Tied going into the final day of the national championships, the Fort Lewis College cycling team had its eyes focused on bringing home a 23rd national championship to Durango.
It wasn’t to be Saturday in Asheville, North Carolina, as Marian University edged the Skyhawks in the team relay race at the USA Cycling Collegiate Cyclo-Cross National Championship. Fort Lewis took second place to finish second overall as a team.
“The team relay went well,” FLC coach Ian Burnett said in an email to The Durango Herald. “We had a plan with our order of riders and how we wanted to race it, and we executed that.
“We did everything we could in order to try and win and take home the overall, and it was not quite enough.”
The weekend was highlighted by Sofia Gomez-Villafañe’s individual championship in the Division I women’s race Friday. She finished 39 seconds ahead of the second-place finisher.
“It was huge to come home with a championship jersey with Sofia, and to see her win her first stars and bars was super fun and rallied the team,” Burnett said.
The Skyhawks have 22 national championships in team history, 19 of which have come via mountain biking.
Up next for FLC is the BMX season. The national championships will be held Feb. 5-7 in Louisville, Kentucky.
jlivingston@durangoherald.com
