Mayes, Schusler take dual slalom titles

The 2011 USA Cycling Collegiate Mountain Bike National Championships culminated Sunday in Angel Fire, New Mexico, as the riders contested the dual slalom. As has been the case throughout the three-day event, the ground started frozen in the morning and became muddy as the ground thawed.

"The course went from a rock solid frozen-over dirt to riding through muddy soup," the winner of the women's Division II dual slalom Essence Barton (California Lutheran University) said. "Everybody had a disadvantage having their bike completely caked in mud."

Divison I

In the men's dual slalom competition, the final boiled down to Saturday's downhill winner, the third seed Joey Schusler (University of Colorado-Boulder), and the fifth seed Timothy Price (University of Virginia). Schusler, who finished sixth in the four cross race at the 2010 USA Cycling Collegiate Mountain Bike National Championships, was too fast for Price and earned the Stars-and-Stripes jersey.

Lindsey Wilson College dominated the women's dual slalom, claiming three of the top four spots, including the top two positions. Crystal Kalogris was faster than her teammate Stephanie Barragan in the final.

Division II

The top two seeds in the men's dual slalom competition met in the final round as second-seeded Paul Mayes (Michigan Technological University) met Blake Carney (California Lutheran University), who won the four cross race at the 2010 USA Cycling Collegiate Mountain Bike National Championships. Mayes was up to the task as he defeated Carney to earn the gold medal.

As it occurred in the men's dual slalom, the top two seeds met in the finals of the women's dual slalom. Barton and Coleen Pacurariu (US Air Force Academy), who topped the podium in the women's downhill race on Saturday, met in the final. Essence Barton overcame the "muddy soupy" track to win after winning the four cross race at the 2010 USA Cycling Collegiate Mountain Bike National Championships.

"It feels so good because I have a history with cross country and endurance racing and to be able to go out and do what people kept telling me I shouldn't, it feels really good to go out and win it for the second time in a row," Barton said. "It feels really good to know that all of that work in the past and all of my excitement as a little girl just going downhill has paid off."

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