garnering her 492 points and the individual omnium title. Lia Westermann (Salt Lake City, Utah/University of Utah) would give Lawrence a run for her money, scoring 473 points. Westermann would come away with the silver. Sierra Simms (Knoxville, Tenn./University of Tennessee) would place third with 325 points. Michigan Technological University’s Ashley Berton (Merrill, Wis.) would earn 323 points and fourth place. Molly Madden (Boulder, Colo./University of Colorado - Boulder) would place fifth.
University of Vermont’s Nicholas Lando (Ringwood, N.J.) would take home the stars-and-stripes in the Club Men’s Individual Omnium. Lando’s second place in both the cross-country and short track races ensured his victory. He would end up with 358 points. Ian Blythe (Sedalia, Colo./Colorado School of Mines) would come away with the silver, scoring 349 points. Zach Calton (Bountiful, Utah/University of Utah) placed third in the division with 332 points. Blythe’s Mines teammates Caleb Reese (Golden, Colo.) and Jack Doherty (Denver) would place fourth and fifth respectively.
In the Varsity Women’s race, Madeline Bemis (Corona, Calif./Milligan College) garnered 362 points in all four individual events, with her third place in the short track leading the way to her first collegiate mountain bike title. Colorado Mesa University’s Gwendalyn Gibson (Ramona, Calif.) would be close behind with 349 points, competing in only three of the four events. Veronica Laughton (Lancaster, Calif./Lees-McRae College) would place third in the omnium on the strength of her first place finish in the Varsity Women’s dual slalom race. Hannah Arensman (Rutherford College, N.C./Brevard College) and Katherine Santos (Louisville, Ky./Marian University) would garner 257 and 228 points each.
Last year’s fourth place finisher in the omnium, Trevor McCutcheon (Temecula, Calif./Colorado Mesa University) improved his position this year, taking home the gold in the Varsity Men’s individual omnium with 356 points. McCutcheon’s win in the Varsity Men’s downhill event. A triplet of Brevard College riders would place second through fourth in the division. Tyler Orschel (Brevard, N.C.) would score 276 points, lead by his second place in the short track race on Saturday. Carson Beckett (Benton, Ky.) would also score 276 points, but because of Orschel’s second place in the short track, Beckett would place third in the omnium. The final Brevard rider in the top five was Scott McGill (Fallston, Md.), who earned151 points, placing him in fourth. David Kahn (Putnam Valley, N.Y./Lees-McRae College) would place fifth.
In the Varsity Men’s downhill finals, it was a sweep of the entire podium for Colorado Mesa University. McCutcheon would finish first in a time of 2:58.59, who was third to last rider off set a hard pace to beat. Teammate Andras Simon (Foothill Ranch, Calif.) would come closest to McCutcheon in the division, finishing just three tenths of a second behind. Collin Hudson (Longmont, Colo.) wasn’t far behind Simon, finishing in a time of 2:59.14. Quintin Kurtz (Evergreen, Colo.) and Cameron Joyce (Temecula, Calif.) finished fourth and fifth.
Dylan Crane (Carbondale, Colo./University of Colorado - Boulder) would hold onto his downhill title in the Club Men’s race for another year. Crane would post a 2:57.07, and officially the fastest time of the entire day. Christian Atkins (Arvada, Colo./Colorado State University) would clock a time of 3:00.62, which would earn him the silver. Colorado School of Mines’ Blythe would punch the clock at 3:06.61, which was good enough for the third step of the podium. Atkins teammates Kyle Carr (Rocklin, Calif.) and Ross Soriano (Littleton, Colo.) would finish up the podium.
Fort Lewis College would put three in the top five of the Varsity Women’s downhill final, with McCauley Smith (Boulder, Colo.) taking the win. Smith would post a time of 3:22.02. Bailee Enlow (Grand Forks, N.D./Marian University) would post the second fastest time in the division with a 3:25.39. Smith’s teammate Lacey Andersen (Durango, Colo.) would take the bronze with a time of 3:27.63. Individual Omnium bronze medalist Laughton would take fourth in the downhill event, when she stopped the clock with a 3:27.69, narrowly missing out on third. Rounding out the top five would be FLC’s Elena Runyan (Sammamish, Wash.).
Saturday’s Club Women’s dual slalom winner, Mazie Hayden (Pittsfield, Vt./University of Vermont) would add another stars-and-stripes jersey to her collection, after winning the downhill event in the same division. Hayden would post a time of 3:22.51 in her final run. Silver medalist in the omnium Westermann would earn more silver in the downhill event with her time of 3:29.14. University of Montana rider Alicia Leggett (Kentfield, Calif.) would come in third with a time of 3:32.73. Kathryn Lawrence would use her fourth place finish in the downhill event to cement her gold in the omnium. Sidra Aghabbian (Calabasas, Calif./Colorado State University) would finish out the podium.
Fort Lewis would again show their dominance this weekend, by winning the fast and furious team relay event for the Varsity teams. Brevard College and Marian would be in close pursuit, but weren’t able to over take the winners at the end. Colorado Mesa and Savanah College of Art & Design - Atlanta, would round out the podium for the event.
Like Fort Lewis, CU-Boulder was a force to be reckoned with again taking another first place in an event. University of Utah was second, and California Polytechnic Institute - San Luis Obispo was third.
