Marian College dominates team events

Four more national titles were awarded on Friday as the 2009 USA Cycling Collegiate Track National Championships continued at the Valley Preferred Cycling Center in T-town.

Marian College showed its strength on day two, winning both team titles up for grabs: the women's team pursuit and the co-ed team sprint.

In the team pursuit, veteran Marian riders Rebecca Finley, Sierra Siebenlist, and Megan Sommerville joined forces with newcomer Jacqueline Kurth who only got her first taste of track racing one month ago.

According to Sommerville, the foursome used Sienbenlist more this year. "Sierra took two full lap pulls this year," she said, explaining that the power rider took only half-lap pulls last year.

The result was a 1.2-second improvement over their 2008 victory even though last year's win came in the altitude of Colorado. The squad's 2009 time of 4:05.308 bested the 4:12.470 posted by the silver medal Lees-McRae team and the 4:17.204 posted by bronze medalist Fort Lewis College.

In the coed team sprint, Marian College was on top again, beating out the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Colorado State University.

Also on day two, Colleen Hayduk (Kutztown University) took her second national title in as many days with her win in the women's points race. The 60-lap contest featured sprints every six laps, and Hayduk crossed the line in first with 32 points compared to the 12 accumulated by silver medalist Missy Erickson (Fort Lewis College) and the 11 earned by bronze medalist Jacqueline Kurth (Marian College).

David Espinoza (Penn State) also scored his second gold medal of the week when he defeated Matthew Fox (Midwestern State) in the final of the men's sprint to defend his national title earned a year ago.

Espinoza says his performance bodes well for him as he heads into the USA Cycling Elite Track National Championships which are slated for next week in Carson, California. "I'm relaxed, having fun and feeling good," he said.

Eric Young (Indiana University) beat our Ben Barczewski (Columbia University) in the race for bronze.

The 2009 USA Cycling Collegiate Track National Championships will conclude on Saturday with the overall individual and team omnium winners being announced.

Interviews courtesy of Race Announcer John Beckman

Results