August 2026 / COMMUNITY
Jonas Di Bari on his way to the state champs win.
Saratoga Shredders Devo – Team Wins Second State Title
By Chris Yarsevich
On June 14, the Saratoga Shredders Devo mountain bike team won their second consecutive NICA State Championship. The team consists of athletes in grades five to 12 from across Saratoga County and beyond. NICA NY (National Interscholastic Cycling Association) consists of 17 teams from across the state that come together to race at different courses throughout New York. This year’s championship was held at Fronhofer Farm in Salem, NY (see below for exciting news).
The Saratoga Shredders capped off a very successful campaign, where they won the team overall at each of the four races this spring. The team was anchored by a strong girls team, who individually placed first, second, and third in all the races this year and took an unprecedented sweep of the podium (five places) at race two in Oneonta. Not to be outdone, the boys team had several returning and new racers joining the scoring in the high school ranks, which led to the overall win.
Future stars, Gavin Yarsevich, Walker Southerland, Bolton Keyes, Matthew Dickinson.
Olivia Brackett finishing her last NICA race as a senior!
Saratoga Shredders had four individual state champions that were named by winning the last race of the series. Nora Hammaker won the sixth grade girls championship, Jonah Di Bari won the eighth grade boys championship, Sam Stadelmeyer won the middle school advanced championship, and Anna Yarsevich won the varsity girls championship. Additionally, Shredders had three overall series champions, who accrued the most points throughout the four race series. Nora Hammaker and Sam Stadelmeyer added the overall series win to their state championship race, and Rhiannon Curtis took home the overall series win in the varsity girls category.
This year, Shredders also had their first graduating seniors on the team. Daniel Hancock, Olivia Brackett, and Aurora Stingel have all raced throughout their high school careers, rising up through the ranks of the Shredders youth MTB program. While the team is sad to see them go, they are all off to an exciting new chapter in their lives as they move onto college in the fall. Daniel will be attending Purdue, Olivia will be attending SUNY New Paltz, and Aurora will be at the School of Visual Arts in NYC.
Start of the girls varsity race with Shredders at the front: Anna Yarsevich, Rhiannon Curtis, Talia Hodson, Aurora Stingel.
The coaching staff of Saratoga Shredders Devo is very proud of the team’s accomplishments and even more so of their character and attitude while achieving these great results. The team works extremely hard at practice, always lends a helping hand during race weekends with course setup or teardown, and does all of this with smiles on their faces in a supportive team environment. Many thanks goes to the extensive coaching network the team has developed, allowing each rider to get the development they need during the season. The team is enjoying a fun-filled summer of riding bikes and looking forward to defending their championship again next year!
Team overall state championship win.
The Bunker Hill Mountain Bike Association opened their trail system on July 1 – the first public mountain biking trails in Washington County! Phase one includes six miles of trails designed for mountain biking, but walkers and hikers are welcome. Phase two, planned for 2027, will add about 10 miles of trails. Bunker Hill MBA is a nonprofit to create and maintain trails on private property (thanks to their generous land owners). For a trail map and directions, visit bunkerhillmba.org. For updates and events, see their social media.