If you’re looking to try triathlon in college, look no further than these eight universities for the best programs, clubs and atmospheres.
Arizona State University
Tempe, Ariz. 1 of 9
One of only 13 universities with a varsity program, ASU received a grant from the NCAA to develop its women's triathlon program—and it quickly paid dividends when the Sun Devils won the 2016 National Championship. With perfectly warm weather year-round, state-of-the-art pool facilities (Michael Phelps' coach is the head of the men's swim program) and the dream of being a student-athlete in college, ASU might be for you. For men—or for women who aren't quite up to the task of making a Division-I program—ASU's club team might be great fit.
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Tucson, Ariz. 2 of 9
Keeping with the Grand Canyon State, this Arizona school has a great club program that has produced a number of past champions at USA Triathlon's Collegiate Club National Championships, including 2016 Olympian Ben Kanute, who won both the sprint and Olympic distances in 2013. If you're looking at colleges in Arizona but aren't up to the varsity level of a program like ASU, you might have the makings of a TriCat.
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Los Angeles 3 of 9
Another strong collegiate club program, UCLA has produced numerous podium finishes and champions over the years at USAT's collegiate club nationals, including Kelly Kosmo's two podium finishes and the relay team's national title in 2016. With an abundance of water, bike paths, running trails and athletic facilities, you'd be hard pressed to find something UCLA doesn't have to satisfy your training needs. Plus, UCLA's stellar academic achievements will definitely put the "student" in "student-athlete."
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Berkeley, Calif. 4 of 9
Not only does Cal feature a great setting for triathlon, the state's bay area offers ideal training weather pretty much year-round (racing in fog just better prepares you, right?), it also consistently performs well at the annual national competitions. At USAT's collegiate club nationals in 2016, the Golden Bears finished in the top five overall as a team, not too far behind the likes of Colorado, UCLA and Texas A&M. Not only are members of Cal's team national champions and Olympic hopefuls, they're beginners and even paratriathletes, as well—Newton Nguyen is the reigning Collegiate Paratriathlon National Champion.
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Boulder, Colo. 5 of 9
CU is essentially the Simone Biles of college club triathlon, dominating the last seven collegiate team titles at USAT's national championships. Not only is the team strong, the Buffaloes have produced outstanding individuals as well. Brittany Warly won the women's overall sprint title in 2016 while Dan Feeney was the runner-up on the men's side. Both also finished in the top five for Olympic distance as well. The success of program members continues beyond graduation with triathletes continuing on to race at World Triathlon Series races and World Cups.
But it's not just the success that makes Colorado a great triathlon school. Situated in beautiful Boulder, the high-altitude training conditions creates an advantage for CU triathletes when competing against opponents more accustomed to racing a little closer to sea level.
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State College, Pa. 6 of 9
If you're in search of a college in the east, Penn State is worth a closer look. In 2016, the Nittany Lions' Mike Meehan swept the men's titles with wins in the sprint and Olympic-distance races, becoming only the second man to win both titles in the same season—and the first since 2016 Olympian Ben Kanute did so in 2013. That sort of success is nice, but it's not what ultimately makes PSU one of the best colleges for triathlon. Its state-of-the-art facilities and sports medicine lab includes VO2 max testing and other science-based training tools so athletes can not only improve with hard work on the course but in the lab, too.
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College Station, Texas 7 of 9
The Aggies may not be the most successful club at the annual collegiate nationals, but Texas A&M is still a hot spot for amateur college-aged triathletes looking to keep up their swimming, biking and running after high school. The Aggies always bring a huge contingency to nationals to race and have an absolute blast while doing so, winning the spirit award in years past. Everything's bigger in Texas, and the same can be said about this triathlon club.
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Charlotte, N.C. 8 of 9
Queens, while not a recognized team at the varsity level, is a presence at the NCAA triathlon level, often sending triathletes to the Women's Collegiate Triathlon National Championship and returning home with hardware, to boot. In 2015, the Royals brought home the national team title while Jocelyn Bonney was the national bronze medalist in 2016. But it's not all about the top tier. Queens always sends a large, and diverse, group of men and women to the collegiate club race as well, finishing second in the women's overall team competition in 2016.
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