A difference of two years created parity in the field, but Arizona State remained dominant in their fifth-straight USA Triathlon women’s collegiate national championship on Saturday at Tempe Town Lake.
“That’s what happens, you set the bar, raise the bar, and people will come and chase you. We knew they were coming, and the team is so strong and they fight,” head coach Cliff English said.
Arizona State graduate student Hannah Henry finished as the runner-up, closing out a career that spanned two individual championships in her freshman and sophomore years. Henry clocked in at 1:04:46.3, behind University of San Francisco’s Kira Gupta Baltazar, the new national champion.
“I’m still super happy and super proud of everyone who raced today. I know Kira is an amazing, super strong athlete, so I’m totally happy to finish second to her,” Henry said.
Gone were the days when ASU took the top-five finishes in the podium as both San Francisco and South Dakota maintained a heavier presence in the competition. San Francisco finished second as a team, while three finished fourth place or better. South Dakota placed third overall with two in the top ten.
Amber Schlebusch took sixth for ASU, followed by graduate student Kyla Roy (2019 individual champion) at seventh.
Next season will look different for ASU as both national champions, Henry and Roy, will depart after spending the last five years at ASU.
“[The final race] was bittersweet. Hannah [Henry] and I crossed the finish line and she cut the rope and I did the same thing to her. We’ve been here for five years, and we’ve done our time, and it’s just time for the upcoming freshman to keep going,” Roy said.
Alexe Coursol, who finished eighth overall, was named Freshman of the Year by USA Triathlon, a good sign for the team’s future.
“Once you have a win, it’s not an end in itself. You always want to achieve more and once you have a win, you take it and put it in your baggage, then you move forward and want to achieve more. I didn’t win the race, I won Freshman of the Year, but I wasn’t on the podium, so every year it’s something more,” Coursol said.
Senior Kira Stanley was 12th, while senior Audrey Ernst placed 15th. Junior Liberty Ricca, the usual fifth spot for ASU, dealt with a mechanical issue in the 20K bike race and finished 39th overall.
“Kira was like, ‘Oh my gosh, I’m the fifth person.’ So it was like cheering her on and I’m glad that she finished in a good position for the team,” Roy said.
As evidenced by the finishes in the 2021 championships, triathlon is getting even closer to reaching eligibility for full NCAA status. With 38 schools adopting a program across the three divisions, English estimates they’re within 12-18 months away from the full 40 teams needed for consideration. Once the sport receives NCAA status, it will change the landscape of the sport that Arizona State built up the past few years.
“It’s quite meaningful as well because we know it’s one thing about winning titles, but we also feel a large part of driving the sport forward and raising the bar,” English said. “We really try to help out other schools come on board, help them out with whatever it is that they need. Whether it’s budget or information or helping some coaches in mentoring. Maybe I might have to stop doing that soon because we’re getting closer.”
