The Senators Cycling Mountain Bike Team caped their first undefeated season with a final win at the Nevada Interscholastic Cycling League Championship Saturday, Oct. 21, 2023. Galena High School placed second and McQueen High School took third.
Fifteen teams and more than 300 athletes from Nevada and the Eastern Sierra competed in the event at Western Nevada College (WNC) in Carson City. The championships drew more than 800 riders and spectators and was hosted by WNC and Visit Carson City. Athletes raced on a high speed and technical course in Ash and Vicee canyons.
For the boys, Devon Granata, sophomore at Sierra Lutheran, finished his season strong taking second place in the varsity boys race. Carson High School (CHS) senior Eric Billings had a timely pass on the last lap to end his high school racing career with a third-place finish in the varsity race. CHS sophomore Sylis Chalmers continued his winning streak with another first-place finish in the junior varsity 1 boys race. And the Senator girls also had a strong race led by CHS freshman Riley Kuhlman continuing her season-long string of podium appearances with a third-place finish.
Mountain bike racing is a tough sport, and riders sometimes don’t get to finish their races due to crashes or mechanical problems. Larissa Rupert, freshman homeschooled, experienced this firsthand in the race by getting a flat with 2 miles to go. Unable to fix it but determined to finish the race, she rode the last few miles of the race with a flat and finished to the cheers of the crowd.
State Championship podium athletes for the Senators are listed below.
Varsity Boys
2nd – Devon Granata, sophomore, Sierra Lutheran
3rd – Eric Billings, senior, Carson High
JV1 Girls
3rd – Riley Kuhlman, freshman, Carson High
JV1 Boys
1st – Sylis Chalmers, sophomore, Carson High
Freshman Boys
5th – Seth Chalmers, freshman, Carson High
Advanced Middle School Boys
5th – Jax Huntington, seventh grade, St. Teresa of Avila
Intermediate Middle School Boys
5th – Ben Fox, eighth grade, Bethlehem Lutheran
The Senators had a large contingent of riders who consistently performed strong throughout the season. Riders accumulate points over the season and riders with the most points are awarded season leader medals at the championship race. The following Senators placed within the top 10 for their divisions for the entire NICL season.
Varsity Boys
3rd – Devon Granata, sophomore, Sierra Lutheran
4th – Eric Billings, senior, Carson High
7th – Josh Fox, Junior, Sierra Lutheran
JV1 Girls
3rd – Riley Kuhlman, freshman, Carson High
JV1 Boys
2nd – Sylis Chalmers, sophomore, Carson High
6th – Kaiden Kuhlman, sophomore, Carson High
9th – Asa Morway, freshman, homeschooled
JV2 Girls
4th – Eleanor Woodrum, sophomore, Carson High
Freshman Girls
8th – Brooke Landis, freshman, Carson High
10th – Larissa Rupert, freshman homeschooled
Freshman Boys
5th – Seth Chalmers, freshman, Carson High
8th – Brant Reyna, freshman, Carson High
Advanced Middle School Girls
3rd – Claire Billings, eighth-grader, Carson Middle
Advanced Middle School Boys
3rd – Bryce Card, eighth-grader, Carson Middle
5th – Jax Huntington, seventh grade, St. Teresa of Avila
Intermediate Middle School Girls
9th – Adaline Jensick, seventh-grader, Carson Middle
Intermediate Middle School Boys
4th – Ben Fox, eighth grade, Bethlehem Lutheran
Novice Middle School Girls
8th – Syrae Lenz, sixth-grader, Carson Montessori
The high school mountain bike season is officially over and will restart in July 2024. Any students in grades 6-12 that are zoned for the Carson City School District are eligible to join the team.