August 28, 2019 | The Clarion
Sports
Page 5
Big weekend of podium
finishes for Brevard College in
mountain bike season-opener
By Phil de Montmollin
Sports Information Director
ELLIJAY, Ga. - The Brevard College Cycling
team opened its 2019-20 Mountain Biking
season with a resounding flurry of podium
finishes at the Ramblin Race Weekend hosted
by Georgia Tech University on Saturday and
Sunday at the Ridgeway Recreation Area in
Ellijay, Georgia.
Senior Carson Beckett won two events to
lead the charge for the Tornados. On Saturday,
Beckett outlasted a competitive field in Men’s A
Cross Country to cross the finish line for his first
victory of the weekend. Less than 24 hours later,
Beckett won again with an impressive victory in
the Men’s A Short Track Cross Country.
Also on Saturday, freshman Tyler Miranda
delivered a standout performance in his
collegiate debut with a fifth-place finish in Men’s
A Cross Country. Sophomore Jason Marquardt
placed fifth in Men’s C Cross Country.
Sunday’s action saw sophomore Ryan Johnson
finish third to join Beckett on the Men’s A Short
Track Cross County podium. Brevard College
riders Nathan St. Clair (3rd Place, Men’s B) and
Lucas Pound (2nd Place, Men’s C) also earned
podium finishes in Short Track Cross Country.
Senior Hannah Arensman earned two podium
finishes beginning with a third place result in
Saturday’s Women’s A Cross Country race.
Arensman bettered her Saturday result with a
second—^place finish on Sunday in Women’s A
Short Track Cross Country.
Freshman Emma Schwab joined Arensman
on Sunday’s podium to collect her first career
collegiate podium with a third place finish in
Women’s A Short Track Cross Country. Schwab
placed sixth on Saturday in the Women’s A
Cross Country.
As a unit, four BC riders earned top-tens in
Women’s A Short Track with sophomore Hannah
Dickson (7th place) and junior Nicole Rusden
(8th place) joining Arensman and Schwab on
the final leaderboard.
In total, Brevard College cyclists collected
eight podium finishes, including two race
victories in the season-opening weekend. The
Tornados return to action this Saturday and
Sunday at the Volunteer MTB Weekend hosted
by the University of Tennessee at the Windrock
Bike Park in Oliver Springs, Tennessee.
Photo by BC Tornados.
The Brevard College Cycling Team following the 2019-20 Mountain Bike season-opener in Ellijay, Georgia.
Season Preview
Women's soccer fifth in South West poll
By Joseph Marvin
Assistant Sports Information Director
The Brevard College Women’s Soccer team
was selected fifth in the West Division in the
annual USA South Conference Women’s Soccer
preseason poll released Wednesday afternoon.
The Tornados received 38 points in the 2019
edition of the preseason poll, which placed them
fifth in the west division. Defending USA South
Conference champion Piedmont College was
awarded first place, as the Lions tabulated five
first-place votes and 61 total points.
The Lions narrowly edged Maryville College
in the poll. The Scots tallied the remaining four
first-place votes as well as 60 total points.
Covenant College (3rd, 48) and Huntingdon
College (4th, 41) finished just ahead of Brevard
in the poll. The west division was rounded out
by Berea College (6th, 27), Agnes Scott (7th,
24), LaGrange College (8th, 13) and Wesleyan
College (9th, 12).
Following back-to-back winning seasons and a
record-breaking 2018 campaign that saw the BC
Women’s Soccer program reach new heights, the
Tornados will look to lean on a mix of veteran
returners and newcomers in the 2019 season.
BC’s 2019 squad features two seniors Audrey
Cardwell and Erica Zufferey, along with three
returning juniors from last year’s team: Rebecca
Rojas, Sallie Riggan, and Hannah Weatherall.
The goalie tandem of Rojas and Weatherall
anchored the 2018 Tornado defense, as the two
were selected as USA South Defensive Players
of the Week last season.
Sophomore midfielder Abbie Petrosky will
look to lead the midfield during the 2019 season.
Petrosky finished 2018 with a goal to go with
three assists, which was tied for third on the
team.
The Tornados will be led by fourth-year
Women’s Soccer Head Coach Juan Mascaro.
He will be assisted this season by first-year
Assistant Coach Chelsea Shaughnessy, who
brings nearly 10 years of head and assistant
coaching experience to Brevard. In addition,
Mascaro recently added the program’s all-time
NCAA-era leading goal scorer Ashley Hughes
as an Assistant Coach for the 2019 season.