Warsaw Community High School graduate Suzan Young has signed a national letter of intent to continue her cycling career at Marian University in Indianapolis. Seated with Suzan are parents Timothy and Anne Young. In back are Marian University cycling coach Dean Peterson and track coach Nicole Borem-Schickel. (Photo by Mike Deak)

WINONA LAKE – It’s not a common signing day occurrence in the area. But Suzan Young isn’t joining a common program.

Young, who graduated from Warsaw Community High School in December, signed her national letter of intent Monday at Trailhouse Village Bicycles in Winona Lake to continue her cycling career at powerhouse Marian University in Indianapolis.

About a dozen or so onlookers and supporters were on hand as Young sat beside Marian coach Dean Peterson as she inked to join the national cycling powerhouse that has registered 32 national titles in the sport. The listing of road and track champions, both team and individual on Marian’s athletic cycling pages, read like a Notre Dame All-American football list. The opportunity to be a part of the mystique was something Young couldn’t pass up.

Young, who has been riding competitively for years, began riding at Velodrome in Indianapolis last year. While riding there, Peterson noticed Young and after seeing her succeed not only on the hard surface of the Velodrome, but also the dirt courses at the Indy Cycloplex, decided to make his pitch.

“It’s a real pleasure to see people riding and developing at a younger age as they begin to prep for college,” began Peterson, who is a Goshen native. “We’ve watched her the past couple years and have seen her at the Velodrome. For us, to know that she can ride the dirt, and the track at the Velodrome, that is a bonus for us. She comes from a really supportive family and has a lot of support around her.”

On the courses, Young has been active in cyclocross for three years. Cyclocross is a hybrid of biking and running (think Tough Mudder without the barbed wire and major obstacles), that as Young noted, was ’90 percent riding, 10 percent running’. Currently racing for Summit City Cyclocross and Kreitler Racing Team, Young won the 2012 Junior Women’s State Road Championship. More recently, Young finished first in the 2015 Points Series in Women’s Category Four at the Indy Cycloplex.

“We will bring her in knowing she has both the track and dirt backgrounds, which is huge,” Peterson said. “We see her fitting in quite nicely very quickly because she is so diverse. There is just a small handful of women riders in the country that are ready to ride both coming in versus us having to teach them one or the other. The biggest thing is that she wants to do those things, be part of a team and continue in college with her academic career as well. She’s a great fit for us.”

Young, who graduated in December from WCHS in hopes to attend Capernwray Bible School in England this spring before heading to Marian in the fall, wants to further her education in history and global studies.

“The draw to Marian was really both cycling and the academic side,” Young said. “The spiritual aspect was also something that drew me to Marian. When Dean was recruiting me, he made both athletics and academics a priority. I just liked the visit a lot. I know people in Indy, and I’m familiar with the Cycloplex.

“I made my decision in December and felt like God spoke to me and told me Marian was the best choice,” continued Young. “It was all laid out in foot steps. It was the best fit for me.”