The 2024 USA Cycling Junior Track National Championships concluded Saturday evening. Over the three-day event, forty-one Stars and Stripes jerseys were awarded and two new National Records were established.
It was a fast and full Friday with Time Trial, Pursuit, and Scratch Race events.
The Junior Women 15-16 raced in the morning session, with the top five finishers all clocking times under 43 seconds for the 500m Time Trial. Sarah Vargas (Rancho Palos Verdes, Calif.) set the bar in Heat 4 with a time of 39.906, earning her silver. Maya Brothers (Havertown, Pa.; Star Track) took to the line in Heat 5 and powerfully rode to victory, claiming the National Title with a time of 38.844.
The Junior Men 15-16 competed in the 1000m Time Trial. Michael Perez (Westminster, Calif.; iCademy Cycling) set the bar in Heat 5 with a time of 1:14.617, which would earn him fourth place on the podium. Kashus Adamski (Bloomfield Hills, Mich.; Mad Track Cycling/Lexus Velodrome Detroit) took to the line in the final heat and raced to victory with a time of 1:10.859, claiming his second Stars and Stripes jersey of the week and setting yet another National Record. Marcus Kennedy (Hereford, Pa.; The Velo Shop) earned silver with a time of 1:13.156, and Gavin Newman (Portland, Ore.; East Portland Youth Cycling) claimed bronze with a time of 1:14.121.
Marking a milestone, local rider Rue Tomko (Bellevue, Wash.; Jerry Baker Juniors) claimed the first-ever Junior Non-Binary 15-16 1000m Time Trial National Title.
The Junior Women 17-18 had their eyes on the prize with the top four finishers all clocking times under 41 seconds for the 500m Time Trial. Avery Cavner (Colorado Springs, Colo.; Groove Subaru Excel Sports) set the bar in Heat 4 with a time of 40.628, earning her bronze. Rita Fedewa (Fort Collins, Colo.; Boulder Valley Velodrome) took to the line in Heat 6 and raced to victory with a time of 36.779, claiming her second Stars and Stripes jersey of the week and setting a new facility record. Danielle Scoville (Lake Stevens, Wash.; Jerry Baker Juniors) claimed silver with a time of 39.371.
The Junior Men 17-18 raced the 1000m Time Trial. Andrew Ford (El Cerrito, Calif.) immediately set the bar in Heat 1 with a time of 1:10.433, which would earn him bronze. Louis Bonilla (Long Beach, Calif.; Ironfly) claimed silver with a time of 1:09.196. JC Pile (Kirkland, Wash.; Jerry Baker Juniors) brought it home in the final heat, finishing with a time of 1:07.184, claiming the National Title and setting a new facility record.
Twenty-two U15 riders participated in the 500m Time Trial non-championship event. Tenths-of-seconds separated the top three finishers for the U15 Women, where Naomi Pospisil (Laguna Niguel, Calif.) took the win with a time of 44.000. Uhllana Woods (Ventura, Calif.; Brihop Cycling) came in second with a time of 44.141, and Sarah Lynch (Sammamish, Wash.; Jerry Baker Juniors) finished third with a time of 44.324. For the U15 Men, William Huang (Redmond, Wash.; Jerry Baker Juniors) claimed gold with a time of 37.641. Hundredths-of-seconds separated Lucien Bobé (Brooklyn, N.Y.; Star Track) and Alexander Rocco (Seattle, Wash.; Jerry Baker Juniors) who finished second and third, respectively. Owen Fuller (Bellevue, Wash.; Jerry Baker Juniors) took gold in the U15 Non-Binary category.
The Junior Women 17-18 took to the track for a 5-lap (2km) Pursuit. In the final, Reagan Pattishall (Breinigsville, Pa.; Edge Cycling) and Nora Vik (Sunnyvale, Calif.; SJBC) raced for gold, while Louisa Kelly (Sunnyvale, Calif.; SJBC) and Julia Barna (Vancouver. Wash.; Valkyr Cycling Team) battled for bronze. Reaching speeds of over 47 km/h, Pattishall raced to victory, setting a new track record with her time of 2:31.613 and claimed her second National Title of the week. Vik claimed silver with a time of 2:41.803, and Kelly earned bronze with a time of 2:51.008.
