The Colorado Mesa University (CMU) mountain bike team continued its dominance at the 2024 USA Cycling Collegiate Mountain Bike National Championships, held Nov. 12-15 in Bentonville, Arkansas. Across four thrilling days of competition, CMU claimed their fifth consecutive Varsity Collegiate National Championship title.
Competing against 35 club teams and 17 varsity programs, the Mavericks claimed victory over Brevard College (664 points) and Fort Lewis College (592 points) with an impressive 674 points.
Dual Slalom
The competition kicked off with a strong showing in the men's varsity dual slalom. CMU swept the top four podium spots, with Jack Spranger claiming first place, followed by teammates Matt Sterling in second, Grant Lampson in third and Evander Hughes in fourth. On the women’s side, Sophie Allen secured fifth place, with Maylei Leaneagh and Sydney Nielson finishing just behind.
Cross Country
The cross-country race pushed the pace. For the men, Ivan Sippy secured third place, and Jack Spranger added another podium finish with fourth place. Ruby Ryan led the women’s team with a fifth-place finish.
Short Track Cross Country
Short track cross country added more accolades for CMU. On the men’s side, Jack Spranger secured third place, while Aiden Lemorande rounded out the top five with a fifth-place finish. Makena Kellerman and Ruby Ryan claimed fourth and fifth places for the women’s team, both recording times of 2:23.
Downhill and Team Relay
The championship came down to the final day’s downhill and team relay events, where the Mavericks delivered under pressure. Matt Sterling led the men's downhill team with a second-place finish, followed closely by Travis Poole and Grant Lampson in fourth and fifth. On the women’s side, Sydney Nielson finished third, with Sophie Allen securing fifth.
In the team relay, CMU fought hard to finish second with a time of 43:30. The relay team, composed of Jack Spranger, Makena Kellerman, Aiden Lemorande and Ruby Ryan, topped off an incredible weekend for the Mavericks.
With their fifth consecutive national title in the books, CMU now sets its sights on the Cyclocross National Championships in Louisville, Kentucky this December.
UPDATE: On Dec. 15, CMU won the 2024 Collegiate Cyclocross National Championships. CMU brought home the Varsity Team Omnium award with 240 points over Milligan University and Fort Lewis College at 196 points each. This brings the overall CMU record to 89 individual national championship titles, 20 team national championships and 7 overall Omnium titles.
Read the full summary here: Mavericks Bring Home Fifth Straight Cyclocross Championship