Bakersfield, Calif. - Persevering through sloppy and rainy conditions on Friday, the Marian cycling program completed their first USA Collegiate Cycling National Championship victory of the year, as the Knights on Bikes won the BMX National Title Saturday afternoon. Marian's championship is the first for the program since 2019, as Marian redeems their runner-up finish from last season.

On Friday rainy conditions made racing tough, as Marian's men and women battled through wet course conditions. The racing schedule on Friday called for three rounds of racing, with points assigned based on the finishes. The men's team rode strong, with Cameron Wing and Noah Barton reaching the main event. Wing finished third overall, while Barton was able to place fifth overall after recovering from a collision in the race. The men were able to finish third as a team on the day, with Solomon Goodwin placing ninth, Caden Bowers finishing 13th, Nico Pareja finishing 14th, Jacob Clapp finishing 20th, and Jordan Davis finishing 24th.

For the women on Friday, Mya Ramos raced strong all day, winning every moto except the main event. Ramos would finish second in the main event, and was joined by Violet Cejavlo and Sydney Schlotterbeck, who finished fourth and seventh, respectively. As a team, the Knights won the day taking the full team points to lead after one day. Sarah Gorman finished ninth on Friday, and Piper Yockelson finished 12th overall. 

Saturday, the rain cleared and sunny conditions made for strong racing performances, as both the men's and women's team took advantage of the course. The men placed two riders in the main event on day two of racing as Wing and Barton reached the finals, with the women sending four to the main as Ramos, Cejalvo, Schlotterbeck, and Yockelson qualifying for the main.

The women were led by Mya Ramos, who was the top finisher for the Knights as she took the runner-up spot. Behind Ramos, as crash in turn two caused chaos that involved both Cejalvo and Schlotterbeck. Yockelson was able to navigate the crash cleanly and finished fourth, with Schlotterbeck placing sixth and Cejavlo taking an eighth place finish. Sarah Gorman finished 14th on Saturday to round out the women's efforts. 

With Marian only having two riders in the main event compared to four from Lindsey Wilson, the Knights needed big performances from their duo of Wing and Barton. The pair of Knights rode strong and dominated the four Blue Raider racers, finishing behind a rider from Lindenwood as Wing finished second and Barton finished third. The pair's efforts, along with the finishes of Goodwin (13th), Bowers (15th), Pareja (19th), Clapp (20th), and Davis (24th), helped the Knights win as a team on Saturday.

Marian's combined efforts over the two days aided Marian to an overall victory, as Marian totaled 306 points to win the omnium for the first time since 2019. Marian's team score of 306 edged out Lindsey Wilson who finished second with 288 points, while Colorado Mesa placed third scoring 270 points. 

In the overall omnium, Wing placed as the overall runner-up for the men while Barton finished fourth, and for the women Ramos was the overall omnium runner-up, as Cejalvo finished fourth. 

Full updates with placements, season-long omnium standings, and event results will be posted later once made available. 

Marian will finish their riding for the 2023 season throughout the spring, gearing up for the 2023 Road National Championships. 

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