The Brevard College Cycling team opened its 2024 mountain bike season with a strong collection of results at the Southeastern Collegiate Cycling Conference (SECCC) MTB Kickoff hosted by Truett-McConnell University on September 7-8 in Cleveland, Georgia.
At the season-opening event, the Tornados recorded six race wins to go along with 15 podium finishes, more than any other school. BC won in the categories of Women’s A Cross Country, Women’s A Short Track Cross Country, Men’s A Downhill, Men’s B Downhill, Women’s A Dual Slalom and the Team Relay.
Sophomore Kiara Lylyk led all racers at the event with a sensational three race wins, earning victories in Women’s A Cross Country, Women’s A Short Track Cross Country and the Team Relay. Lylyk, a native of Guelph, Ontario, also raced in the gravity events, finishing 11th in Women’s A Downhill and 12th in Women’s A Dual Slalom.
Junior Nicole Bradbury earned two race wins and a total of four podium finishes. Bradbury was victorious in Women’s A Dual Slalom and as a part of BC’s Team Relay. She also finished second in Women’s A Cross Country to give BC a 1-2 finish, alongside Lylyk in the competitive race that featured 34 competitors. Bradbury also placed second in Women’s A Short Track Cross Country, part of a podium sweep for Brevard in that event. The native of Hamilton, Ontario, also placed sixth in the Women’s A Downhill competition.
Ayana Gagne made her collegiate debut with a third-place result in Women’s Short Track Cross Country to join her teammates Lylyk and Bradbury in an impressive podium sweep for the Tornados. Gagne, who hails from Orford, Quebec, also earned a fourth-place result in Women’s A Cross Country.
Junior Olivia Hyde found the podium with a third-place result in Women’s A Downhill. Hyde’s teammate Madeleine Pollock placed fourth in the event.
On the men’s side, BC continued its winning ways with two race wins in downhill competition. Matthew Leliveld, a junior from Mulmur, Ontario, won the Men’s A Downhill event with BC sophomore Matt Mitchko placing third. Freshman Max Canterbury won Men’s B Downhill and placed third in Men’s B Dual Slalom in the collegiate debut for the native of Wake Forest, North Carolina.
Charley Chastain, a freshman out of Athens, Georgia, earned a second-place podium finish in his college debut with a strong result in Men’s B Short Track Cross Country. Chastain also placed fourth in Men’s B Cross Country.
Brevard entered three squads in the Team Relay, placing first, third and sixth in a field of 16 teams. Brevard’s “A” team of Bradbury, Lylyk and Leliveld won the event finishing eight seconds ahead of the top team from Lees McRae College. BC’s “B” team, composed of Gagne, Madeleine Pollock and Liam Smith, finished third. In a thrilling photo finish, the third team for Brevard (Mya Dixon, Breanna Goff and Kyle McDonald) was edged out by the second team for Lees McRae by one hundredth of a second.
The Tornados will return to action September 21-22 with a trip to Banner Elk, North Carolina for an SECCC event hosted by Lees McRae College.
Brevard College Results
Sept. 7-8 at Truett-McConnell College
Podium Finishes in BOLD
Men’s A Cross Country
2. Matthew Edwards
13. Matthew Leliveld
15. Cade Pummil
27. Kyle McDonald
29. Kevin Vereecke
30. Liam Smith
43. Philip Ford
Men’s B Cross Country
4. Charley Chastain
6. James McKinley IV
12. Drew DeGarmo
Women’s A Cross Country
1. Kiara Lylyk
2. Nicole Bradbury
4. Ayana Gagne
7. Madeleine Pollock
12. Mya Dixon
16. Breanna Goff
29. Jackie Neilon
Team Relay
1. Brevard 1 – Matthew Leliveld, Nicole Bradbury, Kiara Lylyk
3. Brevard 2 – Liam Smith, Madeleine Pollock, Ayana Gagne
6. Brevard 3 – Kyle McDonald, Mya Dixon, Breanna Goff
Men’s A Short Track Cross Country
8. Matthew Edwards
10. Matthew Leliveld
12. Cade Pummil
15. Kevin Vereecke
23. Kyle McDonald
29. Liam Smith
34. Dylan Richardson
38. Philip Ford
Men’s B Short Track Cross Country
2. Charley Chastain
9. James McKinley
14. Drew DeGarmo
Women’s A Short Track Cross Country
1. Kiara Lylyk
2. Nicole Bradbury
3. Ayana Gagne
10. Mya Dixon
11. Breanna Goff
24. Jackie Neilon
Men’s A Downhill
1. Matthew Leliveld
3. Matt Mitchko
4. Gunnar Ensign
7. Cole Punchard
9. Watt Hackney
13. Cade Pummil
18. Quinten Issa
21. Owen Clark
Men’s B Downhill
1. Max Canterbury
5. Dustin Vanover
10. Liam Smith
Men’s C Downhill
6. Elliot Salisbury
Women’s A Downhill
3. Olivia Hyde
4. Madeleine Pollock
6. Nicole Bradbury
7. Mya Dixon
11. Kiara Lylyk
Men’s A Dual Slalom
4. Matt Mitchko
5. Gunnar Ensign
6. Cole Punchard
7. Owen Clark
8. Watt Hackney
9. Matthew Leliveld
22. Cade Pummil
Men’s B Dual Slalom
3. Max Canterbury
7. Dustin Vanover
14. Drew DeMargo
Men’s C Dual Slalom
14. Elliot Salisbury
Women’s A Dual Slalom
1. Nicole Bradbury
4. Olivia Hyde
10. Mya Dixon
11. Madeleine Pollock
12. Kiara Lylyk
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