Women's Collegiate Triathlon National Championship Teams Set After St. George National Qualifier

HURRICANE, Utah — Intermountain Tri hosted the final National Qualifier race of the 2021 Women's Collegiate Triathlon season on Oct. 31, as part of Super Sprint Weekend. 

Athletes completed a hilly and challenging sprint-distance course consisting of a 750-meter swim, 20-kilometer draft-legal bike and 5-kilometer run within the stunning red-rock backdrop of Quail Creek State Park, located just outside of St. George, Utah.

With the three National Qualifiers now completed, the field of athletes is set for the Women's Collegiate Triathlon National Championships, scheduled for Nov. 13 in Tempe, Arizona.

Kira Gupta-Baltazar of the University of San Francisco earned the overall win in Utah, crossing the line in 1 hour, 4 minutes, 31 seconds. Her San Francisco teammate Gillian Cridge finished second in 1:04:52.

University of Denver's Freya McKinley placed third on the overall podium, with a time of 1:05:13. 

Arizona State University, with athletes placing fourth, fifth and sixth overall, earned the Division I team title. San Francisco placed second. 

Both teams will compete at the Women's Collegiate Triathlon National Championships.

Drury University's Jayme Vermaas earned the DII individual win, racing a time of 1:09:10. Colorado Mesa University's Megan Buchanan and Abigail White placed second and third, respectively, among DII competitors, helping lead the Mavericks to the DII team title.

Drury placed second as a team, joining Colorado Mesa in clinching a spot for the Women's Collegiate Triathlon National Championships. 

North Central College's Hailey Poe and Annika Cotner finished first and second, respectively, among DIII women. North Central will compete at the Women's Collegiate Triathlon National Championships. 

The top teams from the season's three qualifiers, as well as the top 20-ranked individual athletes in each division, not already on a qualifying team, will head to Tempe, Arizona, for the Nov. 13 National Championships race.

Following the three National Qualifiers, these are the teams that will compete in the Women's Collegiate Triathlon National Championships: 

Division I

• Arizona State University
• University of San Francisco 
• University of Denver
• University of South Dakota
• East Tennessee State University 
• Wagner University 
• Delaware State University

Division II 

• Queens University of Charlotte
• Colorado Mesa University 
• Wingate University 
• Davis & Elkins University 
• Lenoir-Rhyne University 
• Drury University 
• Black Hills State University
• Emmanuel College

Division III

• North Central College
• Trine University
• Millikin University
• Transylvania University
• Eastern Mennonite University
• Calvin University
• Central College

In addition, individual qualifiers from the following schools will also race at the National Championships:

Division II

• Daemen University
• King University
• Montana State University-Billings
• American International College
• Newberry College
• St. Thomas Aquinas College

Division III

• Coe College
• Concordia University Wisconsin
• Guilford College
• Willamette University

For more information about triathlon as an NCAA Emerging Sport for Women, visit usatriathlon.org/ncaa.