By Marisa Penkauskas

Interactive FitnessFall Frenzy Tournament is coming down to the wire with only one round left to go! With the legendary Golden Spokes trophy in view, Schoolcraft College, Marist College, the University of Iowa, and Saint Mary’s College of CA recruited everyone that walked into their rec centers to cycle for what could have been the last ride in this year’s college Expresso bike event. High-fives were exchanged, groans and cheers were heard, and the schools were pulling out all the stops to win this 48-hour bracketed challenge. And now only two schools remain: Schoolcraft College and Saint Mary’s College of CA.

Over the past four weeks of the Fall Frenzy, 2,214 riders from 145 colleges have ridden a combined 50,137 miles and burned over 1.65 Million calories on the bikes.

Results from the Fearsome Four

Schoolcraft College—4,346 miles vs. Marist – 4,134 miles

Saint Mary’s College of CA – 1,788 miles vs. University of Iowa – 1,756 miles

In this last round, Schoolcraft College—the #1 seeded school and last year’s champion—had to work hard for their victory. Marist College, an unseeded school, held the lead until the last few hours of the tournament. They filled time-slots on a schedule to ensure the bikes were filled from midnight to midnight. With over 4,000 miles each, both teams put in the most miles ever to be ridden in a Fearsome Four bracket to date!

Lisa Cunningham—fitness lead at Schoolcraft—says, “We can sum up this last round in one word: intense! We were living by the quote of Yogi Berra: ‘It ain’t over till it’s over.’ It was a fun, electrifying—and sometimes stressful!—round, but truly amazing to see a collaborative effort between all of our fitness center members ranging in age from 18 to 80 years old! We are looking forward to competing in the Championship round against Saint Mary’s College next week!”

In the other bracket, Saint Mary’s College of CA students and staff cheered on their teammates to an ultimate win. This first-time Frenzy school took on the athletic titan the University of Iowa. The Iowa Hawkeyes battled Saint Mary’s Gaels and held them off by a few miles throughout the round. But by midnight, Saint Mary’s was able to pull ahead by just 31 miles—enough to make it into the Championship round.

In Livonia, Michigan, Pat Mog continues to lead Schoolcraft College in their defense of their 2014 championship title. He supported his team by riding through the night so that most members could get some sleep and ride during the day. He’s actually set a record for most miles earned in the whole tournament, placing #1 on the All-Tournament Team.

The Championship Round

Schoolcraft College (1) vs. Saint Mary’s College of CA

Our last year’s defending champion is up against a newcomer to both the Frenzy and to Expresso bikes!

All-Tournament Team

Individual riders are competing to be a part of the All-Tournament team. The following riders have ridden the most miles throughout the overall tournament:

  1. Pat Mog – Schoolcraft College – 1,024 miles
  2. Christine Lehman-Engledow – University of Iowa – 542 miles
  3. Tamara Wrone – Schoolcraft College – 542 miles
  4. John King – Houghton College – 540 miles
  5. Brendan McLaughlin – Marist College – 522 miles
  6. M Burkey – University of Iowa – 384 miles
  7. Ethan Fox – Marist College – 352 miles
  8. Stephanie Omlin – SUNY – Binghamton – 347 miles
  9. Mark Valentino – Marist College – 341 miles
  10. Ray Mattingly – Marist College – 332 miles
  11. Michael Waldyke – Schoolcraft College – 321 miles
  12. Mark Zajicek – Carnegie Mellon University – 315 miles
  13. Mark Rotondi – Marist College – 315 miles
  14. Branden Kitchen – Gannon University – 311 miles
  15. Thomas Marshall – University of South Dakota – 290 miles
  16. Jennifer Deasy – Saint Mary’s College of CA – 279 miles
  17. billy smythe – Schoolcraft College – 276 miles
  18. Charles Whitehouse – Saint Mary’s College of CA – 261 miles
  19. Jonathan Hicks – Valparaiso University – 260 miles
  20. Josh Harper – Saint Mary’s College of CA – 256 miles
  21. Dyche Anderson – Schoolcraft College – 249 miles
  22. Jake Fedewa – Schoolcraft College – 247 miles
  23. Nick van Santen – Saint Mary’s College of CA – 245 miles
  24. Tyler Barry – SUNY – Oswego – 242 miles
  25. Joshua Costa – Schoolcraft College – 233 miles

Five hundred and seventy-nine riders from the Fearsome Four teams rode for a combined 12,023 miles in 48 hours. Students, faculty, and staff have found newfound camaraderie while riding, supporting each other, and representing their teams!

Tune into the exciting last round of the Expresso Fall Frenzy, which is taking place November 3–4—ending at midnight EST of November 4—to see which team will win the Championship title and the Golden Spokes trophy!

For more information about the 2015 Expresso Fall Frenzy Tournament, please contact Marketing Manager at Interactive Fitness Marisa Penkauskas.