SCCCC / NCCCC : Kansas State Wildcat Grand Prix
On April 6th and 7th, the SCCCC made its way to Manhattan, Kansas for the Wildcat Grand Prix. This was a dual conference showdown between the South Central and North Central Collegiate Cycling Conferences, complete with traveling trophies to be awarded to the schools holding the most points after the weekend. The events were exceptionally well organized and there were some very personable officials on site.
With this being a shared event, between two large conferences, long travel time was a guarantee. The "We Drove Crazy Far" race was definitely won by the SCCCC's Texas State University. The team spent nearly 14 hours, one way, traveling to compete. Don't let anyone tell you that collegiate cyclist aren't some of the most dedicated people out there.
After all that driving, people were eagerly anticipating some time on their bikes and Saturday morning's team time trials got things started. Midwestern State University swept the men's A, women's A, and men's B events, setting the stage for a competitive weekend.
The afternoon's road races were held on a 26 mile loop with three significant little climbs and an uphill crosswind sprint. The men's A field raced for 78 miles and with a fairly large peloton were able to keep it together for most of the race. With only kilometers to go it began to break up, eventually coming down to a three man sprint. Anthony Olson, Minnesota State University-Mankato, very closely beat out Midwestern State University's Cory Scott followed shortly by University of Iowa's Mattias Perret.
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| Men A Finish Photo credit - Caden Burross |
Jessica Prinner, Midwestern State University, won the women's A race after a solo attack on the last climb. The podium was rounded out by Oklahoma State University's Alisha Shutler and MSU's Claire Routledge.
Sunday's criterium was held around the beautiful and historic Kansas State campus with plenty of coffee and donuts on hand for everyone involved. The backside of the course faced a serious head wind followed abruptly by a decent hill that popped quite a few of the riders. MSU's Cory Scott was out for business after his silver finish the day before. He attacked the men's A field and rode solo for 50 minutes before lapping the field to solidify his victory. Tim Savre, University of Saint Thomas, rode into silver with University of Kansas rider Ben Stover not far behind.
The women's A race was a podium sweep for MSU. Jessica Prinner and her teammate, JAKROO Leader's Jersey holder, Claire Routledge rode away from the field for a one two finish. Ashley Weaver handily won the sprint for bronze against the remaining girls.
With multiple wins, through multiple categories, the Midwestern State University team was able to take the Division 1 dual-conference team trophy home to the SCCCC. Minnesota's St. Olaf College returned to the NCCCC with the Division 2 trophy. Hopefully, next season, the NCCCC will travel down south so that we can return the hospitality; They practically have to at this point, there's a trophy on the line.
Next stop, and the last before conference championships, Texas State Ultra Road Race.
-Caden Burross