The Junior Men 17-18 took to the track for a 7.5-lap (3km) Pursuit. Merrick Gallagher (Redmond, Wash.; Jerry Baker Juniors) and Otis Engel (Mertztown, Pa.; Kelly Benefits Cycling) clocked the first- and second-fastest times in Qualifying to advance to the final. Adding to that victory, Gallagher set a new track record with his time of 3:26.555. In the final, Gallagher claimed the National Title with a time of 3:35.253. Engel earned silver with a time of 3:40.147 and Jack Diemar (Eagle, Colo.; Primal-Audi Denver) rounded out the podium with bronze.
In the Junior Women’s 17-18 Scratch Race, ten riders lined up to battle it out for 19 laps and their chance to claim a National Title. The field stayed together, and it came down to a finishing sprint. Reagan Pattishall (Breinigsville, Pa.; Edge Cycling) attacked in the final lap to win gold and her third Stars and Stripes jersey of the week. A hard-fought sprint to the line earned Avery Cavner (Colorado Springs, Colo.; Groove Subaru Excel Sports) silver. Kat Kendall (Manhattan Beach, Calif.; Ironfly/iCademy Junior Development) rounded out the podium with bronze.
Eleven riders took the track for the 25-lap Junior Men’s 17-18 Scratch Race. Enzo Edmonds (Brooklyn, N.Y.; Hot Tubes Development Cycling) made the attack in the final lap and found a huge jump on the back straight to win the National Title. Merrick Gallagher (Redmond, Wash.; Jerry Baker Juniors) earned silver and Otis Engel (Mertztown, Pa.; Kelly Benefits Cycling) rounded it out with bronze.
The schedule was packed for the final day on Saturday. The morning session was all about Team Sprint and Team Pursuit finals. The evening session was all about strategy, speed, and endurance with new National Champions crowned in Keirin, Omnium, Elimination Race, and Points Race events.
Six teams vied for gold in the Junior Women’s 15-18 Team Sprint final. JERRY BAKER JUNIORS set the bar in Heat 4 with a time of 1:35.016, which would earn them the bronze medal. EVERYTHING BAGEL claimed silver with a time of 1:34.851. In the closing heat, R.E.D. – Danielle Scoville (Lake Stevens, Wash.; Jerry Baker Juniors), Reagan Pattishall (Breinigsville, Pa.; Edge Cycling), and Eire Chen (Del Mar, Calif.; SDBC Powered by Bonnici Law Group p/b UC Cyclery) – outperformed the competition with a time of 1:30.453 to secure the National Title and set the facility record.
Six teams of Junior 15-18 Men vied for the Stars and Stripes in the Team Sprint final. EPYC established the benchmark in Heat 3 with a time of 1:26.341, earning them a podium spot with bronze. STAR TRACK-ISH flew through their 1.2km, finishing with a time of 1:20.908 to secure silver. In the closing heat, JERRY BAKER JUNIORS – Merrick Gallagher (Redmond, Wash.; Jerry Baker Juniors), JC Pile (Kirkland, Wash.; Jerry Baker Juniors), and Gabriel Takagi (Kirkland, Wash.; Jerry Baker Juniors) – secured the National Title and set the facility record with their time of 1:16.961.
In the Junior Women’s 15-18 Team Pursuit, SJBC/EDGE – Reagan Pattishall (Breinigsville, Pa.; Edge Cycling), Eire Chen (Del Mar, Calif.; SDBC Powered by Bonnici Law Group p/b UC Cyclery), Nora Vik (Sunnyvale, Calif.; SJBC), and Louisa Kelly (Sunnyvale, Calif.; SJBC) – outpaced the competition, securing the National Title and setting a facility record with a time of 5:22.729. 50/50 earned silver with a time of 5:42.781, and BELLE’S BELLS rounded out the podium with bronze.
Five teams of Junior 15-18 Men took to the track for their chance to claim a National Title. GHCF P/B SHOTTENKIRK FORT BEND set the bar in Heat 3 with a time of 4:57.088, which would earn them a podium spot and the bronze medal. The battle for gold came down to less than 3-tenths-of-a-second with NECKLACE BOYZ – Merrick Gallagher (Redmond, Wash.; Jerry Baker Juniors), Jack Hampson (Lake Oswego, Ore.; EPYC), Oscar Plechl Moriki (Portland, Ore.; EPYC), and Gavin Newman (Portland, Ore.; East Portland Youth Cycling) – claiming gold and setting a facility record with a time of 4:40.270. 4 STOOGES rode an impressive 4km pursuit and secured silver with a time of 4:40.566.
