Perhaps the race announcer put it best when he said, “All Colorado, all the time,” during the men’s Division I short-track race at the National Collegiate Cycling Association’s Mountain Bike National Championships in Seven Springs, Pennsylvania.

Fort Lewis College and the University of Colorado at Boulder took seven of the top 10 spots during a damp day at the popular East Coast ski resort, with Fort Lewis’s Matt Shriver surging to a commanding lead halfway through the half-minute race as his teammates controlled the chase.

“We just wanted to swarm the front,” said Fort Lewis coach Dave Hagen.

In the men’s Division II short track, North Carolina’s Lees-McRae College used equally strong teamwork to secure two podium spots. Only runner-up Bill Danyluk (U.S. Air Force Academy) was able to swap pulls with winner Taylor Tolleson and Brent Bookwalter of Lees-McRae.

“I was pretty sure I was one of the stronger riders here, since I come from Colorado, but I got boxed out at the end,” said Danyluk. “That’s racing.”

In women’s Division I racing, New Mexico’s Nina Baum got away from breakaway companion Rebecca Much of Fort Lewis on the final lap on the technical, soggy course.

“I’m really just out here for my complexion,” a muddy-faced Baum joked after the race. “It’s a great exfoliate.”

A pro racer with established credentials battled a rising star in the women’s Division II event. Middlebury senior Lea Davison, who recently placed 15th at the NORBA nationals in Mammoth, shook Minnesota-Mankato’s Jenna Zander on the final lap to take the victory.

Race notes: The dual slalom was postponed until Saturday as persistent rain and fog made the course nearly impossible to ride. The men’s Division I race will resume with a final elimination round of 16 riders. The men’s Division II and women’s Division I races will follow with a final of eight each. On Saturday all categories will compete in the cross country. The downhill finals will complete the championships on Sunday.

National Collegiate Cycling Association Mountain Bike National Championships
Seven Springs, PA. October 29.

Division I
Men
1. Matt Shriver, Fort Lewis College, 29:11
2. Alex Hageman, Fort Lewis College, 29:43
3. Josh Bezecny, University of Colorado, 29:45
4. Eric Ransom, Fort Lewis College, 29:45
5. Collin Becker, University of Colorado, 29:51
6. Daniel Vaillancourt, University of Vermont, 30:11
7. Michael Cody, University of Vermont, 30:13
8. Johnny Hayes, Fort Lewis College, 30:15
9. Nick Ranno, University of Colorado, 30:36
10. Brad Van Orden, Northern Arizona University, 31:04

Women
1. Nina Baum, University of New Mexico, 27:00
2. Rebecca Much, Fort Lewis College, 27:02
3. Caitlyn Tuel, Penn State University, 27:19
4. Kristin Wentworth, Wisconsin-Madison, 27:20
5. Keri Nelson, University of New Mexico, 27:40
6. Amy Drumm, Mesa State College, 27:45
7. Patty Compton, Stanford University, 27:46
8. Ann Hansgate, University of Minnesota, 27:46
9. Karen Walkerman, University of Vermont, 28:06
10. Sarah Germundson, Colorado State University, 28:11

Division II
Men
1. Taylor Tolleson, Lees-McRae College, 29:34
2. Bill Danyluk, U.S. Air Force Academy, 29:35
3. Brent Bookwalter, Lees-McRae College, 29:35
4. Eric Macbeth, Vanderbilt University, 30:52
5. Bryan Fawley, West Virginia State University,31:01
6. Edward King, Middlebury College, 31:12
7. Spencer Powlison, Saint Michael's College, 31:30
8. Robert Jameson, Lees-McRae College, 31:32
9. Ed Burress, Lees-McRae College, 31:47
10. Tom Hughes, Warren Wilson College, 32:08

Women
1. Lea Davison, Middlebury College, 27:58
2. Jenna Zander, Minnesota-Mankato, 28:22
3. Linden Kimmerer, Humboldt State, 29:48
4. Monique Hein, Lees-McRae College, 30:19
5. Addy Wygmans, Warren Wilson College, 31:20
7. Clara Beard Lees-McRae College, 32:11
8. Kate Ben-Ezra, Lev Warren Wilson College, 33:06
9. Lianne Miller, Michigan Tech, 33:06
10. Sarah Mcallister, Lees-McRae College, 33:06