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Vermont scores another win at collegiate road nationals

by Robbie Stout

• May 09, 2009
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The Green Mountain crew will have a tough time winning the team omnium title, however

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• Results

By Robbie Stout

The University of Vermont won for a second day in a row at the collegiate national road championships on Saturday.

UVM’s Colin Jaskiewicz took the Division 1 men’s criterium win at the race in downtown Fort Collins, Colorado, the day after teammates Jamey Driscoll and Will Dugan went 1-2 in the road race.

Youngster Sinead Miller of Marian College won the D1 women’s crit after being hospitalized Friday. And Phil Elsasser (Western Washington University) won the D2 men’s race out of a two-man break; while Whitman College’s Kendi Thomas swept up the D2 women’s race, taking primes and the finale.

The course was a flat, technical figure 8. The technical aspect of the eight-corner course aided in breakaway attempts, while the long finishing stretch allowed for a tactical bunch sprint.

D2 women enjoy a field sprint

In the D2 women’s criterium, Thomas handed it to the field by sprinting to the win and taking most of the prime points along the way. Kimberly Geist (DeSales University) appeared to be the strongest rider, taking two primes herself, but she wasn’t able to find her way to the top ten in the finale.

Thomas, a junior studying environmental sociology, rides for the Hagens Berman trade team. Finishing second to Dartmouth’s Jen Stebbins last year, she was more motivated than ever to finally claim the win. “My teammate Mia (Huth) did a perfect job on the last lap,” recalled Thomas. “She went as hard as she could and delivered me into the last corner.”

D1 women surprised by youngster

The D1 women’s criterium was an aggressive race with numerous attempts at breakaways. In the end, the group finished together, resulting in a field sprint that went to Sinead Miller (Marian College). After the race Miller said Lees-McRae fielded the strongest team, and it was evident from the sidelines, as the team neutralized breaks, and even took some of the primes. But Lees-McRae’s Carla Swart, a pre-race favorite and winner of the Friday’s road race, may have worked too hard early in the race and wound up fourth.

Miller, 18, has been racing bikes since she was 5, beginning on the BMX track. When she was 10 she began racing on the road and just made the jump to the velodrome last year. The win Saturday came as a surprise considering she spent Friday in the hospital after the grueling road race.

Miller had just returned last Monday from Europe, where she raced under the wing of USA Cycling’s Jim Miller; she said she was in anything but optimal health for the race.

“The doctor told me yesterday that I have bronchitis — borderline pneumonia,” she said. When asked how she felt Saturday, she simply said, “Not very good.” Well, good enough to be the new national collegiate criterium champion.

D2 Men sees a two-man breakaway

The D2 men’s criterium saw numerous breaks chased down and then countered with other attacks. With several breakaways, some gaining up to 15 seconds yet failing to stay away, it appeared that the day would be a sprinter’s race.

But with 30 minutes remaining, Western Washington’s Phil Elsasser snagged a prime, taking a small time gap. Instead of falling comfortably back, he decided to drill it. Shortly after, Thacker Reeves of Cumberland University was able to bridge and contribute to the break. The two worked well together but their effort seemed doomed as their lead never went over 15 seconds.

Riders from the peloton continuously tried to bridge, but were always reeled in. The gap shrunk in the final laps but the group was unable to close it. Elsasser outkicked Reeves for the win and Thomas Brown of Emery University took the field sprint.

Vermont again in the D1 men

The D1 men’s criterium also saw riders attempting to ride off the front, but the field was too hungry and too strong to let a break succeed. With riders popping off the back every lap, it was clear that the pace was worthy of a national championship.

The University of Vermont worked hard to neutralize attacks to keep the pack together for their sprinter, Colin Jaskiewicz. With just six laps remaining, a group of three riders were able to clear the field. And with just three to go, the group had grown to five. With Vermont on the front, yet having expended energy early on in the race, it appeared that the break would stick to the finish. But in the final few corners, the Vermont riders caught the break and were able to deliver Jaskiewicz to the final corner, where he unleashed a race-winning sprint.

Jaskiewicz, studying mechanical engineering and math, and with just one semester remaining, is undefeated in collegiate criteriums this year. “This is definitely the most prestigious win I’ve had so far and it makes it even better that Jamey and Will went one and two yesterday.” Outside of the Vermont team, Jaskiewicz rides with teammate Dugan on the CCB-Volkswagen team.

Vermont has proven that it’s the strongest team at nationals. Driscoll said the strength comes from years training and racing together.

“Over the years we’ve gotten to know each other better and ride with each other more and that helps with the tactics part,” he said. “We’ve practiced this type of leadout a few times already this year,” said Jaskiewicz.

Dugan furthered the point of unity, adding, “A lot of us live together so it’s kind of more like a family — we breathe cycling.”

This type of unity helps the riders better understand what they can do. Jaskiewicz admitted he can’t keep up with Dugan and Driscoll on the long, driving efforts. But “if we can get him to the line, he’ll deliver,” said Driscoll.

