CLEVELAND, Ga. — The Montreat College cycling team kicked off its third mountain bike season in program history on Saturday and Sunday by competing at the Southeastern Collegiate Cycling Conference (SECCC) Season Opener in Cleveland, Ga. Racing at Truett McConnell University's annual home mountain bike meet, the Cavaliers delivered several top-10 finishes on the women's side and some impressive debut outings on the men's side.
 
Saturday's action started with two Montreat newcomers in Wesley Hane and William Ellithorp. The freshmen participated in the cross country discipline, with the former riding in the first field and the latter in the third field. Hane concluded 19^th out of 35 finishers thanks to his 1:45:05.54 performance. Ellithorp placed 13^th out of 15 behind his 56:12.99 effort.
 
Lucas Zeringue also raced on the men's side during Saturday's slate. Taking on a field of 57 finishers in the dual slalom, the Jacksonville, Fla. native turned in the 31^st-best showing.
 
Clara Overholser and Sarah McCallister registered top-10 outings in the dual slalom. Out of 19 finishers on the women's side, Overholser narrowly missed a spot on the podium with her fourth-place mark. Meanwhile, McCallister snuck into the top 10 at No. 10.
 
"We started off with our freshmen guys hitting the XC course," said Head Coach Doug Cline. "Wesley finished his first collegiate race in the top twenty of a strong field, while William pushed his limits and progressed to move up in his field. Dual slalom came next, with Sarah finishing in the top 10. Clara was just a few mechanicals away from the podium."
 
Hane and Ellithorp helped get Sunday underway with short track cross country. Again split into the first and third fields, Hane (16:49.54) placed 26^th out of 41 finishers, while Ellithorp (22:22.69) ended 13^th out of 13.
 
Moving into the downhill portion of the weekend, Zeringue closed out the Cavs' performance on the men's side of the schedule with a 22^nd-place finish out of 33 riders who crossed the line. On the women's side, Overholser improved one placement from her initial race to climb onto the podium. The sophomore finished third out of 10 downhill participants.
 
"Day two saw the XC guys facing a new challenge with short track," Cline shared. "They both moved up in their fields and finished strong, so we're looking forward to the next one. Our gravity riders hit the downhill course rock dropping and gap jumping. Lucas mentored, coached and rode, hitting the jumps and bumps to finish strong in another stacked field. Clara gap jumped her way into third place, and she's looking to improve on the next go-around."
 
For a look at results from the SECCC Season Opener, click here.
 
The Montreat College cycling squad is back in action on Saturday and Sunday when it travels to Greensburg, Ky. for Lindsey Wilson College's annual home mountain bike meet.