Following approval in January, for triathlon to be the next NCAA Emerging Sport for Women, thus creating new opportunities for student-athletes within the Olympic development pipeline, national governing body USA Triathlon (USAT) has held its first-ever NCAA Summit in Tempe, Arizona.
Hosting more than 50 coaches interested in growing the sport of tri across the US, a number of questions were addressed, such as:
- How much will it cost to create and sustain an NCAA triathlon program?
- What are the benefits for colleges and universities that might want to start such programs?
- How can USA Triathlon-certified coaches be trained to coach NCAA teams?
- What kinds of races are being planned for the inaugural 2014 NCAA triathlon season, which will start in August and run through November?
The first-ever NCAA Triathlon Summit, put together by USA Triathlon officials on the first day of this year’s USA Triathlon Collegiate National Championships, was intended to address the many queries from coaches since the NCAA voted overwhelmingly in January to make triathlon the next NCAA Emerging Sport for Women at Division I, II and III schools.
The NCAA decision paved the way this year for colleges and universities to begin adding an NCAA-sanctioned women’s triathlon program, complete with scholarships for female athletes eligible to compete in an NCAA draft-legal triathlon championship in November.
As athletic directors at colleges and universities have begun to weigh the pros and cons of adding a varsity triathlon team, many questions remain.
As proposed to the NCAA, varsity women’s triathlon events will consist of draft-legal sprint races, as well as non-draft sprint and relay events, with an NCAA national championship during the first full week in November consisting of the top 60 athletes in a 750m swim, 20K bike, 5K run format.
While NCAA races can begin as early as this August, an NCAA triathlon national championship won’t be held until some 40 institutions at the Division I, II and III can field teams, said speakers at the meeting.
Craig Hanken, USA Triathlon’s Draft Legal Event Specialist, said three different kinds of events are being planned this year for the NCAA-specific races — open-water events, pool events and relays. The open-water varsity events, he said, will consist of a 750m swim, 20K bike and 5K run, with a limit of 75 athletes, while a non-varsity NCAA event can be a non-draft race of the same length with a 105-athlete limit.
Relays, meanwhile, will be organized around two to 16 teams consisting of four athletes sequentially doing a 200m swim, 5K bike and 1.25K run in an open-water venue or pool.
Jess Luscinski, NCAA and Collegiate Triathlon Coordinator at USA Triathlon, said those NCAA races are initially expected to be part of existing USA Triathlon-sanctioned triathlons in order to minimize costs as the first collegiate varsity programs begin.
To assist USA Triathlon-certified coaches considering careers on NCAA teams, USA Triathlon also plans to provide certification for coaching NCAA programs and will conduct its first webinar on NCAA triathlon on 17 April.
A ‘Collegiate Triathlon Coaches Association’ is also being planned to represent NCAA triathlon coaches and to provide them with a voice.
Emerging sport
An emerging sport is a sport recognized by the NCAA that is intended to explore new sports and grow participation opportunities for female student-athletes. Institutions are allowed to use emerging sports to help meet the NCAA minimum sports sponsorship requirements, minimum financial aid award requirements, and gender equity standards.
USA Triathlon has led the effort to include triathlon as an NCAA sport since 2010. Nearly 200 schools currently have club triathlon programs and USAT has held Collegiate National Championships since 1992.
NCAA (The National Collegiate Athletic Association) is a membership-driven organization dedicated to safeguarding the well-being of student-athletes and equipping them with the skills to succeed on the playing field, in the classroom and throughout life.
The organisation supports learning through sports by integrating athletics and higher education to enrich the college experience of student-athletes. NCAA members – mostly colleges and universities, but also conferences and affiliated groups – work together to create the framework of rules for fair and safe competition.
