LAKE LANIER, Ga. — The first day of the action-packed 2022 USA Triathlon Collegiate Club National Championships in Lake Lanier, Georgia started with the Draft-Legal Collegiate Championships — featuring a 750-meter swim, 21-kilometer bike and 5-kilometer run.
CU Boulder’s Benedikt Bettin claimed the men’s championship title in a time of 57 minutes 58 seconds. In the women’s race, CU Boulder’s Gabrielle Trueblood claimed a podium spot with her third place finish in 1:07:06.
“The race went really well. I messed up my start a little bit, there was two guys ahead of me and I had to close that gap, but I felt like I had a good first transition,” said Bettin. “The course was a little more tactical, which I was fine with because I trusted in my little kick in the end. And that is what I did, I kicked it in at the end and managed to win it. I am super happy about it. I am so happy to have all of my teammates here and I am so thankful for all of my coaches. Today was great, great experience, great course, it was super fun.”
After a quick respite, athletes gathered to the start line again to compete in teams in the Mixed Relay event. Collegiate club teams comprised of four athletes (two men and two women) had each athlete completing a super-sprint triathlon — 250m swim, 5k bike and 1.2k run — before handing off to the next teammate.
The CU team — consisting of Drew Kroeker, Maren York, Brandon Wallace and Gabrielle Trueblood — took third in the Mixed Relay with a time of 1:12:09.
The action continues Saturday with the marquee Olympic-distance Collegiate Championships, which has long been a staple of the Collegiate Club Nationals program. Collegiate club athletes will cover a 1,500m swim, 41k bike and 10k run, with the first wave of men starting at 7:30 a.m. and the first wave of women beginning at 7:45 a.m.
2022 USA Triathlon Draft-Legal Collegiate Championships
750m swim, 21k bike, 5k run
Top Men’s Finishers – Complete Results
1. Benedikt Bettin (University of Colorado, Boulder), 57:58
2. Milan Tomlin (Queens University of Charlotte), 58:08
3. Jake Baugher (Queens University of Charlotte), 59:11
Top Women’s Finishers – Complete Results
1. Franca Henseleit (Queens University of Charlotte), 1:05:08
2. Kathyrn Kennedy (University of California-Berekely), 1:06:24
3. Gabrielle Trueblood (University of Colorado, Boulder), 1:07:06
2022 USA Triathlon Mixed Relay Collegiate Championships
250m swim, 5k bike, 1.2k run
Top Team Finishers – Complete Results
1. Queens University of Charlotte, 1:08:46
2. United States Naval Academy, 1:10:36
3. University of Colorado, Boulder, 1:12:09
