SPOKANE – The Bainbridge Island composite high school/middle school mountain bike racing team, the Gear Grinders, successfully concluded its 2017 season at the Washington Student Cycling League State Championships at Riverside State Park in Spokane, where the high school riders placed fourth out of 23 teams and the middle-schoolers finished in ninth place out of 21 teams.

The Gear Grinders raced under blue skies with temperatures in the mid-80’s during the championships, held Sunday, May 21, officials said. The hilly, mostly single track course wound through pine woods and over boulder strewn trails, with the courses ranging in length from 5 miles for the middle school riders to 30 miles for the advanced high school riders.

High school riders on the podium for Washington Student Cycling League Overall Series awards were: Olivia Cavalluzzi, fifth place in intermediate girls; Erin Thackray, third place, beginner girls; Aiyana North, fifth place, beginner girls; and Thomas Schuler, fifth place, beginner boys.

High school team members winning state championship medals in Spokane were Tessa Vroom, fifth place in intermediate girls, and Erin Thackray, third place in beginner girls.

Bainbridge Island composite racers earning individual points at the state championships for rankings in their high school categories were: Abe Muldrow (JV boys); Olivia Cavalluzzi (intermediate girls); Ashlynn Brady and Aiyana North (beginner girls); Micki Wilkinson, Will Robertson, Colin Lindquist, Aidan Brady and Edward Powers (intermediate boys); and Max Hale, Connor LaCroix, Duncan Rutherford, Tyler Pickett, Martin Vroom, Jake Webber and Julian Bonifaci (beginner boys).

Middle school riders receiving WSCL Overall 2017 Series awards were Colton Albee, second place in eighth-grade boys, and Will Donegan, third place in sixth-grade boys.

Middle School riders on the podium for state championship medals were Colton Albee, fourth place in eighth-grade boys; Samantha Campbell, fourth place in seventh-grade girls; and Will Donegan, third place in sixth-grade boys.

Middle school Gear Grinders who earned individual points in the state championship include: Nolan Joslin and Edgar Flynn (advanced middle school boys), Will Siebert, Grant Hoff, Max Guerzon, TJ North and Liam Reinders (seventh-grade boys); and Jackson Stoehr, Ben Stone, Logan Price, Max Morse and Henry First (sixth-grade boys).

Herman Vroom was head coach for the high school team, and David Joslin was the head coach for the middle school team during Gear Grinders consistently high-scoring 2017 season.