Despite Vermont’s apparent dominance, they may not be able to win the team omnium. Despite an eighth-place finish Saturday by Natana Hotimsky, the team lacks depth on the women’s side, which will hurt their chances at the team title. And the team couldn’t afford to bring time-trial bikes for Sunday’s race against the clock. Team members said that they would still attempt to do well in the TTT, even without ideal equipment.

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Results

D2 Collegiate Women’s Criterium
1. THOMAS, Kendi Whitman College in 01:00:55.2
2. PHILLIPS, Daisy Western Washington University in 01:00:55.5
3. FILIBERTI, Arielle Dartmouth College in 01:00:55.7
4. MATSUMOTO, Yuri Massachusetts Institute Of Technology in 01:00:55.9
5. KLOFTA, Rita DePauw University in 01:00:56.4
6. PIERSON, Roxanne Whitman College in 01:00:56.9
7. OLIVIER, Anna Yale University in 01:00:57.5
8. BUCKLEY, Martha Massachusetts Institute Of Technology in 01:00:57.7
9. TURNER, Kimberley Seattle Pacific University in 01:00:58.0
10. RALSTON, Laura Massachusetts Institute Of Technology in 01:00:58.0

D1 Collegiate Women’s Criterium
1. MILLER, Sinead Marian College in 00:57:59.9
2. CROWELL, Jacquelyn University of Florida in 00:57:59.9
3. WILDGOOSE, Tammy University Of California-San Diego in 00:58:00.7
4. SWART, Carla Lees-McRae College in 00:58:01.4
5. LISCINSKI, Lauren University Of California-Santa Barbara in 00:58:01.7
6. FORSMAN, Chloe University Of Arizona in 00:58:01.7
7. ZAVETA, Erica University Of Arizona in 00:58:01.7
8. HOTIMSKY, Natana University Of Vermont in 00:58:01.9
9. MCLOON, Anna Harvard University in 00:58:02.6
10. STACHER, Ally Lees-McRae College in 00:58:02.8

D2 Collegiate Men’s Criterium
1. ELSASSER, Phil Western Washington University in 01:13:35.9
2. REEVES, Thacker Cumberland University in 01:13:37.9
3. BROWN, Thomas Emory University in 01:13:40.2
4. CHADDOCK, Ben Whitman College in 01:13:40.3
5. Male ROSSKOPF, Joey Pfeiffer University in 01:13:40.5
6. PADILLA, Alejandro Cumberland University in 01:13:41.2
7. MERKLER, Derek US Military Academy in 01:13:41.5
8. MULLERVY, Kevin Mesa State College in 01:13:41.6
9. SEARS, Jason Massachusetts Institute Of Technology in 01:13:41.9
10. MULLERVY, Conor Mesa State College in 01:13:42.0

D1 Collegiate Men’s Criterium
1. JASKIEWICZ, Colin University Of Vermont in 01:15:19.9
2. MARTINEZ, Nicholas University Of California-Santa Barbara in 01:15:20.0
3. SWEETING, Bobby University Of Florida in 01:15:20.1
4. REIJNEN, Kiel University Of Colorado-Boulder in 01:15:20.1
5. RATCLIFF, Alister Fort Lewis College in 01:15:20.7
6. LIONBERG, Daniel Colorado State University in 01:15:20.7
7. HEGYVARY, Adrian University Of Washington-Seattle in 01:15:20.8
8. ALLISON, Zack Colorado State University in 01:15:20.8
9. UBERTI, Chris Purdue University in 01:15:21.1
10. LAAN, Derek Purdue University in 01:15:21.3

D1 Team Omnium Standings
1. Lees-McRae College 271
2. University of Vermont 227
3. University of Arizona 227
4. University of California-Davis 222
5. Colorado State University 215

D2 Team Omnium Standings
1. Whitman College 333
2. Massachusetts Institute of Technology 247
3. Western Washington University 215
4. Mesa State College 195
5. DePauw University 127

D1 Men’s Omnium RESULTS
1. Bobby Sweeting (University of Florida) 236
2. Jamey Driscoll (University of Vermont) 230
3. Will Dugan (University of Vermont) 200
4. Adrian Hegyvary (University of Washington-Seattle) 185
5. Adam Leibovitz (Marian College) 147

D1 Women’s Omnium RESULTS
1. Carla Swart (Lees-McRae College) 299
2. Jacquelyn Crowell (University of Florida) 271
3. Anna McLoon (Harvard University) 224
4. Chloe Forsman (University of Arizona) 434
5. Melanie Myers (University of Arizona) 175

D2 Men’s Omnium RESULTS
1. Joey Rosskopf (Pfeiffer University) 247
2. Conor Mullervy (Mesa State College) 216
3. Phil Elsasser (Western Washington University) 214
4. Thomas Brown (Emory University) 191
5. Thacker Reeves (Cumberland University) 188

D2 Women’s Omnium RESULTS
1. Rita Klofta (DePauw University) 261
2. Kendi Thomas (Whitman College) 259
3. Kim Geist (DeSales University) 207
4. Emma Bast (Mount Holyoke College) 204
5. Arielle Filiber (Dartmouth College) 200