Athletes from the DMV Compete for Titles at USA Triathlon National Championships

By Reach for the Wall Staff; photos courtesy Marcus Chen

Atlantic City, NJ September 13-15

We’re a few days away from the start of the 2024-2025 swim season with meets kicking off this weekend. Some of the area athletes couldn’t wait for the season to start and got their fix for competition through the Triathlon circuit. USA Triathlon held their National Championship events September 13 through Sunday the15th, in Atlantic City, NJ! There were three main competitions, starting on Friday with the Open Water Swim, Saturday, Sept. 14, the Olympic-Distance National Championship and on Sunday, Sept. 15, the Sprint Distance National Championship! The events were competed based on age groups, with 16 categories ranging from 15 & under to 85 & over. Athletes from across the country raced for national titles in their respective age groups, and for the opportunity to represent age group Team USA at the 2025 World Triathlon Age Group World Championships in Wollongong, Australia. Here’s an infographic of the qualification criteria…we are not nearly ‘in the know’ on the selection process to declare who qualified from the National Championship competition.

Overall we were able to track athletes from the DMV that competed across the different races and age groups. Full results for each day and distance can be found here: https://member.usatriathlon.org/events/30745

Friday’s Race was a 750m Open Water Swim Competition, which allowed athletes to gain access to a competitive race. The competition awarded athletes with a swim cap along with awards for top places.

Friday Pictures:

Saturday’s race was the Olympic distance which consists of a 1,500m swim, 40k bike, and 10k run. Per USA Triathalon: “Thousands of the nation’s fastest amateur short-course triathletes swam, biked, and ran on Saturday, Sept. 14 in Atlantic City, New Jersey, at the 2024 USA Triathlon Sprint & Olympic Distance National Championships, USA Triathlon’s largest and longest-running National Championship event.

Heather Lendway (St. Paul, Minn.) and Kyle Hooker (Springfield, Va.), won the overall women’s and men’s Olympic-Distance national titles, racing the 1,500-meter swim, 40-kilometer bike and 10k run course that started in the water near Bader Field and took athletes on a bike ride down the Atlantic City Expressway with a run finish on the Boardwalk.” Further, “In the men’s race, Hooker, 36, captured his first overall USA Triathlon Olympic-Distance national title, cruising to victory in a time of 1:51:40…A pilot for the U.S. Navy, Hooker started competing in triathlon as a member of the U.S. Naval Academy’s perennially strong collegiate club triathlon team. He has won seven Armed Forces Triathlon national championships and finished runner-up at USA Triathlon Olympic-Distance National Championships in 2015.

“It was a fantastic race. The run was starting to get toasty; I’m surprised I kept it together, but I held on. I had no idea until I crossed the finish line that I had won,” Hooker said. “I always believe ‘Never look behind you, always look in front of you.’ You’re only going to win if you stay focused looking forward, so that’s what I did the whole race.”

Hooker has raced USA Triathlon Sprint and Olympic Distance National Championships several times and encourages other triathletes who qualify to race the annual event.”

There were 23 athletes from DC, 46 from Maryland and 68 from Virginia, including the Men’s overall winner Kyle Hooker! The overall results on the event website display where they placed in the race, but this snapshot shows how they finished within the State results, as we provide the top 25 from each State.

