Two MSU Cycling team members had excellent performances to finish on the podium on the weekend of Nov. 8-9, including another victory by Emma Kasza-James.

James, a finance and economics major at the Dillard College of Business Administration, finished first in the Austin Rattler Mountain Bike event in Austin, Texas. MSU Cycling Director Mario Arroyave said many consider that venue the toughest mountain bike course in Texas. With the victory, Kasza-James has qualified for the Leadville Mountain Bike race in 2026, where she looks to represent the MSU Cycling Program. That is a qualifying event for the Lifetime Grand Prix series.

“It is one of my favorite events because of the mental and physical challenge it poses,” Kasza-James said. “The event is not the most gratifying in the moment, but once finished, you feel a tremendous sense of accomplishment.”

Brody Burnham, also a business major, finished on the podium with a solid third-place showing in the Veteran’s Day Gravel Grind held in Colorado City, Texas. The race attracted some of the state’s finest gravel racers and was hotly contested for the entirety of the 70-mile event. Burnham said it was a “good litmus test as to how his preparation is going as he prepares for the road season that begins in February.” Burnham is gearing up for the spring season as he will likely be a pivotal member of the team that the university takes to compete at the Collegiate National Championships in May.

MSU Cycling hits the road one final time this Mountain Bike season to race at the first annual Cowboy Classic to be hosted by Abilene Christian University. The team will look to preserve or even extend its healthy lead in both the women’s and men’s South Central Cycling Conference (SCCC) standings.

Follow all of the cycling action from the MSU cycling team on their Instagram page (@msu_cyclingteam) and Facebook pages (Midwestern State University Cycling).