The Lions returned back to campus from Indianapolis, IN where they competed in the Collegiate Track National Championships (September 14-16).
Ten riders from Piedmont College took to the track for three days of fast racing.
Day one saw a majority of the Lions competing in the 200m time trial. ERICA ALLAR would go on to post the fastest time for collegiate women and set a new personal best clocking a time of 12.15. With a handful of riders on the team new to track cycling, the 200 was an opportunity for athletes to achieve new personal best times for that event. JULIA GRAHAMfinished 28th, KATE HOLBROOK 32nd, JULIA NICHOLS 37th, and MINDY GARVIN-LEIGHTON 38th overall. On the men’s side, HARRIS SAILORS finished 29th, TANNER BATSON 34th, and CODY PARKER 45th overall. After several sprint rounds, Allar would earn her way to the gold medal round held on day two.
For the men, day one included points race heats during the morning session and the points race final in the evening. DYLAN CANTRELL, despite his best effort to avoid it, was caught up in a crash in his qualifying heat. After quick evaluation, Dylan re-joined the race and narrowly missed earning a place in the points score final after finishing 13th. He would later compete in the minor final and place 5th in that event (27th overall). Andy Guelzo showcased his continued growth, power, and speed and qualified for the points race final and fought his way during the men’s 90 lap (30km) main event to finish 16th overall.
Day two saw Piedmont College earn their second national title of the weekend with Allar winning the individual pursuit. Both Cantrell and Guelzo successfully qualified for their scratch race finals.
Day three of racing included the time trial events. Allar clocked the 3rd fastest 500m time bringing home bronze to the Lions’ den. The Lady Lions all clocked their first ever 500m times finishing the day in 39th, 42nd, 44th, 45th. Several of the men also clocked their first time for the 1km time trial which would end with Andy Guelzo in 14th, HARRIS SAILORSfinishing 47th and CODY PARKER 54th.
Day three also included the Scratch Race Finals. Batson finished 15th in the minor final, which placed him 43rd overall. Guelzo finished 11th and Cantrell finished 24th in the final while Allar was 2nd in hers.
Allar successfully defended her omnium national title after strong performances in each event.
The final competition of the weekend and possibly the most exciting was the team relay. The Piedmont College relay team consisted of Allar, Batson, Guelzo, and Cantrell. The team had to complete six laps with a female athlete completing two of the six. Closing out the Lions 2017 Collegiate Track National Championships, the team finished 2nd behind Colorado Mesa University in the team relay and earned a 6th place in the team omnium.
Standout Performances
—ERICA ALLAR defended her title in the women’s omnium and claimed a total of three national championships for the Lady Lions.
Complete Results
Women’s Individual Pursuit 1st
Women’s Points Race 1st
Women’s Sprints 2nd, 28th, 32nd, 37th, 38th
Women’s Scratch Race 2nd
Women’s 500m TT 3rd, 39th, 42nd, 44th, 45th
Women’s Omnium 1st
Men’s Scratch Race – 11th, 24th, 43rd
Men’s Points Race – 16th, 27th
Men’s 1km TT – 14th, 47th, 54th
Men’s Omnium
Team Relay – 2nd
Team Omnium 6th out of 11 Varsity Teams
Up Next
–The cycling teams are preparing for their next mountain biking event at the SECCC Georgia Tech event in Atlanta on September 23-24.
PC Lions Sports Information
