WEST CHESTER, Ohio -- MC Elite/ORIGIN Perform claimed the top spot on the Mixed Team Relay podium while hundreds of youth age-groupers competed to conclude the final day of racing on Sunday at the USA Triathlon Youth & Junior National Championships.
Nearly 900 athletes competed at the 2016 USA Triathlon Youth & Junior National Championships. (Erik Schelkun/USA Triathlon)
MC Elite/ORIGIN Perform, coached by Ian O'Brien and Christy Lausch, won the overall title on the 250-meter swim, 5-kilometer bike and 1.2-kilometer run course. The team of Page Lester (Washington, D.C.), Fielding Fischer (Chevy Chase, Md.), Taylor Knibb (Washington, D.C.) and Alec Wilimovsky (Malibu, Calif.) finished in 1 hour, 10 minutes, 48 seconds. MMTT finished second in 1:11:32 and Z3 finished third in 1:12:04.
"You never know what you have left after yesterday racing. Page and Fielding set me up so well. It was nerve-wracking going into the swim because I didn't want to let them down and lose any of their lead because they gave me a nice buffer. And Alec brought it home," said Knibb, who also picked up the Junior Elite national title yesterday.
"My favorite part is the team aspect. When you do a normal race it's just for yourself, but it's a whole different thing when there are three other people counting on you. It's a lot of fun," Wilimovsky said.
In addition to the relay, a field of over 600 youth age-group athletes from nearly 40 states competed for national titles at Voice of America Park. In total, nearly 900 athletes raced over the weekend.
"I had a lot of fun. It's a very well-organized event. Definitely a nice venue," said 15-year-old age group champion Lucas Bourgoyne (Houston, Texas), who was a first-time competitor at Youth & Junior Nationals.
"It's really nice to be able to meet new kids and the environment is really fun," said Clare Ann Dasso (New Braunfels, Texas), a three-time Nationals competitor who won the 10-year-old age group. "The race was really tough, but it wasn't too hot, which was good. Madeline really pushed me hard on the bike."
This year marked the fifth year West Chester hosted the Youth National Championships. The location for next year's event will be announced later this year on usatriathlon.org.
"This is a great event here in West Chester. There are athletes from all over the country, nearly 40 states represented. This is the culmination of their year," said Steve Kelley, USA Triathlon Junior/U23 Program Manager.
Visit USATriathlon.org for more information on USA Triathlon Youth & Junior Nationals.
2015 USA Triathlon Youth and Junior National Championships Results
Mixed Team Relay: 250m swim, 5k draft-legal bike, 1.2k run
Age-Groupers 7-10: 100m swim, 5k bike and a 1k run
Age-Groupers 11-15: 200m swim, 10k bike and 2k run
Click here for complete results
Mixed Team Relay
1. MC Elite/ORIGIN Perform - Page Lester (Washington, D.C.), Fielding Fischer (Chevy Chase, Md.), Taylor Knibb (Washington, D.C.), Alec Wilimovsky (Malibu, Calif.), 1:10:48
2. MMTT - Audrey Ernst (South Elgin, Ill.), Graham Pimentel (Naples, Fla.), Jocelyn Bonney (Long Beach, Calif.), Chase McQueen (Columbus, Ind.), 1:11:32
3. Z3 -Kyleigh Spearing (Frankfort, Ill.), Nick Johnson (West Des Moines, Iowa), Lauren Steinke (St. Cloud, Minn.), Austin Hindman (Wildwood, Mo.), 1:12:04
Age 7
Female winner: Ella Kate Johnston (Baton Rouge, La.), 24:11
Male winner: Colton Blankenfeld (Archer, Fla.), 21:58
Age 8
Female winner: Eve Frost (Suffolk, Va.), 22:41
Male winner: Ryder Fetterolf (Sewickley, Pa.), 20:37
Age 9
Female winner: Hazel Wells (Richmond, Va.), 21:08
Male winner: Ian Henderson (Midlothian, Va.), 19:54
Age 10
Female winner: Clare Anne Dasso (New Braunfels, Texas), 18:58
Male winner: Jack Diemar (Eagle, Colo.), 18:02
Age 11
Female winner: Heather Fetterolf (Sewickley, Penn.), 33:40
Male winner: Carter Ruthven (Pflugerville, Texas), 32:12
Age 12
Female winner: Faith Dasso (New Braunfels, Texas), 32:45
Male winner: Lawson McLeod (Port St. Lucie, Fla.), 31:55
Age 13
Female winner: Cassidy Hickey (Parker, Colo.), 33:02
Male winner: Aidan Landrum (Bogart, Ga.), 30:05
Age 14
Female winner: Jennifer Zheng (Herndon, Va.), 35:37
Male winner: Luke Rosser (Oakland, Fla.), 32:08
Age 15
Female winner: McKenzie Hogue (Alabaster, Ala.), 33:24
Male winner: Lucas Bourgoyne (Houston, Texas), 28:31
| About USA Triathlon
USA Triathlon is proud to serve as the National Governing Body for triathlon, as well as duathlon, aquathlon, aquabike, winter triathlon, off-road triathlon and paratriathlon in the United States. Founded in 1982, USA Triathlon sanctions more than 4,300 races and connects with nearly 500,000 members each year, making it the largest multisport organization in the world. In addition to its work with athletes, coaches and race directors on the grassroots level, USA Triathlon provides leadership and support to elite athletes competing at international events, including International Triathlon Union (ITU) World Championships, Pan American Games and the Olympic and Paralympic Games. USA Triathlon is a proud member of the ITU and the United States Olympic Committee (USOC).
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