In the Junior Women’s Elimination Race, eight riders battled it out for gold. Reagan Pattishall (Breinigsville, Pa.; Edge Cycling) flew across the finish line solo to claim her sixth Stars and Stripes jersey of the week. Danielle Scoville (Lake Stevens, Wash.; Jerry Baker Juniors) finished second and Kat Kendall (Manhattan Beach, Calif.; Ironfly/iCademy Junior Development) rounded out the podium in third.
The Junior Men’s field was eleven riders deep and filled with familiar faces. It came down to a sprint to the finish between Merrick Gallagher (Redmond, Wash.; Jerry Baker Juniors) and Enzo Edmonds (Brooklyn, N.Y.; Hot Tubes Development Cycling) with Gallagher claiming the win and his fourth Stars and Stripes jersey of the week. Otis Engel (Mertztown, Pa.; Kelly Benefits Cycling) rounded out the podium in third.
The Junior Women’s 15-18 Keirin semi-finals set the tone for the night as the first races of the evening session. Rita Fedewa (Fort Collins, Colo.; Boulder Valley Velodrome) and Emma Jimenez Palos (Novi, Mich.) were the top qualifiers in their heats. The final came down to a well-fought, full-out finish. Jimenez Palos pushed it over the line to claim gold by a margin of 0.151. Danielle Scoville (Lake Stevens, Wash.; Jerry Baker Juniors) earned silver and Avery Cavner (Colorado Springs, Colo.; Groove Subaru Excel Sports) rounded out the podium with bronze.
In the Junior Men’s 15-18 Final, tactics and positioning were key. Grayson Hauck (Allentown, Pa.; Star Track) navigated the final 300m brilliantly to win the National Title by 0.108. Andrew Ford (El Cerrito, Calif.) secured silver and JC Pile (Kirkland, Wash.; Jerry Baker Juniors) earned bronze.
Seven riders took the track for the Junior Women’s 17-18 Points Race. With a smaller field size to split the work, endurance, strategy, and power would be essential. Reagan Pattishall (Breinigsville, Pa.; Edge Cycling) swept all ten Sprints and gained a lap to win her seventh National Title of the week. Nora Vik (Sunnyvale, Calif.; SJBC) earned silver and Kat Kendall (Manhattan Beach, Calif.; Ironfly/iCademy Junior Development) took bronze.
On the Junior Men’s 17-18 side, the points were close throughout the race between Merrick Gallagher (Redmond, Wash.; Jerry Baker Juniors) and Enzo Edmonds (Brooklyn, N.Y.; Hot Tubes Development Cycling). Gallagher won the Stars and Stripes with a total of 44 points. Edmonds claimed silver with 37 points and Jayden Li (Fresh Meadows, N.Y.; Star Track) rounded it out with bronze.
Medals were awarded throughout the week to the top three finishers in each individual event making up the Junior Track Omnium. A National Title was awarded to the overall Omnium champions at the conclusion of all Junior Track Omnium events.
Junior Women 11-12:
Addison Blumenthal (Richmond, Texas; GHCF p/b Shottenkirk Kia)
Junior Men 11-12:
Max Ebens (New York, N.Y.; Star Track)
Junior Women 13-14:
Aine Chen (Del Mar, Calif.; Ironfly/iCademy Junior Development)
Junior Men 13-14:
Keegan Fairbanks (Covington, Wash.; Jerry Baker Juniors)
Junior Women 15-16:
Emma Jimenez Palos (Novi, Mich.)
Junior Men 15-16:
David Jackson Clary (Westfield, Ind.; Midwest Devo)
The next generation of champions came out to the track this week to participate in the Under-11 non-championship Omnium. The five riders were awarded track medals for their performances.
1. Frances Mawhinney (Dobbs Ferry, N.Y.; Star Track)
2. Diego Avery (Sunol, Calif.; Work Health Solutions Racing)
3. Kaydence Edwards (Duvall, Wash.; Jerry Baker Juniors)
4. Joseph Lee (San Ramon, Calif.; Work Health Solutions Racing)
5. Liana Kim (Douglaston, N.Y.; Star Track)
Replays of all sessions, courtesy of the Jerry Baker Memorial Velodrome, can be found here.
Read the opening day recap here.
Rider results for the 2024 USA Cycling Junior Track National Championships can be found here. For a downloadable image, click here.
Photo By: Tory Hernandez, Evrgrn Photo
Thank you for tuning in for this year’s Junior Track Nationals! The Championship will return to Redmond next year.
