By Tyler Maheu, Staff Sportswriter
Another successful season for the Woodstock Mountain Biking program has come to an end.
“We had an impressive season once again,” said Todd Uva, head coach of the grade 7 through 12 program. “The kids were working really hard.” For the third consecutive year, the Wasps won the western division of the Northern New England High School Racing Series, which consists of schools from Massachusetts, Maine, New Hampshire, and Vermont.
Their season ended this past weekend in Farmington, Maine, at the league championship meet. The team took second place, losing by only four overall points to Saint John’s Prep.
Many Wasps achieved individual success, especially on the girls’ side. “The girls were outstanding in the Category A championship,” said Uva. Senior Pea Richardson finished as the series’ individual champion, while freshman Isla Seagal came in third, and senior Addy Cesanek took home ninth place. In addition to these honors, three of the team’s senior girls were recognized for earning the most overall points during the season, with Schuyler Hagge taking first overall, Richardson second, and Cesanek third.
For the boys, it was a group of freshmen who dominated the headlines. “The boys had a fantastic season,” said Uva. “Our crew of freshmen swept the podium for most points of any freshman. These riders included Rowan Riordan, Calvin Seman, and Luke Finley.
Uva also had high praise for two other boys, freshmen Jackson Fellows and senior Billy French. In reference to Fellows he said, “I think he’s seen the most improvement of any athlete this year. One of the most remarkable single-season improvements I’ve seen.” French made the jump to Category A competition this year and was “determined to earn points for his team and really learned through the process.”
After years of consistent growth (this year the team grew to 31 high school athletes, 37 across all grades) Uva sees big things to come. “We are losing some amazing leaders in those girls, but we have a lot of young riders coming up,” he said. “There’s a lot of depth. I can see us being strong for years to come.”
Although winning is always the goal, Uva believes fully in the team’s bigger purpose. “We are just trying to create better humans on wheels,” he said. “They cheer each other on, learn from each other, and grow from each other. It’s really amazing.”
