Sun Devil Triathlon is in the hunt for its seventh consecutive national championship as the sport inches closer to NCAA championship status

Written for TheSunDevils.com by Drew Schott

Since Cliff English began as a professional triathlon coach, he has witnessed the international development of the sport. Athletes he has coached have competed in events such as IRONMAN races around the world and the Olympics, where triathlon was first introduced as a sport at the 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney, Australia.

But some of English’s most impressive work has come in the desert as head coach of the Arizona State University (ASU) women’s triathlon team, which is aiming to win its seventh straight title on Nov. 11 at the Women’s Collegiate Triathlon National Championships in Tempe. The Sun Devils’ success not only confirms their position as one of the top collegiate triathlon programs in the country, but also plays a key role in the effort to earn women’s triathlon recognition as a championship sport by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA). .

“We definitely invested a lot of time, energy and money into this,” English said. “I’m very proud of that.”

In 2014, NCAA Convention athletic directors voted to grant triathlon emerging sport status at all three division levels. The sport – part of the NCAA’s Emerging Sports for Women program – received an average of 94.5% positive votes across all three divisions, which Tim Yount, the chief sport development officer at USA Triathlon, called “almost unprecedented.”

For triathlon to achieve championship sport status, it took 40 programs to sponsor it at the varsity level within 10 years of the sport achieving emerging sport status. Triathlon reached the 40 school threshold ahead of schedule in February 2022 and currently offers programs at 42 facilities. Its three Power Five teams — Arizona, Arizona State and Texas Christian University (TCU) — will all be members of the Big 12 Conference starting in 2024, the 10th anniversary of triathlon achieving status as an emerging sport.

Achieving championship status still requires several phases, including a review by the Women’s Athletics Committee. Still, Yount is very optimistic about the future of the sport and recognizes the role that ASU — the first Power Five university to embrace women’s triathlon — has played in its growth.

“When ASU stepped forward and said, ‘We’re going to be a player in this sport,’ they thought, ‘Not only are we going to build the best Division I program in the country with six national titles, but we’re going to be.’ “also give back to the sport and ensure it stays on the path to championship status,” Yount said. “They did that when they said, ‘We’re going to produce and support this national championship… For us, it’s the biggest event on the NCAA calendar for triathlon. You’ve done an incredible job, you get it, it’s a city that gets it. They are behind it.”

Yount believes Arizona State has established itself as “the top team at the Division I level” and that its success in triathlon will bode well for the Sun Devils’ placement in the Division I LEARFIELD Directors’ Cup standings. Yount also praised the work of English, whose 12-member roster includes athletes from the United States, Canada, Czech Republic, Mexico and South Africa.

As a long-time member of USA Triathlon – the national governing body for the sport in the United States – Yount is also confident that Arizona and TCU will develop successful women’s triathlon programs. This fall marked the inaugural season for both the Horned Frogs and Wildcats.

“Being involved in this and being able to lead young women as a woman, there’s nothing better,” TCU head coach Jenny Garrison said. “Being able to be a role model and help these young women discover who they are through triathlon is honestly why I love what I do so much.”

For Garrison, watching triathlon grow has been an “exciting” experience. He believes triathlon offers numerous academic and athletic benefits to both American and international athletes. Arizona assistant coach Jocelyn Bonney expressed a similar sentiment.

“The University of Arizona puts a lot of emphasis on its Olympic sports and also places a lot of emphasis on having academically successful athletes,” said Bonney, who earned her bachelor’s degree in nutritional sciences from ASU. “Those are two things we are currently delivering for the university.”

This feeling can also be carried over to ASU. During the 2022-23 academic year, the Sun Devils had 652 athletes compete in 26 sports, including women’s triathlon, men’s and women’s tennis, and men’s and women’s swimming and diving.

“If you look at all of what Bob Bowman is doing in swimming, (the success of) our wrestling program, tennis, golf, track and field, we’re really, really good at the (Olympic) sports and it’s a lot of fun to be one “We’ve always felt part of it. This isn’t just about football and basketball. We have an environment where we can really thrive and continue to work towards international goals.”

Over the past four years as she competed for the maroon and gold title, senior Katy Clausen noticed increasing media attention to the women’s triathlon national championships. She also pointed to the unity between different triathlon programs and their coaches, which is one of the reasons she believes the sport is finding success — and attention — at the collegiate level.

“Triathlon was a really new sport,” Clausen said. “But ASU really values ​​us, just like any other sport.”

“They are very dedicated,” added assistant coach Kyla Roy, who competed for ASU’s triathlon team from 2017 to 2022. “They are very committed. I think it’s pretty cool to see all the girls working together and encouraging each other. They are a very tight-knit team.”

Roy – who was previously a volunteer assistant with the team – was arguably one of the best triathletes of English’s tenure. He helped the Sun Devils win four national titles and win the individual national championship in an undefeated season in 2019. Although she is currently on the staff and not competing, she has “never felt more supported” by ASU.

According to Roy, this support extends to growth in several areas, including on the triathlon track and in the classroom. Ensuring the development of his triathletes is a top priority for English, who has competed in international events in support of his ASU athletes. One of those – the 2023 World Sprint and Relay Triathlon Championships in Hamburg, Germany – took place on July 13 and featured freshman Sidney Clement, sophomore Faith Dasso and sophomore Naomi Ruff.

“I’ve had dreams like this: ‘Oh man, can you imagine one day actually three or four (triathletes) going to the world championships together?'” English said. “I think we are close. I’m getting goosebumps at the moment. It’s really exciting when you think about where we can take it, especially if we’re good at fundraising and can help them get to these races.”

Heading into championship weekend, Arizona State has put together another strong campaign. The Sun Devils defeated Arizona in the Duel in the Desert on September 2, placed second out of six teams in the Battle in the Fort Triathlon on September 17, and defeated four other teams to take first place in the NCAA West National Qualifier on September 14. Oct.

After qualifying, Clement, Dasso and sophomore Heidi Jurankova secured spots on the 2023 College Triathlon Coaches Association (CTCA) Division All-West Region Team. Clement also secured a spot on the All-West Region Freshman Team after qualifying won the individual title, marking their first win for ASU.

Ruff – who was a 2022 Junior National Champion with Team USA – is quick to complement English’s organizational skills and his willingness to talk about “why we do what we do.” Meanwhile, Clausen called English – the multiple (CTCA) Coach of the Year Awards – described as “incredibly talented” in his role.

“The support from the university was also very helpful,” said Ruff. “In the off-season they sponsor two of our races, so that helps us travel there and having these coaches with us gives us some support and really helps us through the whole process.”

While growing up in Canada, English shared that the current triathlon scholarships and opportunities for college athletes did not exist. Therefore, the opportunity to help women participate in sports and win individual and team titles is a meaningful experience for him.

Overall, English believes coming to Tempe was one of the best decisions of his coaching career. Many of his athletes feel the same way about the decision to bring their talents to the Grand Canyon State.

“We all have different experience levels, but we can train and push each other,” Clausen said. “It was very special for me to see how we all grow as athletes and as people. It was just a very special experience with this group.”

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Drew Schott is currently a doctoral student in the Master of Sports Law and Business program at Arizona State University Sandra Day O’Connor College of Law and a business development intern at USA Triathlon. In 2022, he graduated from Northwestern University’s Medill School of Journalism, Media, Integrated Marketing Communications. Drew has previously written for On3, The Arizona Republic and The Daily Northwestern, among others.