Albuquerque, NM- Adoption Exchange Classic
The SWCCC wrapped up the 2015 regular season with the
Adoption Exchange Classic in Albuquerque, NM serving as the conference
championship. Standings in the Division 1 omnium were close with UA leading ASU
by a scant 15 points.
The weekend started off with the brutal Heartbreak Hill
road course which features a short but steep climb and lots of open land with
cross winds. The day’s events began with a moment of silence to honor
conference leader David Greif’s sister, Erica, who tragically passed away earlier
in the week driving to Redlands. The men’s A omnium was frozen going into the
weekend, out of respect for David, as he was unable to attend the race weekend.
The men’s A raced with the P/1/2/3 field and completed 78
miles. The race came down to a small group sprint with Niklas Podhraski (UNM)
with Constantin Schreiber (ASU) in second, and Joey Iuliano (UA) in third. The
women’s A race was dominated by UA’s Shelby Hoglund, whose win gave her back
the DNA leader’s jersey going into Sunday’s crit. The men’s C race featured a
podium sweep by ASU.
Sunday featured a 20 km team time trial in the morning
followed by a L-shaped crit in the afternoon. The UNM women’s A time blitzed
the course and took home the win over UA, ASU finished a distant third. ASU struck
back with wins in the Men’s A, Men’s B, and Men’s C events however. The crit,
while flat, proved difficult as the winds picked up throughout the day. ASU’s
Gabe Perez won the men’s C race with a long sprint over NAU’s Zach Morrison and
Josh Kenner. UA’s Bilal Lulu put on a show of force in the men’s B crit by
winning 3 of the 4 primes and the sprint finish. In the women’s B, new comer
Cherry Niel (UA), lead the race from the start winning all the primes but was
beat at the line by Noell Hules (NAU), Lauren Tininenko (UNM), and Alissa
Albrecht (ASU). The women’s A race was the most exciting to watch of the day
with Shelby Hoglund (UA) leading Sarah Muench (ASU) by just 10 points. Bit by
bit, Sarah whittled the lead down and then tied Shelby by the 4th prime.
UA’s Sarah Posner tried to run interference in the later primes but the ASU
duo, Riley and Sarah, proved too formidable. In the end, Sarah and Riley come
in first and second with Sarah clinching the individual omnium. The men’s A
race featured countless attacks however it came down to a group sprint with
Constantin Schreiber (ASU) and Paul Stevenson (ASU) taking first and second.
Niklas Podhraski (UNM) rounded out the podium.
After the points were calculated, ASU came out on top in
the Division 1 omnium, ending UA’s multi-year winning streak. UNM finished a
strong third, one of the best showings for the program in several years. The
teams now have a few weeks of rest and time to plan for nationals in Asheville!
