SALEM, NY –  The NICA New York Championship race was held at Fronhoffer Farm in Salem, NY. Catskill Claws Mountain Bike Team has raced their final event this season and for one student, it was the final race of his high school career.

“The course was fun but challenging. I enjoyed some of the more unique trail features such as the bridge, drop and rock gardens,” said Grant Brown who led the Catskill Claws Mountain Bike high school team along with Aidan Dusenbury-Dalto. 

After graduating this year, Brown will major in mechanical engineering at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI) this fall. He also plans to continue competing with the Eastern Collegiate Cycling Conference (ECCC). Brown earned a 10th-place finish in the JV boys category and finished 16th overall after completing the 2.9-mile course. His fastest lap time of 19:12 came during his first lap of the race.

Dusenbury-Dalto earned a 14th place finish after completing three laps ending his 2026 season in 11th place overall in the JV Boys category. Combined, the two earned 909 points for their team.

 CCMTB middle school team was led by Jacob Maloney and Landon Leonard. The middle school race featured a modified 1.9-mile course with reduced elevation gain.

 Maloney finished on the podium in 5th place in the 7th grade boys category with a fastest lap time of 13:41 on his third and final lap. Maloney finishes his season in 7th place overall in the 7th grade boys category!

Leonard successfully made it into the top 10 in 9th place in the 6th grade boys category. His fastest lap time was 14:43 on his first lap completing his cycling season in 10th place overall in the 6th grade boys category. 

CCMTB finished in 12th place to end their season with a total of 5187 points ahead of Finger Lake Composite team with 4251. Head Coach Keith Stephenson noted that ideal weather contributed to the perfect showcase for race day. “We had great weather this weekend which can make or break an event, that said, this was a great course, it really highlighted the best features of what XC - MTB racing is all about.  The modified course for the middle school grades was just challenging enough for the younger generation, being about a mile shorter and having over 100 feet less elevation gain when compared to the high school course.”