MURRAY, Ky. - The 12-time collegiate national track cycling champions opened the 2010 road season on Saturday and Sunday at Murray State University in Murray, Ky. The Knights raced very well as they brought home two individual titles and had top-five finishes in the other events.

On Saturday, sophomore Sinead Miller (South Park, Pa./South Park) led a contingent of four Knights in the top 10 after she earned the title in the women's A race. Freshman Jackie Kurth (Palm City, Fla./Martin County) picked up a third-place finish with freshman Anna Young (Syracuse, N.Y./Madison West) finishing in fifth place. Senior Rebecca Finley (Des Moines, Iowa/Home-schooled) finished right behind Young in sixth.

"The women had a great ride and were able to put four MU riders in a break of six that quickly put three minutes on the field," said head coach Dean Peterson. "Miller was able to break away from everyone and won by over four minutes, while Kurth, Young, and Finley finished third, fifth, and sixth. It was a solid ride for the ladies."

Junior Anna Sklorenko (Indianapolis, Ind./Bishop Chatard), junior Megan Somerville (Norwalk, Calif./Santa Fe), and senior Sierra Siebenlist (Indianola, Iowa/Indianola) finished in 11th, 12th, and 15th places, respectively.

In the men's A race, senior David Williams (Grand Rapids, Mich./Catholic Central) led the Knights with an eighth-place finish after the Knights missed the initial break. "We missed the break of six riders and then chased, but had no chance of hauling it back," said Peterson. "David was able to get in a chase group of three on the last lap to grab our only top 20 of the day."

In the men's B race, freshman Adam Kosela (Downer's Grove, Ill./South) led the Knights with a third-place finish, while sophomore Peter Deucher (Wakeman, Ohio/Firelands) finished, unofficially, in 16th place.

"Adam and Pete rode a solid race staying in great position," said Peterson. "Adam was able to hold on over the final climb of the day to stay in a group of 15 riders, and then had a great sprint to grab third place in his first collegiate road race."

Sunday saw Miller complete the sweep after she earned the title in the women's A criterium. The Knights had four in the top 10 and had seven riders in the top 16. Kurth earned a runner-up finish, while Young finished in fifth place. Finley finished eighth, while Somerville, Sklorenko, and Siebenlist finished 11th, 15th, and 16th, respectively.

"Jackie went on the attack first and made the field chase her down," said Peterson. "That set up Sinead for a counter-attack and she was able to get away and lap the field after 30 minutes of racing. She then led Kurth out to the line to secure second place. Anna (Young) had another great day, while Anna (Sklorenko) was very active on the point sprints and grabbed valuable points for the team. Finley took a flyer on the final lap and nearly got away to grab second. Overall, it was a solid team race by the women."

In the men's A criterium, junior Alex Wieseler (Oconomowoc, Wis./Arrowhead) led the Knights with a fifth-place finish, while freshman Weston Luzadder (Carmel, Ind./Carmel) finished, unofficially, in 21st place.

"The guys rode a great team race, but were unable to put someone in a position to win at the end," Peterson said. "The team rode aggressively to cover and create moves off the front, but nothing got away so it came down to a field sprint of about 50 riders out of over 60 starters at the line. Weston and Alex were also able to grab some point sprints for the team as well."

In the women's B race, sophomore Cynthia Lakatosh (Trexlertown, Pa./Parkland) led the Knights with a third-place finish. "Cindy had a great ride taking one point sprint and grabbing third in another and then finished third," said Peterson. "She narrowly missed the win and rode a very smart race and scored valuable points for the team."

In the men's B race, Kosela finished near the top 10, unofficially 10th, after riding another great race to get valuable points on the intermediate sprints.

The Knights head South before returning to the DePauw University weekend on March 13 and 14 in Greencastle, Ind. Some riders will participate in the Lindsey Wilson weekend on March 6 and 7, but the team will be gearing up for their spring ride.