from Libby Hurley [email protected]  Photos: Todd Bauer tmbimages.com

The MN League wrapped up their successful 2014 season at their Awards Ceremony earlier this month at the Hopkins Center for the Performing Arts (Hopkins, Minn.). It was an evening to celebrate the accomplishments of all the student-athletes, coaches, parents and volunteers and to recognize the on-going support from over 30 local and national sponsors.

In front of a standing room only crowd, MN League Director, Josh Kleve thanked the volunteers, coaches and parents who put in hundreds of hours of work to help make this sport a reality for over 500 student-athletes in Minnesota. “It was truly an astonishing year of growth for us,” said Josh. “With 42 teams representing over 60 schools, we literally have students from all corners of the state and in 2015 we expect to see similar exponential growth in team and racer participation.”

Support from local and national organizations directly fuels this growth. See the list here of all the MN League National and Local Sponsors.

2014 SERIES AWARDS

Each year, we ask the MN League community to nominate their choice for Coach of the Year, Assistant Coach of the Year, Athletes with Heart and Volunteer of the Year. We were amazed at the stories shared and narrowing down the field to select winners for each category – It was difficult since and all were truly deserving.

ATHLETES WITH HEART
In addition to celebrating excellence in performance, the MN League strives to encourage excellence and growth through our five core principles: inclusivity, equality, development of a strong mind, strong body and strong character.
Lexi Myshka of Prior Lake was selected as our Female Athlete with Heart for her perseverance, grit and drive to overcome numerous obstacles that stood in her way.

Max Ellingson of Edina was selected as our Male Athlete with Heart for his ability to face challenges, overcome them and lead others in a selfless and enduring manner. As his father says, “I try to follow his example.” Max was elected co-captain for the 2014 team.

COACH OF THE YEAR

The MN League Coach of the Year was awarded to Shaun Anderson, Cuyuna Lakes and Crosby-Ironton Teams. As his athletes shared, he helped them to not only be better racers, but stronger and better individuals.

ASST. COACH OF THE YEAR
The MN League Assistant Coach of the Year was awarded to Annie Perkins, Stillwater High School. Annie’s passion for the sport and her patience with the kids has directly helped build their team. After two seasons, they now boast a team with 42 7th – 12th grade students.

VOLUNTEER OF THE YEAR
The MN League Volunteer of the Year was awarded to Dan Duda, a Washburn parent. He was at every race working to help set up the races, volunteered as a course marshal during the races and stayed to help clean up after the races. We thank Dan and the hundreds of volunteers who help make these races happen.

2014 OVERALL STATE CHAMPIONS AND PHOTOS

Individual and overall standings are now posted to the minnesotamtb.org site. Photo Credit: Todd Bauer, tmbimages.com. MN League Official Photographer.

Individual Standings – Medal Depth varies due to field size:
Middle School Girls:
1. Anastasia Antanovich (1221) — Eastview MS
3. Kira Anderson (1215) — Chanhassen MS
2. Courtney Johnson (1214) — Crosby Ironton
4. Maddie Raschke (1216) — Chanhassen MS
5. Gracen Hardy (1223) — Cuyuna Lakes MTB

Middle School Boys Division 1:
1. Nick Gordon (1030) — Minnetonka MS
2. Max Kennedy (1011) — Stillwater MS
3. Nathan Gessler (1010) — Stillwater MS
4. Grant Hietpas (1020) — Stillwater MS
5. Luke Larson (1007) — Prior Lake MS

Middle School Boys Division 2:
1. Joshua Doolittle (1101) — Eastview MS
2. Henry Hall (1053) — Mpls Soutside Composite
3. Cuyler Rono (1083) — Crosby Ironton
4. Liam O’Kelly (1065) — St. Croix Valley Composite
5. Patrick Welch (1081) — Faribault Composite
6. Brady Olson (1094) — Mankato Composite
7. Henry Seiser (1064) — St. Croix Valley Composite
8. Nicholas Bohlke (1106) — Mankato Composite

Freshman Girls:
1. Siri Bohacek (708) — Stillwater High School
2. Moriah Johnson (700) — Duluth East High School
3. Elli Pfeiffer (702) — Prior Lake High School
4. Hannah Brown (707) — Stillwater High School

Freshman Boys – D1
1. Ian Derauf (802) — Duluth East High School
2. Sebastien Frimat (822) — Edina Cycling Team
3. Jack Lange (812) — Stillwater High School
4. Shawn Higgins Jr (803) — Duluth East High School
5. Alec Manderscheid (817) — Edina Cycling Team
6. Luke Sicora (835) –Armstrong Cycle Club

Freshman Boys – D2
1. Stephen Hatt (922) — Lakeville North High School
2. Braeden Anderson (940) — Cuyuna Lakes MTB
3. Mason De Keyrel (933) — White Bear Lake HS
4. Gavin Abric (920) — Duluth Comp
5. Jasper Keifer (946) — Bloomington Composite
6. Alex Sipe (906) — Wayzata High School
7. Gavin Yares (927) — Washburn High School
8. Miller Sampson (924) — Chaska High School

Sophmore Girls
1. Madeline Pernat (408) — Chanhassen High School
2. Nikita Finnerty (407) — Crosby Ironton
3. Molly Junker (404) — Stillwater High School
4. Sophie Dirnberger (402) — Hopkins High School

