Milligan Cycling competed at the 2026 USA Cycling Collegiate Mountain Bike National Championships in Grand Junction, Colorado, Oct. 8-10, earning four top-15 results. The team competed in five events across the men’s and women’s divisions: cross country, short track, team relay, dual slalom and downhill.
Freshman Ingrid McElroy and sophomore Emma Clark had Milligan’s best finishes with McElroy placing sixth in the short track race and Clark placing sixth in the downhill event.
“At first I was a little frustrated with my placing at Nationals because I was so close to a medal position, but now I am actually really proud of it,” Clark said. “It was my last of four events that weekend, and there was really steep competition, so I was stoked to place as well as I did.”
The day before, McElroy placed 12th in the cross country race, followed by Megan Lester in 46th and Emma Clark in 49th. Clark also earned a top-20 finish in the dual slalom, placing 16th.
On the men’s side, Cole Carter placed 31st and Eli Back placed 33rd in the dual slalom. In the cross country race, Jack Flippin placed 24th, followed by Jack Heiland in 45th and George Frazier in 49th. The team closed out the individual races with the short track event, where Flippin placed 22nd.
The team relay, consisting of Flippin, Frazier and McElroy secured a seventh place finish.
“Overall, it was such a great experience,” Clark said. “This year’s nationals was definitely chaotic because of the schedule changes, but the team was great. We were able to have meals together and got to pre-ride and just have fun in Colorado together.”
The team finished sixth overall on the women’s side and ninth on the men’s side. Combined, the teams earned a sixth-place finish. The championships marked the end of the 2026 cycling season.
Photo: Milligan cyclist jumps over hill at 2026 USA Cycling Collegiate Mountain Bike National Championships in Grand Junction, Colorado on Oct. 8-10. (Photo provided by Emma Clark).
Comments