HBCU Kentucky State University Adds NCAA Women’s Collegiate Triathlon Program

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. — USA Triathlon, along with Kentucky State University, today announced the HBCU institution based in Frankfort, Kentucky, has become the latest NCAA program to add women’s collegiate triathlon to its varsity sport offerings. 

Kentucky State will be the third HBCU (Historically Black Colleges and Universities) to offer women’s collegiate triathlon for student-athletes, joining Delaware State University and Hampton University. The new program marks another significant milestone in the continued growth of women’s collegiate triathlon across the NCAA landscape, made possible at Kentucky State through support from the USA Triathlon Foundation and the Dave Alexander Grant. The grant is offered to institutions to help develop, implement, and sustain women’s triathlon programs at the NCAA varsity level.

"Thanks to the support of the USA Triathlon Foundation, we are excited to expand our athletic footprint into the sport of triathlon," said Kentucky State University Director of Athletics Grant Stepp. "As we aim to create new opportunities for student-athletes, expand enrollment opportunities for our institution and build off the legacy created by our past student-athletes in the sports of cross country and track and field, Kentucky State is showing it can be a leader in college athletics opportunities for students. As a proud HBCU institution, creating new opportunities for our young people adds a new point of pride for our school. I am excited to get into competition next year and provide this new avenue for our young people to compete and represent Kentucky State University."

“USA Triathlon is proud to welcome Kentucky State University as the third HBCU to offer varsity women’s triathlon,” said Tim Yount, USA Triathlon Chief of Sport Development. “Kentucky State continues to impact the movement of women’s collegiate athletics, and we’re excited about the opportunities their new women’s triathlon program will create for our student-athletes both on and off the field of play." 

The commitment by Kentucky State continues the momentum women’s collegiate triathlon has built toward becoming an NCAA championship sport. Women’s triathlon is progressing through the NCAA Emerging Sports process, with remaining steps including committee, council, divisional, and budget approvals. 

A fall sport, the women’s triathlon varsity season includes races with various distances and race types which culminate with Regional Championships, followed by the Women’s Collegiate Triathlon National Championships. Draft-legal races are contested at the sprint distance, featuring a 750-meter open-water swim, 20-kilometer draft-legal bike, and 5-kilometer run, while additional distances and disciplines are also supported, allowing NCAA triathlon to expand racing formats and broaden the competitive footprint of the sport. The 2026 USA Triathlon Women’s Collegiate Triathlon National Championships will be held in November in Tempe, Arizona.

The draft-legal format allows athletes to work together in packs on the bike over multiple laps on a closed course. This dynamic, spectator-friendly format mirrors the style of competition used at the Olympic Games and on the World Triathlon Championship Series circuit. 

For more information about triathlon as an NCAA Emerging Sport for Women, visit https://www.usatriathlon.org/multisport/ncaa-triathlon. 

Interested in helping identify and recruit the next women’s varsity collegiate triathlon program? Athletes currently competing in triathlon and those from single-sport backgrounds are invited to compete at the NCAA level. Inquiries may be directed to Tim Yount, USA Triathlon Chief of Sport Development, at tim.yount@usatriathlon.org.