Queens University Wins 2023 USA Triathlon Collegiate Club National Championship Title
by USA Triathlon
LAKE LANIER, Georgia — More than 1,200 student-athletes from 80 collegiate clubs across the country competed at the high-energy and exciting 2023 USA Triathlon Collegiate Club National Championships April 14-16 in Lake Lanier, Georgia.
For the second consecutive year, Queens University of Charlotte earned the overall team title, with strong performances from the club's women's and men's teams to score a leading 102 points. With back-to-back national team titles, Queens continues its run of recent success at Collegiate Club Nationals. The Royals also won the overall team title in 2019.
"This team is a family, and families have traditions! Winning for us is a tradition that none of us take for granted, but hope to continue every year," the Queens team said in a collective statement.
Fellow Collegiate Club Nationals perennial powers, University of California-Berkeley (162 points) and University of Colorado-Boulder (241), placed second and third, respectively, in the overall team standings.
Queens was boosted by strong performances across all three races of the weekend: Draft-Legal National Championships, Olympic-distance National Championships and the Mixed Relay. Jake Baugher placed second in the Draft-Legal race and fifth in the Olympic-distance, while his Queens teammate, Niall Caley, took third and fourth. Alejandro Dominguez placed second in the Olympic-distance and Katharina Krosta took third in the women's Draft-Legal race.
Queens then combined to take second in the Mixed Relay, in which collegiate club teams of four athletes (two men and two women) compete, with each athlete completing a super-sprint triathlon — 250m swim, 5k bike and 1.2k run — before handing off to the next teammate.
It was the University of California-Berkeley's team of Johnathan Dolan, Alexandra Sborov, Prashanth Ganesh and Kathryn Kennedy who won the Mixed Relay national title, combining for a time of 1 hour, 3 minutes, 51 seconds. Queens finished second in 1:04:01, while the U.S. Naval Academy took third in 1:04:08.
The University of Colorado-Boulder's Ben Bettin was the individual star of the weekend, winning national titles in both the Draft-Legal and Olympic-distance National Championships for the second consecutive year.
Bettin won the Olympic-distance title on Saturday, covering the 1,500m swim, 41k bike and 10k run course in a time of 1:50:14, over a minute ahead of Queen's Dominguez (1:51:40). The title is the fourth of Bettin's career, and came a day after he won the Draft-Legal title.
Athletes in the Draft-Legal event completed a sprint-distance, 750-meter swim, 21-kilometer bike and 5-kilometer run course. The draft-legal racing format, which enables athletes to ride in packs and work together on the bike, is similar to the racing style contested in elite World Triathlon events and the Olympic Games.
Bettin secured the Draft-Legal national title by completing the course in 56:33, comfortably ahead of Queens teammates, Baugher (57:22) and Niall Caley (57:41).
"Today was just super fun. The crowds are amazing at Collegiate Club Nationals. There are always so many people cheering along the course. I definitely felt like I had 50 more watts of power on the bike when riding by the huge crowds," Bettin said.
The U.S. Naval Academy's Eli Walz earned their first national title in Saturday's Olympic-distance Championships, turning in a strong performance on the bike to complete the course in a time 2:05:30. Grinder placed second in 2:06:50, while Kennedy took third in 2:07:31.
Walz, demonstrating the spirit and team camaraderie of Collegiate Club National Championships, praised their U.S. Naval Academy teammates for helping propel them to the win.
“What needs to be celebrated is not me, but the people who have built me into the athlete and person I am today. I would not be where I am today without the team and all the team alumni who have supported my journey,” Walz said.
In a show of its collegiate club’s sprit and creativity, the University of Wisconsin won both the Spirit Award and the Journey to Nationals competition. The Spirit Award is annually awarded to the collegiate club that shows the most school pride throughout the event. Journey to Nationals is a competition for collegiate clubs to submit short videos capturing their preparation, qualification and travel to Collegiate Club National Championships
2023 USA Triathlon Collegiate Club National Championships
Lake Lanier, Georgia
Overall Club Standings
1. Queens University of Charlotte 102 points
2. University of California-Berkeley 162
3. University of Colorado-Boulder 241
4. United States Naval Academy 308
5. Colorado State University 492
Women's Club Standings
1. University of California-Berkeley 56
2. Queens University of Charlotte 72
3. University of Colorado-Boulder 73
4. United States Naval Academy 100
5. West Point 191
Men's Club Standings
1. Queens University of Charlotte 24
2. Wingate University 47
3. University of Colorado-Boulder 66
4. University of California-Berkeley 105
5. Colorado State University 134
Draft-Legal Collegiate Championships
750m swim, 21k bike, 5k run
Men – Complete Results
1. Ben Bettin (University of Colorado-Boulder), 56:33
2. Jake Baugher (Queens University of Charlotte), 57:22
3. Niall Caley (Queens University of Charlotte), 57:41
4. Jonathan McKinley (University of California-Berkeley), 57:46
5. Luis Steiert (Wingate University), 58:05
Women – Complete Results
1. Rollie Grinder (University of Arizona), 1:03:24
2. Kathyrn Kennedy (University of California-Berkely), 1:04:00
3. Katharina Krosta (Queens University of Charlotte), 1:04:31
4. Eli Walz (United States Naval Academy), 1:05:02
5. Alexandra Poole (Duke University), 1:05:48
Olympic-Distance Collegiate Championships
1,500m swim, 41k bike, 10k run
Men —Complete Results
1. Ben Bettin (University of Colorado-Boulder), 1:50:14
2. Alejandro Dominguez (Queens University of Charlotte), 1:51:40
3. Luis Steiert (Wingate University), 1:52:38
4. Niall Caley (Queens University of Charlotte), 1:53:13
5. Jake Baugher (Queens University of Charlotte), 1:53:23
Women — Complete Results
1. Eli Walz (United States Naval Academy), 2:05:30
2. Rollie Grinder (University of Arizona), 2:06:50
3. Kathryn Kennedy (University of California-Berkeley), 2:07:31
4. Paige Kouba (University of California-Davis), 2:10:29
5. Emma MacDonald (West Point Triathlon Club), 2:10:35
Mixed Relay Collegiate Championships
250m swim, 5k bike, 1.2k run (x4)
Complete Results
1. University of California-Berkeley (1:03:51)
2. Queens University of Charlotte (1:04:01)
3. United States Naval Academy (1:04:08)
4. Colorado State University (1:07:58)
5. Cal Poly - San Luis Obispo (1:09:49)
USA Triathlon
USA Triathlon is proud to serve as the National Governing Body for triathlon, as well as duathlon, aquathlon, aquabike, winter triathlon, off-road triathlon, paratriathlon, and indoor and virtual multisport events in the United States. Founded in 1982, USA Triathlon sanctions more than 4,000 races and connects with more than 400,000 members each year, making it the largest multisport organization in the world. In addition to its work at the grassroots level with athletes, coaches, and race directors – as well as the USA Triathlon Foundation – USA Triathlon provides leadership and support to elite athletes competing at international events, including World Triathlon Championships, Pan American Games and the Olympic and Paralympic Games. USA Triathlon is a proud member of World Triathlon and the United States Olympic & Paralympic Committee (USOPC).