Canadian Kyla Roy wins women’s NCAA Triathlon
Winnipeg's Roy won the individual race and helped lead her Arizona State Sun Devils to a fourth consecutive Division I team title.
Canadian Kyla Roy picked up with the win at the Women’s Collegiate Triathlon National Championships in Tempe, Arizona, leading Arizona State University to its fourth straight NCAA Division I team title.
The sprint-distance race consisted of a 750 m swim, 20 km bike and 5 km run, with Division III athletes racing in the morning and Division IÂ and II competing together in the afternoon.
Roy, a native of Winnipeg, was in the lead bike pack for the majority of the ride before opening up a bit of a lead on the field alongside teammate Audrey Ernst on the final lap. The 21-year-old Roy pulled away on the run, crossing the line in 1:05:22. Ernst was 30 seconds back for second in 1:05:52, and Natalia Hidalgo Martinez of Davis & Elkins College finished third in 1:06:30, earning her the Division II title.
Now a junior with the Sun Devils, Roy had previously finished third and fourth respectively in the race in her freshman and sophomore seasons. Earlier this year she won the U23 National title in Kelowna.
Fellow Canadian and Sun Devil Hannah Henry, who won the NCAA title in 2017, pulled out of the race during the run.
Coaching ASU to their fourth straight title was Canadian Cliff English, who has a wide range of coaching experience in the sport that includes helping Samantha McGlone to her breakout as a junior in 1999 and being USA Triathlon’s Elite National Team Coach from 2005 to 2008.
The Queens University of Charlotte won the Division II crown for the fifth straight year, while North Central College won its fourth straight Division III title. For full race results click here.
