The 2013 USA Cycling Collegiate Track National Championships are about as close to a home event as the Fort Lewis College cycling team gets.
The Skyhawks’ track stars train at the Colorado Springs Velodrome, where the event will be held Friday and Saturday, but it’s still a 5½-hour drive to get to a familiar track.
Gilbert Ducournau, Bryan Froehlicher, Dean Haas, Andrew Hammond, Fernie Jacquez, Troy Meeker, Zack Noonan and Max Thilen make up the men’s team.
Lauryn Andre, Lauren Catlin, Maddie Chaves, Ivie Crawford, Meghan Kane and Vivian Krishnan make up the women’s team.
“We’ve been up there three weekends already this fall,” FLC head coach Dave Hagen said Tuesday before the Skyhawks leave Wednesday for a fourth weekend.
FLC needs all the practice time it can get to compete with teams such as Marian University, the defending national champion, that have a velodrome on campus.
The Skyhawks will benefit this season by bringing players with track experience. Only three riders never have competed on a track before, and Catlin, a senior, is competing in her fourth national championships. Noonan and Thilen bring velodrome experience on the men’s side.
FLC has an advantage of a strong overall cycling program, too, as skills riders gain on the road and on the trails help them on the track, Hagen said.
Jacquez is a Double A Pro BMX rider that Hagen loves having in sprint events.
“The main thing is starting from a dead stop and going as fast as you can,” Hagen said.
The Skyhawks finished fifth last year after coming in second in 2011.
“If we can steal an event or two with where we’re situated we can be pretty happy,” Hagen said. “If things go our way we can sneak a track national title out of somewhere.”
heraldsports@durangoherald.com
FLC Cycling
Collegiate Track Championships
Sept. 21-22, Colorado Springs
FLC Men’s Roster
Gilbert Ducournau – 1K, 4K
Bryan Froehlicher – Sprint, 1K, 4K
Andrew Hammond – 1K, 4K
Dean Haas – Sprint, 1K, 4K, Team Pursuit, Team Sprint, Scratch, Points
Fernie Jacquez – Sprint, 1K
Troy Meeker – 1K, 4K, Team Pursuit, Team Sprint, Scratch, Points
Zack Noonan – Sprint, 1K, 4K, Team Pursuit, Team Sprint, Scratch, Points
Max Thilen – 4K, Team Pursuit, Team Sprint, Scratch, Points
FLC Women’s Roster
Lauryn Andre – Sprint, 500m, 4K
Lauren Catlin – 4K, Team Pursuit, Team Sprint, Points, Scratch
Maddie Chaves – Sprint, 500m, 4K, Team Pursuit, Scratch, Points
Ivie Crawford – Sprint, 500m, 4K, Team Pursuit, Points, Scratch
Meghan Kane – Sprint, 500m, Team Pursuit, Team Sprint
Vivian Krishnan – Sprint, 500m
Durango Herald
