Triathletes test waters, put rubber to road at Clermont Challenge

Saturday, February 28

Clermont, FL

8:00 AM

Liberty University Club Sports

Clermont Draft Legal Challenge

Liberty triathletes in action at Clermont, Fla.

Freshman Campbell Cason competes in the cycling stage and sophomore Ben Babcock on the run at the Clermont (Fla.) Challenge. (Photos by Brayden Schwartz)

Triathletes test waters, put rubber to road at Clermont Challenge

3/4/2026 4:30:00 PM | Triathlon

Photo Gallery

The Flames and Lady Flames traveled to Florida to train for the March 27-28 USA Triathlon Collegiate National Championships in Mississippi.

Gallery: (4-1-2026) Triathlon at Clermont Challenge

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 Swem 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. Bittner crossed the finish line in 29th place in 1:01:06 followed by Shreve in 36th in 1:01:50. Sophomore Ben Babcock also represented the Flames, taking 42nd out of 91 entrants in 1:02:56.

Shreve led the way for Liberty in Sunday's EDR race, finishing 27th in 1:01:13, just two seconds in front of Bittner (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 freshman Vera 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.

"These (EDR) races provided valuable racing experience against some of the best competition in the country, as well as serving as a tune-up for nationals," Brandon Schimmel said.

In Saturday's Age Group races — 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 event in 34:29 followed closely by freshman Jack Donohue (sixth in 34:53), sophomore Isaac Wilson (11th in 37:00), junior Charlie Block (17th in 38:34) and freshman Slade Keaton (18th in 38:38).

Complete results are available online.

The Flames and Lady Flames are ramping up their training as spring break approaches in preparation 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 Writer