Cowie Sweeps at Vanderbilt
Nashville, TN - Amidst sweltering October temperatures, the Brevard College Cycling Team competed at Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tennessee, this past weekend in both short-track and cross-country mountain bike races. Freshman Tristan Cowie won the men’s A category cross-county and short track races. An exercise-science major from Dahlonaga, Georgia, Cowie traveled last month to represent the US at the mountain bike world championships in Scotland. This is the first A category field victory for the Tornados Cycling Team in its first year of full season collegiate mountain bike competition.
On Saturday the team rode strongly in the short-track race with the women’s A squad of Johanne Tuttle and senior Nan Pugh scoring big team points with a second and third place finish. In addition to Cowie’s win Matthew St. Marie, who has consistently placed high throughout the season, came across the line for a third-place podium position. Also adding to the strong showing was Matt Wells and Gattis Tyler finishing a respectable sixth and ninth place. In the men’s B field freshman Tim Reinhart finished fourth.
The following day, with temperatures soaring back into the ninety’s, the Tornados performed well in the last cross-country race of the regular season. Tuttle and Pugh of the Brevard women’s A squad finished second and fourth, respectively. The men’s A squad added to Cowie’s victory a fifth place-finish from St. Marie and and a ninth-place finish from Tyler. Vying for a strategic position prior to entering a singletrack section of the course, A-squad member Wells crashed and then persevered to come back and later achieve a top-ten finish. Reinhart and Danny Cesare contributed valuable points to the Tornados’ overall score with, respectively, third- and fifth-place finishes in the men’s B race.
Brevard College will travel to Clemson, South Carolina, this weekend for the conference championships hosted by Clemson University.
Results:
Men’s A Short Track
1 Tristan Cowie
3 Matthew St.Marie
6 Matthew Wells
9 Gattis Tyler
Women’s A Short Track
2 Johanne Tuttle
3 Nan Pugh
Men’s B Short Track
4 Tim Reinhart
DNF Danny Cesare
Men’s A Cross Country
1 Tristan Cowie
5 Matt St.Marie
8 Gattis Tyler
9 Matthew Wells
Women’s A Cross Country
2 Johanne Tuttle
4 Nan Pugh
Men’s B Cross Country
3 Danny Cesare