Mountain Bike Team Weathers Storm to Claim Best National Finish in Years

The Mountain Bike Team demonstrated remarkable resilience at the 2025 USA Cycling Collegiate MTB National Championships, overcoming unprecedented weather conditions to secure its best overall team finish in years with a seventh-place showing.

The championships faced significant disruption when a historic rainstorm dumped over 1.5 inches of rain in a 24-hour period—the most the area had seen in more than half a century. The deluge, combined with clay-based soil, forced race organizers to implement sweeping changes to both the schedule and the racecourses throughout the event.

“The conditions were challenging for everyone, but our team really showed their adaptability,” said one observer of the chaotic weekend. Western’s endurance athletes faced particularly grueling circumstances, racing three times in a single day due to schedule compression.

Western Athletes Secure Strong Individual Finishes

The downhill event suffered the most dramatic alteration, with the technical race reduced to an eight-minute green run through sloppy mud—a far cry from the challenging course riders had prepared for. Despite the compromised conditions, senior Jackson Karls led the Mountaineers with a 12th-place finish, while Sam Cavin and Brooks Hudson both cracked the top 20.

After multiple delays, the final event, dual slalom, proceeded on a modified version of the original course, adjusted for mud and standing water. Senior Brooks Hudson paced Western with an impressive seventh-place finish in the technical head-to-head format.

The endurance races showcased breakthrough performances for the Mountaineers. Senior Cody Conner posted his best collegiate national championship result with a 28th-place finish, while sophomore Rachel Cathey delivered the team’s standout performance of the weekend.

Cathey, competing in the demanding omnium format that requires athletes to race in both endurance and gravity events, placed ninth overall, a stellar result that proved crucial to Western’s team standing. Her consistency across all disciplines exemplified the versatility and determination that defined the Mountaineers’ weekend.

With fewer than five seniors on the roster and a predominantly young squad, Western’s seventh-place team finish signals a promising trajectory for the program. As the team returns to Gunnison, they carry momentum from their best national championship performance in recent memory, earned the hard way, through mud, rain, and relentless determination.