Carson Senators MTB cycling team cap undefeated season with state championship win
Fifteen teams and more than 300 athletes from Nevada and the Eastern Sierra competed in the Nevada Interscholastic Cycling League championship on Saturday, Oct. 21 at Western Nevada College. The event 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.
The Senators Cycling MTB team completed their first undefeated season by winning the championship with Galena taking 2nd and McQueen High taking 3rd.
For the Senators boys, Devon Granata finished his season strong taking 2nd place in the varsity boys race. Carson high senior, Eric Billings, had a timely pass on the last lap to end his high school racing career with a 3rd place finish in the varsity race. While Sylis Chalmers continued his winning streak with a victory in the JV1 boys race.
The Senators girls also had a strong race led by Riley Kuhlman continuing her season long string of podiums with a 3rd 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 experienced this first hand 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.
Championship podium athletes for the Senators are listed below.
Varsity Boys
2nd – Devon Granata
3rd – Eric Billings
JV1 Girls
3rd – Riley Kuhlman
JV1 Boys
1st – Sylis Chalmers
Freshman Boys
5th – Seth Chalmers
Advanced Middle School Boys
5th – Jax Huntington
Intermediate Middle School Boys
5th – Ben Fox
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
4th – Eric Billings
7th – Josh Fox
JV1 Girls
3rd – Riley Kuhlman
JV1 Boys
2nd – Sylis Chalmers
6th – Kaiden Kuhlman
9th – Asa Morway
JV2 Girls
4th – Eleanor Woodrum
Freshman Girls
8th – Brooke Landis
10th – Larissa Rupert
Freshman Boys
5th – Seth Chalmers
8th – Brant Reyna
Advanced Middle School Girls
3rd – Claire Billings
Advanced Middle School Boys
3rd – Bryce Card
5th – Jax Huntington
Intermediate Middle School Girls
9th – Adaline Jensick
Intermediate Middle School Boys
4th – Ben Fox
Novice Middle School Girls
8th – Srae Lenz
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.