Emma Kasza-James and Gabby Wrightsman earned top-25 finishes at the Collegiate Mountain Bike National Championships, held Oct. 7-11 in Grand Junction, Colorado.

Kasza-James, who won a national title earlier this year at the Collegiate Gravel National Championship, placed 19th in the cross-country race. Wrightsman finished 24th in the short-track race.

MSU Cycling Director Mario Arroyave was encouraged by the team’s performance at high altitude against “the best mountain bikers in the country.”

The men’s team also improved on its 2025 national championship performance, with first-year team members Carson Tenney and Sid Carraway showing great promise.

“The team rode really well,” Arroyave said. “They gave everything they had.

“We knew we were up against a pretty hefty obstacle, dealing with the altitude itself. Couple this with facing some of the best mountain bikers in the country, and it was just a matter of giving our best and seeing what happened. The athletes had a really great approach and turned themselves inside out to give their absolute best. It was great to see them empty the tank out there.”

The team’s next competition will be the Texas A&M mountain bike race at Bluff Creek Ranch in Warda, Texas. It will be the third race on the conference schedule. Hardin-Simmons will host the season finale Nov. 14-15 in Abilene.