GRAND JUNCTION, Colo. – The Fort Lewis College cycling team capped off an impressive weekend at the 2026 Collegiate Mountain Bike National Championships with a national runner-up finish in the Varsity Team Omnium, highlighted by a pair of individual national championships and a sweep of the top two spots in the men's individual omnium at Powderhorn Resort, Oct. 8-10.

The Skyhawks totaled 612 points to finish second overall, edging Brevard College (610) by just two points while host Colorado Mesa University captured the national championship with 664 points. Fort Lewis finished second in the Varsity Men's Omnium with 282 points and third in the Varsity Women's Omnium with 258 points.

Fort Lewis showcased its depth across all disciplines, capturing the men's downhill team title while earning runner-up finishes in the team relay, men's cross country (XCO), men's short track (XCC) and women's downhill.

"We are so proud of our deep team that rode together all weekend and stoked for our champions that brought home some jerseys for FLC cycling," said Director of Cycling Ian Burnett.

Beard leads Skyhawks with individual omnium national championship

Carson Beard headlined the weekend for Fort Lewis, capturing the Varsity Men's Individual Omnium national championship with 196 points. Teammate Toby Hassett finished second with 148 points, giving the Skyhawks a sweep of the top two positions in the individual standings.

Beard delivered consistent performances across multiple disciplines, finishing fourth in cross country, second in short track and fourth in downhill. His runner-up finish in short track came just eight seconds shy of the national title.

Hassett joined Beard on the podium with third-place finishes in both cross country and short track while also competing in dual slalom to round out his omnium performance.

The Skyhawks continued their championship success in men's downhill as Travis Boucher John captured the individual national title with a winning time of 5:11.41. Beard followed in fourth place while Finn McDermott finished fifth, giving Fort Lewis three riders among the top five in a tightly contested field separated by less than three seconds.

McDermott also recorded the sixth-fastest qualifying time in dual slalom.

Fort Lewis received additional strong performances from Landen Stovall, who placed seventh in cross country and fifth in short track, while Dane Grey finished eighth in short track and Emmett McManus took 11th in cross country.

In downhill, Alec Balabanis finished 11th, Rex Davis placed 15th and Sebastian Farrell took 21st. Davis and Farrell also represented the Skyhawks in dual slalom, while Owen Deale and Ian Brown contributed to the team's depth in the cross-country events.

Women's gravity squad powers podium finish

The Fort Lewis women turned in an impressive showing in the gravity disciplines, placing four riders inside the top 10 in downhill to secure a second-place team finish.

Oona Nelson led the Skyhawks with a seventh-place finish, followed closely by Rivers Klopson in eighth, Adia Annibella in ninth and Maddy Glotfelty in 10th.

Nelson also paced Fort Lewis in dual slalom, qualifying eighth to earn a spot in the quarterfinal bracket. Annibella qualified ninth, followed by Klopson in 12th, Glotfelty in 17th, Hayden Bevington in 18th and Madeline Towner in 24th.

The Skyhawks also demonstrated consistency in the endurance disciplines, led by Aleena Furniss, who placed eighth in cross country and ninth in short track.

Maiya Blanchard added a pair of strong finishes, taking 10th in cross country and 11th in short track, while Katja Opfer placed 14th in both events.

Halle Britton, Malia Brock and Adeline Hamilton also contributed valuable points across the cross-country disciplines, helping Fort Lewis secure fourth place in women's cross country and third in women's short track.

Skyhawks overcome championship format changes

The 2026 national championships presented a unique challenge as organizers adjusted the traditional schedule to conclude competition on Saturday rather than Sunday. The downhill competition was also modified to take place on a green flow trail course.

Despite the changes, Fort Lewis remained competitive throughout the weekend, earning points across every discipline to secure its place on the national podium.

The Skyhawks captured one team discipline title, four runner-up finishes and a pair of third-place results, showcasing the program's strength in both endurance and gravity racing.

Championship Notes

• Fort Lewis finished second in the Varsity Team Omnium with 612 points, just two points ahead of third-place Brevard College.

• Carson Beard captured the Varsity Men's Individual Omnium national championship with 196 points.

• Toby Hassett finished second in the men's individual omnium with 148 points, completing a Fort Lewis sweep of the top two spots.

• Travis Boucher John won the men's downhill national championship in 5:11.41.

• The Skyhawks captured the men's downhill team title and placed second in the team relay, men's cross country, men's short track and women's downhill.

• Fort Lewis placed three riders in the top five of men's downhill and four riders in the top 10 of women's downhill.

• The Skyhawks finished second in the Varsity Men's Omnium (282 points) and third in the Varsity Women's Omnium (258 points).

• Fort Lewis finished among the top five in all men's and women's team disciplines.

With two individual national champions, a men's individual omnium sweep, and a national runner-up team finish, Fort Lewis closed out the 2026 collegiate mountain bike season with another strong showing on the national stage.