USA Triathlon has announced that Andy Schmitz, USA Triathlon’s High Performance General Manager, will resign after seven years in the role to prioritize family and follow other personal and professional pursuits. An international search for his successor will begin immediately.
“Andy’s leadership, organizational skills and administrative prowess have been critical to the success of our elite athletes and the elevation of our High Performance Program,” said Rocky Harris, USA Triathlon CEO. “He brings passion and dedication to his role every day, traits which have positively impacted our entire organization. I wish him well in his future endeavours, and thank him for all he has contributed to the USA Triathlon family.”
“This was an incredibly difficult decision, however at this time in my life, it is time for me to put focus on myself and my family,” said Andy Schmitz, USA Triathlon High Performance General Manager. “Serving as USA Triathlon’s High Performance General Manager has been an immense honour and is the highlight of my professional career to date. I am incredibly proud of what we achieved as a team and know the organization is primed for continued success.”
Schmitz led all US National Team Programs during the most successful period of international competition in USA Triathlon’s history. His specific responsibilities included managing the organization’s Olympic and Paralympic pipelines; directing strategic planning, operations and administrative activities for the USA Triathlon High Performance staff; and overseeing the department’s annual budget.
Schmitz also oversaw USA Triathlon’s talent identification and athlete development programs, driving creative solutions to elite pipeline gaps through enhancement of the USA Triathlon Collegiate Recruitment Program and other squad-based initiatives. He centralized and professionalized team support at international events, and managed relationships with the US Olympic Committee (USOC), the International Triathlon Union (ITU) and the US Anti-Doping Agency (USADA).
Schmitz will maintain several key responsibilities until a successor is hired, while providing counsel to USA Triathlon’s High Performance staff, managing financials and leading the event selection and funding process for US elite athletes.
Schmitz was a member of the US coaching staff for the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games, the team leader and women’s coach for the 2012 US Olympic Team in London, and the team leader for the 2016 US Olympic Team in Rio de Janeiro. He played a key role in the talent identification and development of Gwen Jorgensen, who earned the United States’ first Olympic gold medal in the sport of triathlon at the Rio 2016 Games.
In addition, he led the formation of the USA Paratriathlon program from the ground up, resulting in a four-medal performance for the US Paralympic Team in the sport’s debut at the Rio 2016 Paralympic Games. He also served as the team leader for the US at numerous ITU World Triathlon Series Grand Final events.
Under Schmitz’s leadership, US performance on the international stage improved significantly. Prior to his tenure, US elite triathletes had not earned more than three medals per year at the ITU World Triathlon Series and World Cup levels combined. Since he moved into the role of High Performance General Manager, that number has increased, with 22 and 25 earned in 2016 and 2017 respectively.
Since 2011, Schmitz has driven a high-performance strategy that has resulted in an Olympic gold medal; seven elite ITU World Championship medals, including two world titles; the 2016 ITU Mixed Relay World Championship title and 2017 silver medal; 42 ITU World Triathlon Series podiums; and 10 Junior and U-23 World Championship medals, six of them gold.
Schmitz joined the staff of USA Triathlon as a contractor in 2005, supporting development-level athletes at US Olympic Training Center camps and ITU events. He was hired full-time in 2006, and held the titles of Junior National Team Coach, and High Performance Manager before taking the helm of USA Triathlon’s High Performance program in 2011.
