Strong performance by Marian on second day of Collegiate Road Nats

  
  


Ogden, Utah (May 4, 2013) -- The 2013 USA Cycling Collegiate Road National Championships continued Saturday with four criterium races in downtown Ogden. The criterium course in downtown Ogden was comprised of eight turns and each lap covered 1.6 kilometers as riders competed under sunny skies and soaring temperatures.

After earning the top two spots in the Division I men's and women's criteriums, Marian University is flexing its muscles as the team to beat at this year's event.

The day's final race was certainly the fastest as the Division I men tested each other in a 75-minute contest as clouds threatened, but did not produce rain. After several breakaways failed throughout the race, the field was together with three laps remaining. With much of the field exhausted by the pace of the race, the Marian University Knights began to surface at the front of the field. Colton Barrett (Indianapolis, Ind./Marian University) won the race ahead of his teammate, Adam Leibovitz (Indianpolis, Ind.), who won this race in 2011. Leibovitz, who led Barrett out, finished second ahead of Renan Maia (Durango, Colo./Fort Lewis College). Brandon Feehery (Homewood, Ill./Lindenwood University) and Griffin Easter (Durango, Colo./Fort Lewis College) placed fourth and fifth, respectively.

The Division I men's field snakes through downtown Ogden. (Photo by Christopher See)
The Division I men's field snakes through downtown Ogden. (Photo by Christopher See)
The Knights also had a stellar performance in the Division I women's race boasting three of the top five finishers. The field stayed together through the early stages of the 60-minute race. Kaitlin Antonneau (Racine, Wis.) helped Marian University win most of the primes throughout the race. The positions on the podium were settled by a bunch sprint. Coryn Rivera (Tustin, Calif.) used Antonneau's lead out and sprinted through the finish line for the win. Antonneau held on for second place ahead of a pair of riders from the University of Colorado-Boulder, Nicole Bruderer (Boulder, Colo.) and Christa Ghent (Boulder, Colo.), who placed third and fourth, respectively. Ivy Audrain (Indianapolis, Ind./Marian University) was fifth.

“We raced really well as a team," Rivera said. "We covered all the moves, and unfortunately Jackie (Kurth) was caught up in that big crash, and when we found out, we had to be a little more conservative in terms of covering a little more moves. Our plan was to get the primes and capitalize on that and watch out for counters. When it came down to the finish, we just had to stack it up and I think we did exactly that, with me coming first, Kaitie second, and Ivy rounding out the podium in fifth.”

The Division II men's race was an extremely aggressive race with many, short-lived breakaways. With five laps remaining in the 75-minute race, a five-rider breakaway attacked. The five riders - Michael Mulvihill (San Francisco, Calif./Duke University), Matthew Rinehart (Durham, N.C.), Matt Lyons (Denver, Colo./University of Denver), Morgan Ryan (Ventura, Calif./Colorado Mesa University) and Payne Griffin (Birmingham, Ala./American University) – built a steady lead of 12 seconds on the field. The field caught the back of the breakaway at the last turn, but the front of the breakaway managed to hold its lead through the finish line. Mulvihill won ahead of Lyons and Morgan. Jacob Hill (Saint Petersburg, Fla./Mars Hill College) placed fourth and Robert Ferris (Durham, N.C./Duke University), who with Mulvihill, was part of Duke's national championship team time trial squad, was fifth.

The riders of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology protecting Christina Birch's solo breakaway. (Photo by Christopher See)
The riders of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology protecting Christina Birch's solo breakaway. (Photo by Christopher See)
The riders from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) animated the middle of the Division II women's race. Christina Birch (Somerville, Mass./Massachusetts Institute of Technology), who contributed to MIT's team time trial win on Friday, opened a 20-second lead just past the midpoint of the 60-minute race. With six laps remaining in the race, the riders from the University of Northern Colorado began to reel Birch in, bringing Tanelle Berard (Clive, Iowa/University of Northern Colorado) within striking distance. Berard caught Birch and the two women went off the front with four laps remaining. The peloton quickly reeled the two leaders back, resulting in a field sprint. Rose Long (New York, N.Y./Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai), who finished third in the individual time trial Friday, won the sprint, with Erica Zaveta (Erwinna, Pa/Brevard College) placing second. Laura Ralston (Cambridge, Mass./Massachusetts Institute of Technology) finished third ahead of Solymar Rivera (Carolina, P.R./University of Puerto Rico-Rio Piedras) and Elspeth Huyett (Alburtis, Pa./Kutztown University of Pennsylvania).

Team Omnium Update
After finishing first and second in each of Saturday's criteriums, Marian University has opened a 115-point cushion in the Division I team omnium standings. The University of Colorado-Boulder sits in second place with 261 points, nine points ahead of Lindenwood University. Fort Lewis College is in fourth place with 220 points, 32 points out of third place and 16 points ahead of the University of California-Davis.

The Division II team omnium standings show a very tight race after the second day of racing. Colorado Mesa University has wrested the top spot away from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Colorado Mesa University has 266 points, only five points ahead of MIT, while Mars Hill College sits in third with 203 points. With 188 points, Duke University has a one-point edge on King College for fourth place.

The event concludes on Sunday with four road races. The Division I women's race begins at 8:15 a.m., followed by the Division II women's race at 8:25 a.m. The Division I men's race starts at 12:30 p.m. and the Division II men's begins at 12:40 p.m.

For updated news, course maps, a schedule of events, and more visit the 2013 USA Cycling Collegiate Road National Championships page. You can also follow the event on Twitter using the hashtag #CollNats, or visit the Collegiate Road Nationals Facebook page for information on the races as well as ancillary events in Ogden.

2013 USA Cycling Collegiate Road National Championships
May 3-5, 2013
Ogden, Utah

FULL RESULTS

TEAM OMNIUM STANDINGS

PHOTO GALLERY

Criterium

Division I Men
1. Colton Barrett (Indianapolis, Ind./Marian University)
2. Adam Leibovitz (Indianpolis, Ind./Marian University)
3. Renan Maia (Durango, Colo./Fort Lewis College)
4. Brandon Feehery (Homewood, Ill./Lindenwood University)
5. Griffin Easter (Durango, Colo./Fort Lewis College)

Division I Women
1. Coryn Rivera (Tustin, Calif./Marian University)
2. Kaitlin Antonneau (Racine, Wis./Marian University)
3. Nicolle Bruderer (Boulder, Colo./University of Colorado-Boulder)
4. Christa Ghent (Boulder, Colo./University of Colorado-Boulder)
5. Ivy Audrain (Indianapolis, Ind./Marian University)

Division II Men
1. Michael Mulvihill (San Francisco, Calif./Duke University)
2. Matt Lyons (Denver, Colo./University of Denver)
3. Morgan Ryan (Ventura, Calif./Colorado Mesa University)
4. Jacob Hill (Saint Petersburg, Fla./Mars Hill College)
5. Robert Ferris (Durham, N.C./Duke University)

Division II Women's Criterium
1. Rose Long (New York, N.Y./Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai)
2. Erica Zaveta (Erwinna, Pa./Brevard College)
3. Laura Ralston (Cambridge, Mass./Massachusetts Institute of Technology)
4. Solymar Rivera (Carolina, P.R./University of Puerto Rico-Rio Piedras)
5. Elspeth Huyett (Alburtis, Pa./Kutztown University of Pennsylvania)



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This Article Updated May 5, 2013 @ 05:02 AM For more information contact: