By Shannon Lukens. (Courtesy photos)
Steamboat mountain bike athletes had top finishes at the recent State Mountain Bike Championships in Glenwood Springs. Twenty-four of the 932 riders competing were on the Steamboat High School Mountain Bike team with riders from the high school and Steamboat Mountain School.
Those making the podium were Sydney Soard in 3rd for freshman girls.
Whitney Warnke was 3rd for Junior Varsity Girls.
Quinn Dressen was third for freshmen boys. Allie Reznicek had a 6th place finish for sophomore girls.
The team took second overall in Division 2, just behind Durango.
And the Steamboat team won the Team Spirit Award for the second year in a row, featuring a disco theme.
Press Release from Steamboat Springs Winter Sports Club; Oct. 21, 2024.
Steamboat Mountain Bike Athletes Post Multiple Podiums and Top Ten Finishes in State Mountain Bike Championships
STEAMBOAT SPRINGS, Colo. – The Colorado High School Cycling League State Championship took place last weekend on the grounds of Colorado Mountain College in Glenwood Springs, October 19 – 20, 2024. Twenty-four riders from Steamboat Springs competed in the event (twenty-eight qualified), with a total of 932 riders competing. The Steamboat High School Mountain Bike Team placed second in Division 2, just behind Durango, with a total of 23 teams competing for the Division 2 title. Steamboat’s weekend was capped off with a win in the Team Spirit Award—for the second time in two years, thanks to their lively participation in the disco-themed spirit competition. Big thank you to Jen Tamburrino Casavecchia who lent her collection of disco outfits to the team to use. The cool and breezy weather was perfect for racing mountain bikes, and the athletes delivered standout performances and showed true team spirit.
Among the individual highlights, Whitney Warnke secured an impressive third place in the junior varsity girls race, while Eva Minotto finished 10th in the varsity girls category. On the boys’ side, Quinn Dressen claimed a strong third-place finish in the freshman boys’ race, and Sydney Soard took third in the freshman girls’ race. Odin Gruben also contributed to the team’s success with his eighth-place finish in the freshman boys’ race, and Allie Reznicek finished sixth in the sophomore girls’ category.
Several athletes showed significant improvement over their call-up place, which was based on race times throughout the season, with outstanding races at the finals. Eva Minotto moved from 43rd to 10th for the girls, and Zoe Chase climbed 32 spots to 21st after starting 53rd. Ellis Dressendorfer rode from 72nd to 49th, Anna Boness gained 20 spots from 114th to 94th, and Lindsay Berke, who started 31st, finished 15th in the state. On the boys’ side, Quinn Dressen moved from 16th to 3rd, Fisher Beauregard started 77th and finished 48th, and Soren Shepard improved 30 places from 92nd to 62nd. Many other athletes had great races as well.
The coaches couldn’t be more proud of the team’s efforts to bring another Colorado League team podium back to Steamboat and the team’s defense of the Team Spirit Award.
The Colorado High School Mountain Bike League State Championship Results (FULL RESULTS HERE)
FULL Results for Steamboat athletes listed in the chart below.
| NAME | PLACE |
| Freshman Girls | |
| Sydney Soard | 3rd |
| Lucia Magnotta | 10th |
| Ellis Dressendorfer | 49th |
| Julia Boness | 72nd |
Sophomore Girls
| Allie Reznicek | 6th |
| Lindsay Berke | 15th |
| Zoe Chase | 21st |
Junior Varsity Girls
| Whitney Warnke | 3rd |
| Jesse Weaver | 25th |
| Anna Boness | 94th |
Varsity Girls
| Eva Minotto | 10th |
Freshman Boys
| Quinn Dressen | 3rd |
| Odin Gruben | 8th |
| Robbie Wodnick | 21st |
| Caleb Walker | 38th |
| Fisher Beauregard | 48th |
| Henry Davis | 65th |
| Soren Shepherd | 62nd |
| Silas Setter | 116th |
Sophomore Boys
| Oscar Libin | 34th |
| Jackson Rosencrantz | 59th |
JV Boys
| Ian McClarney | 143rd |
Varsity Boys
| Luke Bedell | 86th |
| Thomas Agosta | 98th |
The Colorado League consists of more than 160 high schools from Spearfish, South Dakota, to Taos, New Mexico. Team sizes range from five to 100+ riders. The 2024 race series has four regions: Yampa, Crystal, Piedra, and Platte. Steamboat Springs High School students and Steamboat Mountain School students race in the Yampa division. Each region has four races and the State Championships with top qualifiers from each region in each category. The Colorado High School Cycling League (Colorado League) is an independent 501(c)3 registered non-profit established in 2009. The Colorado League facilitates the development of interscholastic mountain bike cycling teams for grades 9 – 12. The program promotes positive youth development through interscholastic mountain biking for high school students in Colorado, southern Wyoming, northern New Mexico, and recently Spearfish, South Dakota.
ABOUT SSWSC
SSWSC provides sports and youth development programming for more than 1,300 athletes annually in Steamboat Springs, Colorado, with a vision of creating champions on and off the mountain. The goal is to be the best in the country at developing the complete athlete. SSWSC is one of North America’s oldest and most successful winter sports clubs, serving tens of thousands of athletes for over a century, including 100 Olympians with 179 Olympic appearances and 19 Olympic medals. In 2023, SSWSC was named U.S. Ski & Snowboard Club of the Year for the fifth time more than any other club in North America. For more information, visit www.sswsc.org.