Triathletes test waters, put rubber to road at Clermont Challenge
3/4/2026 4:30:00 PM | Triathlon
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The Flames and Lady Flames traveled to Florida to train for the March 27-28 USA Triathlon Collegiate National Championships in Mississippi.
Twenty members of Liberty University's men's and women's triathlon teams raced for the first time this semester in various divisions of this past weekend's Clermont (Fla.) Draft-Legal Challenge.
"We were really encouraged by the performances of freshman Vera Beverly and (sophomore) Evan Bittner, who both specialize in draft-legal racing," Liberty Head Coach Heather Gollnick said. "They had strong days in Clermont and have already shown they're incredibly consistent racers. (Junior) Gabe Shreve has also continued to be one of the most consistent athletes on our roster since joining the team as a freshman."
Junior Alex Schimmel paced the Flames in Saturday's draft-legal Elite Development Race, completing the 750-meter swim, 20-kilometer cycling stage, and 5K run in 19th position in 59 minutes, 57 seconds before his older brother, senior captain Brandon Schimmel, came in 24th in 1:00:35 and Bittner crossed the finish line in 29th place in 1:01:06. Sophomore Ben Babcock also represented the Flames, taking 42nd out of 91 entrants in 1:02:56.
Bittner led the way for Liberty in Sunday's EDR race, finishing 28th in 1:01:15. Alex Schimmel landed in 32nd place in 1:01:33 before Brandon Schimmel completed the course in 36th out of 89 triathletes in 1:01:54.
In the women's EDR races, junior Kendall Leininger was the Lady Flames' fastest competitor, placing 55th in 1:05:48 in Saturday's race, followed by Swem, who finished 61st in 1:07:23, graduate Lydia Couric (69th in 1:10:22), and freshman Campbell Cason (74th in 1:13:06).
Leininger earned a 36th-place finish in Sunday's race in 1:12:12 while Swem moved up the ranks to finish 45th in 1:13:58, Couric improved to 50th in 1:14:52, and Cason crossed the finish line in 59th place in 1:19:53.
In Saturday's Age Group championships — which started with a 375-meter swim, continued with a 10K cycling stage, and concluded with a 2.5K run — Matthias Grutz finished fifth out of 40 competitors in the men's race in 34:29 followed closely by freshman Jack Donohue (sixth in 34:53) and juniors Isaac Wilson (11th in 37:00) and Charlie Block (17th in 38:34).
Freshman Keaton Slade was the first female to complete the course in 38:38. Â
The races served as tune-ups for the Flames and Lady Flames as they prepare for the March 27-28 USA Triathlon Collegiate National Championships in Gulfport, Miss.
"We are planning on taking the full team to Nationals," Assistant Coach Todd Gollnick said. "All 20 triathletes will do the Olympic distance race, and we will have two men and two women compete in the Draft Legal race and enter a mixed relay team as well."
Shreve and junior Alex Schimmel will both represent the Flames in the Draft-Legal race at nationals.
"We are excited to see what they can do on that stage," Heather Gollnick said.
Besides the competitive racing in central Florida, just west of Orlando, the Flames and Lady Flames used a stop in Georgia as a chance to train in conditions along the Atlantic Coast more comparable to what they will experience at nationals on the Gulf of America.
"The team had a great opportunity to get some quality outdoor training during our trip to Jekyll Island, which preceded our time in Clermont," Heather Gollnick said. "The water was still mighty cold, but it was so nice to see the athletes riding outside on dry roads again. The winter weather made training a bit more challenging this year, so that time together was really valuable."
By Ted Allen/Staff WriterThe Flames and Lady Flames enjoyed their time training on Jekyll Island in Georgia on their way down to the Clermont (Fla.) Challenge.
