Justin Butsavage, first-year student at Penn State Lehigh Valley, has made a name for himself in cycling as one of the top junior track cyclists in the U.S.

Butsavage is currently the Team Pursuit National Champion and National Record holder. Butsavage recently represented the USA at the Junior Track World Championships in Montichiari, Itay, and placed second in the omnium and kilometer time trails at the Junior Track Nationals in Los Angeles.

Some additional achievements that Butsavage has accomplished include competing in Trinidad and Tobago Junior Pan American Championships last year and placing third in the Team Pursuit in Canada and Italy.

“I’m most proud of the Team Pursuit National record. After two years of hard work and dedication, I was selected to be on the National Pursuit Squad, where we trained and set a national record,” said Butsavage.

With starting at the Lehigh Valley campus this year, Butsavage decided to join the Penn State Lehigh Valley Cycling Club and has already proved to be a great addition. The Cycling Club recently competed at the Collegiate Track Nationals where they placed third overall.

The Collegiate Track National Championship took place in September 2017 in Indianapolis, Indiana. Justin Butsavage, Katie Fogel and Julia Sante all competed for Penn State Lehigh Valley. Together they placed third overall in the Club Team Omnium race.

“It was a really fun experience. As a freshman, it was hard to learn how to balance school and training [for cycling], but I was happy with the outcome,” said Penn State Lehigh Valley first-year student and cyclist Julia Sante.

“This was my first time competing in a national race, so the Collegiate Track National Championship was a great opportunity to meet other collegiate riders,” said Penn State Lehigh Valley senior and cyclist Katie Fogel.

The Penn State Lehigh Valley Cycling Club has a reputation of being small, but mighty. The team hopes to continue their success in upcoming competitions and look forward to racing together.

Penn State Lehigh Valley students who have questions or who are interested in joining the Cycling Club, can contact Cycling Club Coach Mandy Marquardt at mqm5336@psu.edu.