Posted: April 23, 2007

Triathlon: Naval Academy Sweeps USA Triathlon Collegiate Nationals

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. (April 21, 2007) -- Justine Whipple of The United States Naval Academy defended her title and The Naval Academy claimed both the men's and women's team titles and the coed team title at the 2007 USA Triathlon Collegiate National Championships in Tuscaloosa, Ala., on Saturday. Whipple completed the 1.5k swim, 40k bike, and 10k run in 2:02:44, nearly four minutes ahead of second- place finisher Katie Ellis of Arizona State University (2:06:20). Amanda Felder of the University of California-San Diego grabbed third in 2:08:21. In the men's race, the results were much closer. Kevin Collington of the University of Florida was the top finisher in 1:52:07. Steven Sexton of the University of California-Berkley was second in 1:52:40, while third place went to the University of Michigan's Ethan Brown in 1:52:54. Close to 1,000 athletes, representing 77 colleges and universities from 43 states competed in the event under beautiful conditions on and near the campus of the University of Alabama. Close to 100,000 spectators (most on hand for University of Alabama spring football game) created a festive atmosphere at USAT's largest collegiate championship ever. For the women, the top team was The United States Naval Academy, followed by the University of California-Berkley, and the University of Florida. The top men's teams were The United States Naval Academy, Michigan State University, and The United States Military Academy. The top overall coed teams were The United States Naval Academy, the University of California-Berkley, and the University of Colorado- Boulder. Another 75 athletes competed in the alumni division, with April Gellatly of the University of Georgia (2:18:49) and Bruce Gennari of the University of Alabama (1:57:59) taking the womens' and men's individual titles, respectively. At the awards ceremony following the event, the University of Colorado-Boulder was awarded the Team Spirit Award, but the Colorado team decided to present their award to the team from Virginia Tech, which had 20 athletes competing. Prior to the race, a moment of silence was observed for the tragic events that took place at Virginia Tech earlier in the week. Complete team and individuals results can be found on the USAT website. About USA Triathlon USA Triathlon is the national governing body for triathlon, duathlon, aquathlon and winter triathlon in the United States. USAT sanctions 2,000 races and connects with more than 90,000 members each year, making it the largest multisport organization in the world. Website: .