Sophmore Boys – D1
1. Nathan Latz (515) — Hopkins High School
2. Michael Davis (503) — Duluth East High School
3. Dylan Kiefer (513) — Minnetonka High School
4. Elliot Forst (531) — Minnetonka High School
5. Nathan Edstrom (505) — Hopkins High School

Sophmore Boys – D2
1. Xavier Mansfield (624) — Patrick Henry High School
2. Will Curtis (609) — St. Paul Central
3. Connor Rono (637) — Crosby Ironton
4. Dale Yotter (653) — Crosby Ironton
5. Eli Markworth (625) — Washburn High School
6. Rowdy Larson (622) — Roseville Area Composite
7. Luke Mcdonnell (627)– Highland Park High School
8. Charlie Johnson (636) — MPLS Southside

Junior Varsity Girls:
1. Sophie Farrow (112) — Duluth East High School
2. Sydney Carlson (104) — Apple Valley High School
3. Claire Benton 102) — Hopkins High School
4. Ellie Hedlund (116) — MPLS Soutside
5. Justice Sahaydak (125) — MPLS Southside

Junior Varsity Boys – D1
1. Collin Maynard (228) — Hopkins High School
2. Jason Colestock (208) — Edina Cycling Team
3. Ben Johnson (221) — Duluth East High School
4. Brandan Eisma (212) — Prior Lake High School
5. Francis Delaney (209) — Edina Cycling Team
6. Matt Trumper (240) — Stillwater High School
7. Carter Eng (213) — Hopkins High School

Junior Varsity Boys – D2
1. Nathan Bich (306) — Duluth Composite Team
2. Luke Doolittle (318) — Eastview High School
3. Campbell Karjala (351) — Bloomington Composite
4. Dylan Anderson (302) — Crosby Ironton
5. Mac Hansen (338) — MPLS Southside Composite
6. Wyatt Furois (323) — Roseville Area Composite
7. Cole Hermann (363) — Washburn High School
8. Tamer Mische-Richter (318) — Bloomington Composite
9. Christian Gostout (335) — Rochester Composite

Varsity Girls
1. Jordan Horner (2) — Burnsville High School
2. Josie Welsh (11) — Armstrong Cycle Club
3. Cianna Swanson (9) — Lakeville North High School
4. Anna Christian (10) — Washburn High School

Varsity Boys
1. Samuel Hayden (41) — Duluth East High School
2. Logan Schlough (51) — St. Croix Composite Team
3. Levi Hayden (40) — Duluth East High School
4. Samuel Elson (62) — Cuyuna Lakes MTB
5. Trevor Roen (56) — Hutchinson High School
6. Ethan Depman (68) — Rochester Composite

Middle School Team Results
1. Mpls Southside Composite
2. Crosby Ironton Team
3. Eastview High School

Team – Division 1 Results
1. Duluth East High School
2. Hopkins High School
3. Edina Cycling Team
Team – Division 2 Results
1. MPLS Southside Composite
2. Lakeville North High School
3. Apple Valley High School

NEW TEAMS FOR 2015

The Minnesota High School Cycling League Keep On Growing!
The following communities are working towards adding a team for the 2015 season.
▪ Winona
▪ Red Wing
▪ Forest Lake
▪ Elk River
▪ New Prague
▪ Belle Plaine
▪ Alexandria
▪ Worthington
▪ Montgomery
▪ Lonsdale
▪ Le Center

SEE ALL TEAMS
If there is a community or school interested in starting a team in your area, please be sure to email Josh Kleve, MN League Director. Also, don’t forget to share the MN Team Starter Kit page on the Leagues website.

2015 RACE SCHEDULE

Preliminary league venues and dates are subject to change.
Sun. Sept. 13 – Jail Trail – St. Cloud, MN
Sun. Sept. 20 – Trail in Development – Austin, MN
Sun. Oct. 4 – GameHaven Trail – Rochester, MN
Sun. Oct. 11 – Cuyuna Trails – Cuyuna Lakes, MN
Sun. Oct. 25 – Mt. Kato – Mankato, MN

About the Minnesota High School Cycling League

The Minnesota High School Cycling League, founded in 2012, serves all Minnesota high school and middle school-aged students, and regardless of ability level, is committed to providing a positive co-ed cycling experience. Each MN League season includes summer camps, a five-race series, wilderness first aid certification courses and a Spring Leaders’ Summit for training and certification of coaches. The MN League exists by virtue of a range of fundraising activities, as well as generous donors, and MN League sponsors including the founding national sponsor, Specialized Bicycle Components; as well as establishing NICA sponsors Easton Foundations, SRAM, and Trek Bicycles; major sponsors, Giro, Clif Bar and Company, Primal Wear, Quality Bicycle Products, GU Sports, Cannondale, Kinetic, Maxxis, CamelBak, Feedback Sports, Optic Nerve, Easton, Athletic Event Supply, Fort Lewis College, Lees McRae, Fox Racing Shox, Sho-Air, Yakima, Lizard Skins, DeFeet and Ritchey Designs; media partners Bicycle Retailer, Dirt Rag, Singletracks, Switchback and Cyclingnews. MN League specific sponsors include Founding Retailers Penn Cycle and Erik’s Bike and Board Shop, AAA, Mt. Borah, Life Time Cycle, Minnesota Mountain Bike Series, Salsa, Peace Coffee Racing, Park Tool, Karma Race Management, Ipsity Marketing, HaveFunBiking.com, Trailhead Cycling and Valley Bike and Ski. For more information on the MN League, visit minnesotamtb.org.