MILLIGAN, Tenn. – On Saturday, the Milligan University cycling squad traveled to the "Valley of Tears" in Turkey, Texas for the first ever edition of the USA Cycling Collegiate Gravel National Championships. A 50-mile course that included just five miles of pavement and otherwise consisted of gravel, dirt, deep sand and a mountain bike single track played host to the athletes.
For the men, it was
Jack Flippin who led the way for the Buffaloes, finishing in 14
th place. He completed the race in 2:25:25.
Josh Walker (39
th, 2:39:16) and
Liam Clark (46
th, 2:44:37) also concluded the event in the top 50, with
Remington Clark rounding out the list of men's competitors (51
st, 2:46:00).
A total of 21 racers started the women's race, with Milligan's
Kaya Schroeder completing a third-place finish to reach the podium with the bronze medal. She completed the race in 2:54:07. The Buffaloes also had
Kate Bittenbender racing, as she placed 13
th with a time of 3:13:02.
Combining the scores of the men's and women's teams for Milligan resulted in a third-place omnium standing as a program at the first ever USA Cycling Collegiate Gravel National Championships.
Road season is next up for Milligan cycling, as they begin their trek through the season of arguably their top discipline. The team will head to Piedmont on March 14-15 to start the season in preparation for the eventual USA Cycling Collegiate Road National Championships in Madison, Wis. May 8-10.
RESULTS
