Athletes Off Campus: SAAS Student Competes Nationally in Cyclocross

By Asha Dean, Director of Outreach for Student Experience

While 66% of SAAS students suit up in a Cardinal jersey at some point during their time on campus, that figure represents only some of our dedicated student-athletes. Many compete in sports not offered at SAAS or double up playing on an out-of-school team. SAAS Athletics takes pride in championing our own, and this fall, we sought to collect data on the many students accomplishing athletic feats in the wider community.

One of those students is sophomore Ronan K. ’28. He’s a national competitor in a sport you won’t find offered in many high schools: cyclocross. If you have not heard of it, don’t feel bad. I, too, had to conduct some research to learn more about this sport, which is far more popular in Belgium and the Netherlands. It is a mix of mountain biking and road racing over a variety of terrain types, which at times include racers dismounting to carry their bikes up stairs or hills. Races begin with a mass start with eight racers across, and your starting position is determined by the points you have accumulated during the season. 

Ronan travelled to Wisconsin, Cincinnati, and Boulder this past fall, chasing points and trying to improve his start position at nationals. The race is a lap course format that is repeated until a time limit is reached—in Ronan’s case, roughly 40 minutes. In that time allotment, Ronan typically covers 10-12 miles. While cyclocross is an individual sport, he does work with a team for camaraderie and to have a tent to prepare in on race days.

In December at nationals in Fayetteville, Arkansas, Ronan took 12th place in the 15-16-year-old age group. His goals for the future are to accumulate enough points to travel to competitions in Europe, and he has his sights set on qualifying for the world championships in 2027 or 2028.

When asked how he got into this sport, Ronan said, “My dad competes in the sport, so I grew up going to races with my mom.”

As an athlete competing off campus, he’s in good company. The data collected this fall shows that SAAS has student-athletes participating in a variety of sports, ranging from figure skating to gymnastics, hockey, and even sailing. Stay tuned for more fun stories highlighting Cardinals charting their own course in the world of athletics.