It was another beautiful day in Louisville for the 2023 USA Cycling Cyclocross National Championships. With lines being dialed in and course conditions drying out, each race saw a battle of attrition as riders from around the country competed for the coveted Stars and Stripes jersey.
The first race of the day was slick for the Collegiate Varsity Men. There were several crashes at the start and on the rest of the first lap, which continued to mix up the race. It started with a battle between Colorado Mesa University and Marian University between Jack Spranger (Sammamish, Wash.; Colorado Mesa University), Ivan Sippy (Durango, Colo.; Colorado Mesa University), Tom Scott (Indianapolis, Ind.; Marian University), and Lucas Stierwalt (Maineville, Ohio; Marian University). Cole Punchard (Brevard, N.C.; Brevard College) was off the back at the start after going down in an early crash. He consistently put in fast laps and eventually made contact with the lead group with only a handful of laps remaining. There was a sprint to the finish straight and Punchard rode away to earn the national title.
1. Cole Punchard (Brevard, N.C.; Brevard College)
2. Jack Spranger (Sammamish, Wash.; Colorado Mesa University)
3. Ivan Sippy (Durango, Colo.; Colorado Mesa University)
4. Tom Scott (Indianapolis, Ind.; Marian University)
5. Lucas Stierwalt (Mainville, Ohio; Marian University)
The Collegiate Club race saw a very quick start. The lead group formed early with Dillon McNeill (Papillion, Neb.; University of Nebraska-Lincoln), Nick Carter (Minneapolis, Minn.; Colorado State University), and Nathan Cusack (Chevy Chase, Md.; University of Vermont). McNeill started to create a gap on the third lap and held his lead, winning by over a minute.
1. Dillon McNeill (Papillion, Neb.; University of Nebraska-Lincoln)
2. Nick Carter (Minneapolis, Minn.; Colorado State University)
3. Nathan Cusack (Chevy Chase, Md.; University of Vermont)
4. Justin Peck (Berkley, Calif.; University of California – Berkley)
5. Quentin Loxtercamp (Edina, Minn.; Colorado State University)
41 athletes lined up for the start of the Collegiate Varsity Women’s race. Early on, it became apparent that it would come down to a two-person battle between Katie Clouse (Park City, Utah; Colorado Mesa University) and Lizzy Gunsalus (Ashland, Mass.; Marian University). Heading into the last lap, Clouse put in a big effort to gain several seconds on Gunsalus. This would solidify her position, allowing her to roll into the finish in first with a 9-second gap on Gunsalus.
Clouse finished the day with her third Collegiate Cyclocross national title and said, “It's pretty special to win this year. It was my last collegiate cyclocross nationals with Colorado Mesa University since I'm graduating next year, and I can't thank them enough for the last five years.”
1. Katie Clouse (Park City, Utah; Colorado Mesa University)
2. Lizzy Gunsalus (Ashland, Mass.; Marian University)
3. Natalie Quinn (Durango, Colo.; Fort Lewis College)
4. Michaela Thompson (Durango, Colo.; Fort Lewis College)
5. Makena Kellerman (Escondido, Calif.; Colorado Mesa University)
The Collegiate Club Women saw one rider head to the front and take control of the race. Katherine Sarkisov (North Potomac, Md.; University of Maryland – College Park) rode away from the group and remained at the front for the entirety of the race. Sarkisov finished in a time of 48:30 earning gold. Sarkisov will be racing later this week in the Women’s U23 race.
1. Katherine Sarkisov (North Potomac, Md.; University of Maryland – College Park)
2. Nadine Visser (Boulder, Colo.; University of Colorado – Boulder)
3. Tegan Brown (Boulder, Colo.; University of Colorado – Boulder)
4. Allison Crow (Golden, Colo.; University of Colorado – Boulder)
5. Isa Naschold (Fort Collins, Colo.; Colorado State University)
The Master Men 40-44 battled it out in the early afternoon. With a 14-second lead over his chasers, Corey Stelljes (Madison, Wisc.; Neff Cycle Service) took the win. Ryan Popple (Pitsburgh, Pa.; Cycle Smart) claimed second, and Jordan Snyder (Beaver, Pa.; Freddie FU Cycling) rounded out the podium in third.
1. Corey Stelljes (Madison, Wisc.; Neff Cycle Service)
2. Ryan Popple (Pitsburgh, Pa.; Cycle Smart)
3. Jordan Snyder (Beaver, Pa.; Freddie FU Cycling)
4. Alex Grant (Chicago, Ill.; Gothic Health Club p/b Gear Rush)
5. Dan Teaters (Green Bay, Wisc.; Broken Spoke Racing)
In the Master Men 55-59 race, 50 athletes competed for the Stars and Stripes jersey. Seven riders set the pace at the front of the race. In a battle to the line, Scott Daubert (Waterloo, Wisc.; Trek Waterloo) emerged victorious with a sprint to the pavement taking the win by only two-seconds over Harre, Cochran, and Ross who finished as a group.
1. Scott Daubert (Waterloo, Wisc.; Trek Waterloo)
2. Chris Harre (Webster Groves, Mo.; Pastaria-Bigshark Racing)
3. Jim Cochran (Iowa City, Iowa; Rule #5 / Nick’s Cycling & Fitness)
4. Frankie Ross (Murrysville, Pa.; Sette Nove)
5. Erik Grimm (Pittsford, N.Y.; Minuteman Empire Automation/ Full Moon Vista)
In arguably one of the most competitive races of the day, 70 athletes lined up for the Master Men 50-54 category this afternoon. There was a large group at the front for most of the race with riders slowly getting dropped lap after lap.
By the last lap, the top six were battling back and forth, and Justin Morgan (Park City, Utah; Fieldriders/Squid) made the race winning move with half of a lap to go. He made it stick once he got onto the finish straight to finally win his first national title.
After the race, he said, “My first nats was in 1990 and it has been a long time coming. I've been on the podium a few times, and just knew that if I got the right start in a stacked field and was there at the end, my skills and experience could help me get a win and I did!”
1. Justin Morgan (Park City, Utah; Fieldriders/Squid)
2. Carlos Casali (Golden, Colo.; Monster Racing Team)
3. David Hildebrand (Ellington, Conn.; Competitive Edge Racing)
4. Miles Billings (Newton, Mass.; 545 Velo)
5. Brian Marchionini (Silver Spring, Md.; DC Velo Racing)
For most of the race, a large group stayed together trading pulls. Tom Burke (Middleville, Mich.; Athletic Mentors) and Eneas Freyre (Redding, Conn.; TTEndurance) broke free and fought hard until the finish when Freyre caught a toe on the final barriers, allowing some room for Burke to get a small gap and take the win. Burke went on to say, “It could have gone either way. I have to say it was a fair fight, it was a great race and we had some really good competition.”
1. Tom Burke (Middleville, Mich.; Athletic Mentors)
2. Eneas Freyre (Redding, Conn.; TTEndurance)
3. Felipe Cantero Gutierrez (Arvada, Colo.; AES)
4. Scott Rollins (Germantown, Tenn.; Marx-Bensdorf / BPC Cycling Team)
5. Keith Handlon (Apex, N.C.; FS Series p/b Inside-Out Sports)
Racing continues on Friday with the Masters Women 35+, Men’s and Women’s Singlespeed, Collegiate Team Relay, and Non-Champ Mixed Relay. A full list of results from today’s races can be found here.
Photo By: Tory Hernandez
