Contact: Devery Hodge, Sports Information Graduate Assistant 

Tempe, Ariz. (Nov 12, 2023) – The North Central College women's triathlon team competed in the USA Triathlon Collegiate National Championships. The Cardinals won the competition, defending their title and making that the fifth official national title.  

Hailey Poe continues her run of dominance, completing the three-peat. Poe started the competition with 11 minutes and 30 seconds for her swim for 750 meters, followed up by a 36 minute and 45 second bike ride that goes 20,000 meters, and to cap it all off she would finish with a blistering 20 minute and 17 second run for a total time of one hour nine minutes and 27 seconds for 5,000 meters for a total time of one hour and nine minutes and 27 seconds.

Following very closely behind her was teammate Charlotte Kumler. Kumler had similar swimming and biking times of 11:31 and 36:44, respectively.  Charlotte ran a time of 22:28 and had a total time of 1:11.42 and was second for Division III. 

Sophomore Bethany Smeed is the Cardinal completing the podium sweep. Smeed swam 12:24, biked 37:25, and ran for 21:16 for a total time of 1:12:08. 

Scarlett Schuth finished fourth for the Cardinals and snagged an All-American as she swam 13:28, biked 38:48, and closed extremely fast running 20:33 for a total time of 1:13:51.

Taylin Lemke was the final scorer for the Cardinals. Lemke swam a time of 12:43, biked 40:38, and closed it off running 24:19. for a total time of 1:18:58.

The Cardinals won in an overwhelming fashion scoring 623 points, followed by Trine University in second place with 421 points, and Eastern Mennonite University in third place with 407 points. 

Coach Tyler Woodward when asked about his final remarks on the season and this group said, "This group of student-athletes works SO hard every day and this National Championship win is a culmination of all their efforts throughout the season. 
We had multiple competitors step up and execute a near perfect race. They left it all out on the race course and I couldn't be more proud." 

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