Shayna Powless, the Roseville High School freshman who is one of the top teenage Xterra triathletes in the world, now has taken her domination to the Northern California High School Mountain Bike Racing League.
In the season opening race at Fort Ord, near Monterey, Powless was the top girl in the field of 400, completing the loop course in 1 hour 13 minutes 36 seconds. That was two minutes faster than last year's undefeated varsity champion, Christine Ware of Union Mine High School. (Roseville High sophomore Katherine Pollard finished fifth.)
Powless had to peitition the league, founded as a nonprofit in 2000 and not affiliated with the CIF, to be allowed to compete in the varsity race; she got permission based on, among other feats, how she defeated the collegiate national champion in the Xterra Triathlon Nationals in Nevada.
