Oct. 28, 2014. Last week, the top college mountain bikers in the nation made their way to Beech Mountain Resort Oct. 24-26 for USA Cycling’s Collegiate Mountain Bike National Championships. More than 70 schools and 300 athletes battled for their ranking in the championship competition, which was held for the second time in as many years at the resort.
Local teams Appalachian State University and Lees-McRae College competed in the Division I rankings and several athletes from both schools placed during the championship amid fierce competition.
Lees-McRae College’s Phillip Kmetz won the Men’s Division I Dual Slalom National Championship as well as the Men’s Division I Downhill event. Lees-McRae placed fourth in the Division I Team Relay event while Appalachian State University came in ninth.
Holding the championships two straight years is quite an honor for Beech Mountain. The town and the ski resort have invested significantly in their mountain biking trail systems in recent years, giving the area two quality mountain bike parks.
“It was a great event for our community,” said Talia Freeman, director of marketing at Beech Mountain Resort.
“I am proud of the job we did and amazed at the support received from our volunteers. I am especially happy for Lees-McRae!” Freeman said.
Listed below are the top three finishers for each event. For a full listing of the scores for each event, click here.
Individual Events
Women’s Short Track Cross Country Division I
- Kate Courtney – Stanford University – 332.05 points
- Emily Schaldach – University of Colorado Boulder – 339.97 points
- Sofia Gomez Villafane – Fort Lewis College – 347.69 points
Men’s Short Track Cross Country Division I
- Sepp Kuss – University of Colorado Boulder – 227.43 points
- Luke Vrouwenvelder – University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill – 281.94 points
- Stephan Davoust – Fort Lewis College – 286.45 points
Women’s Short Track Cross Country Division II
- Allison Arensman – Brevard College – 358.01 points
- Sarah Hill – Brevard College – 366.93 points
- MacKenzie Paul – US Air Force Academy – 375.85 points
Men’s Short Track Cross Country Division II
- Richard Cypress Gorry – Brevard College – 306.22 points
- Robert Rimmer – King University – 321.40 points
- Graham Ruhmann – Western State Colorado University – 318.58 points
Men’s Downhill Division I
- Phillip Kmetz – Lees-McRae College – 176.74 points
- John Swanguen – Lindsey Wilson College – 183.41 points
- Max Morgan – University of Vermont – 190.08 points
Men’s Downhill Division II
- Logan Mulally – Brevard College – 191.48 points
- Walker Shaw – Brevard College – 200.97 points
- Ian Turner – Wentworth Institute of Technology – 210.46 points
Women’s Downhill Division I
- Rebecca Gardner – Fort Lewis College – 418.09 points
- Frida Helena Roenning – Marian University – 426.28 points
- Angelina Palermo – Marian University – 434.47
Women’s Downhill Division II
- Ariana Altier – California State University Chico – 445.60 points
- Sarah Hill – Brevard College – 455.23 points
- Samantha Miranda – Brevard College – 464.86 points
Men’s Cross Country Division I
- Sepp Kuss – University of Colorado Boulder – 235.81 points
- Luke Vrouwenvelder – Univesrity of North Carolina Chapel Hill – 241.18 points
- Andrew Dillman – Marian University – 246.55 points
Men’s Cross County Division II
- Richard Cypress Gorry – Brevard College – 272.77 points
- Robert Rimmer – King University – 280.51 points
- Zachary Valdez – Brevard College – 288.25 points
Women’s Cross Country Division I
- Kate Courtney – Stanford University – 357.30 points
- Coryn Rivera – Marian University – 365.32 points
- Linnea Dixson – University of Wyoming – 373.34 points
Women’s Cross Country Division II
- Allison Arensman – Brevard College – 404.97 points
- Sarah Hill – Brevard College – 412.37 points
- MacKenzie Paul – US Air Force Academy – 419.77 points
Men’s Downhill Division I
- Phillip Kmetz – Lees-McRae College – 180.22 points
- Alexander White – University of Colorado Boulder – 186.23 points
- Jimmy Leslie – University of Vermont – 192.24 points
Men’s Downhill Division II
- Walker Shaw – Brevard College – 191.01 points
- Ian Turner – Wentworth Institute of Technology – 200.59 points
- Logan Mulally – Brevard College – 210.17 points
Women’s Downhill Division I
- Rebecca Gardner – Fort Lewis College – 403.45 points
- Frida Helena Roenning – Marian University – 412.33 points
- Leila Carrillo – Fort Lewis College – 421.22 points
Women’s Downhill Division II
- Ariana Altier – California State University Chico – 430.12 points
- Sarah Hill – Brevard College – 441.54 points
- Samantha Miranda – Brevard College – 452.96 points
Women’s Dual Slalom Division I
- Heather Collman – Lindsey Wilson College – 413.52 points
- Ashton Raum – Lindsey Wilson College – 420.31 points
- Rebecca Gardner – Fort Lewis College – 427.10 points
Women’s Dual Slalom Division II
- Ariana Altier – California State University Chico – 459.34 points
- Sarah Hill – Brevard College – 467.03
- Samantha Miranda – Brevard College – 474.72
Men’s Dual Slalom Division I
- Phillip Kmetz – Lees-McRae College – 389.29 points
- Jimmy Leslie – University of Vermont – 393.15 points
- John Swanguen – Lindsey Wilson College – 397.01 points
Men’s Dual Slalom Division II
- Walker Shaw – Brevard College – 414.78 points
- Logan Mulally – Brevard College – 421.04 points
- Callum McEwen – Brevard College – 427.30 points
For the individual omnium report for 2014, click here.
Team Events
Team Relay Division I
- Marian University – 13:35.98
- University of Colorado – Boulder – 13:40.98
- Fort Lewis College – 13:47.26
- Lees-McRae College – 14:20.91
- University of Vermont – 15:32.95
- Stanford University – 15:54.78
- Colorado State University – 15:56.40
- Lindsey Wilson College – 16:04.14
- Appalachian State University – 16:15.08
- Lindenwood University – 16:29.49
- Virginia Polytechnic University – 16:57.11
Team Relay Division II
- Brevard College – 13:38.69
- King University – 14:47.80
- Colorado Mesa University – 15:29.70
- Ripon College – 15:40.69
- Warren Wilson College – 15:49.46
- Western State Colora University – 16:05.49
- Mars Hill University – 16:24.06
- US Air Force Academy – 16:38.34
- Union College – 17:15.48
For team omnium reports, click here.
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