State Rank	First Name	Last Name	City/State	Time
1st	Kyle	Hooker	Springfield, Virginia	1:51:40
2nd	Raul	Delmoral	Alexandria, Virginia	2:03:32
3rd	Garrett	Sloan	Chesapeake, Virginia	2:07:18
4th	Luke	Sharkey	Fairfax, Virginia	2:07:47
5th	Jacquelyn	Foley	Leesburg, Virginia	2:13:16
6th	Robert	Nagel	Reston, Virginia	2:13:37
7th	Stephen	Eid	Ashburn, Virginia	2:14:46
8th	Mark	Scaife	Glen Allen, Virginia	2:15:12
9th	Troy	Lambert	Alexandria, Virginia	2:16:54
10th	Michelle	Christine	Leesburg, Virginia	2:18:47
11th	Charles	Moore	Alexandria, Virginia	2:20:06
12th	Cody	Hodgins	Arlington, Virginia	2:21:14
13th	James	Croke	Midlothian, Virginia	2:22:25
14th	Riley	Irving	Chesterfield, Virginia	2:22:59
15th	Isabella	Lang	Prospect, Virginia	2:24:46
16th	Matthew	Abate	Leesburg, Virginia	2:25:37
17th	Marcus	Luczak	Reston, Virginia	2:25:42
18th	Patrick	Leonard	Falls Church, Virginia	2:25:47
19th	Carleigh	Fagre	Reston, Virginia	2:26:18
20th	Theresa	Ferry	Reston, Virginia	2:27:01
21st	Mark	Ramsey	Reston, Virginia	2:27:59
22nd	Chris	Newlin	Midlothian, Virginia	2:28:52
23rd	Elizabeth	Miller	Manakin-Sabot, Virginia	2:30:01
24th	Colleen	Lafrance	Sterling, Virginia	2:33:28
25th	Robin	Witlin	Herndon, Virginia	2:33:30
1st	Zach	Kaminski	Baltimore, Maryland	2:00:02
2nd	Charlie	Schindler	Severna Park, Maryland	2:00:36
3rd	Connor	Lemire	Saint Michaels, Maryland	2:03:34
4th	Connor	Koehler	Columbia, Maryland	2:05:47
5th	Ryan	Hadley	Silver Spring, Maryland	2:06:15
6th	Matthew	Kovacic	Kensington, Maryland	2:12:34
7th	Erik	Heyer	Chevy Chase, Maryland	2:12:54
8th	Brent	Levin	Silver Spring, Maryland	2:20:13
9th	Jonathan	Gainey	Rising Sun, Maryland	2:21:09
10th	Jonathan	Ziegler	Baltimore, Maryland	2:21:42
11th	John	Landry	Gaithersburg, Maryland	2:22:14
12th	Zachary	Wiener	Potomac, Maryland	2:26:13
13th	Gregory	Leger	College Park, Maryland	2:26:35
14th	Sarah	Baugh	Cambridge, Maryland	2:29:31
15th	Christina	Dorrer	Crownsville, Maryland	2:32:23
16th	Allie	Rippe	Silver Spring, Maryland	2:32:24
17th	Julie	Billingsley	Chevy Chase, Maryland	2:33:08
18th	Philip	Fadul	Swanton, Maryland	2:34:52
19th	Maggie	Stein	Catonsville, Maryland	2:37:06
20th	Steve	Mrozinski	Baltimore, Maryland	2:37:16
21st	Mira	Panek	Annapolis, Maryland	2:37:42
22nd	Megan	Mackey	Ellicott City, Maryland	2:38:02
23rd	Michael	Comerford	Crofton, Maryland	2:38:52
24th	Rebecca	Kelly	Columbia, Maryland	2:39:16
25th	Geoffrey	Matrangola	Columbia, Maryland	2:39:23
1st	Jason	Quinn	Washington, District of Columbia	1:58:17
2nd	Joshua	Banks	Washington, District of Columbia	2:10:04
3rd	Erik	Guercio	Washington, District of Columbia	2:16:18
4th	Christopher	Dunlop	Washington, District of Columbia	2:19:14
5th	Emma	Alitz	Washington, District of Columbia	2:19:41
6th	Eric	Merideth	Littleton, District of Columbia	2:25:06
7th	Paul	Cutler	Washington, District of Columbia	2:25:36
8th	Ryan	Hudson	Washington, District of Columbia	2:31:44
9th	Justin	Sanak	Washington, District of Columbia	2:33:37
10th	Trevor	Smith	Washington, District of Columbia	2:36:00
11th	Robert	Cowden	Washington, District of Columbia	2:37:18
12th	Amanda	Roache	Washington, District of Columbia	2:37:22
13th	Alejandro	Escobar	Washington, District of Columbia	2:38:33
14th	Kate	Tromble	Washington, District of Columbia	2:41:53
15th	James	Dunlop	Washington, District of Columbia	2:43:18
16th	Kelly	Lefler	Washington, District of Columbia	2:45:06
17th	Lauren	Jee	Washington, District of Columbia	2:48:02
18th	Sarah	Thornton	Washington, District of Columbia	2:55:36
19th	Tara	Zimnick-calico	Washington, District of Columbia	3:01:48
20th	Karen	Hopper	Washington, District of Columbia	3:02:52
21st	Emma	Roehrig	Washington, District of Columbia	3:08:11
22nd	Rebecca	Ross	Washington Dc, District of Columbia	3:18:18
23rd	Mark	Parascandola	Washington, District of Columbia	3:22:57

Saturday Pictures:

Sunday’s race was the sprint Triathlon, consisting of a 750-meter swim, 20-kilometer bike and 5k run, per USA Triathlon, “Thousands of the nation’s fastest amateur short-course triathletes swam, biked, and ran on Sunday, Sept. 15 in Atlantic City, New Jersey, for the second day of the 2024 USA Triathlon Sprint & Olympic Distance National Championships, USA Triathlon’s largest and longest-running National Championship event.”

There were 20 athletes from DC, 72 from Maryland and 88 from Virginia. The overall results on the event website will display where they placed in the race, but this snapshot shows the top 25 within the State results.

State Rank	First Name	Last Name	City/State	Time
1st	Corey	Gilroy	Arlington, Virginia	1:01:22
2nd	Luke	Sharkey	Fairfax, Virginia	1:03:28
3rd	Matthew	Whelan	Arlington, Virginia	1:06:10
4th	Shauneen	Werlinger	Fairfax Station, Virginia	1:06:55
5th	Michael	Adams	Dayton, Virginia	1:07:05
6th	John	Pedersen	Montclair, Virginia	1:07:14
7th	Michelle	Christine	Leesburg, Virginia	1:07:20
8th	Hazel	Wells	Richmond, Virginia	1:07:44
9th	Caroline	Sanders	Rockingham, Virginia	1:07:55
10th	Andrea	Rogerson	Maidens, Virginia	1:08:09
11th	Johan	Duba	Spotsylvania Courthouse, Virginia	1:08:45
12th	Darren	Leslie	Poquoson, Virginia	1:09:09
13th	Jack	Mowery	Arlington, Virginia	1:09:10
14th	Matthew	Spaulding	Manassas, Virginia	1:09:47
15th	Morgan	Dalton	Wytheville, Virginia	1:10:03
16th	Joaquin	Diz	Falls Church, Virginia	1:10:20
17th	Kris	Manning	Oakton, Virginia	1:10:35
18th	Carleigh	Fagre	Reston, Virginia	1:10:42
19th	Ryan	Buchholz	Falls Church, Virginia	1:11:36
20th	Theresa	Ferry	Reston, Virginia	1:12:45
21st	Chrysanthi	Euripides	Fredericksburg, Virginia	1:13:01
22nd	Sam	Black	McLean, Virginia	1:13:39
23rd	John	Foley	Linden, Virginia	1:14:32
24th	Yug	Kolla	Ashburn, Virginia	1:15:08
25th	Lydia	Couric	Rockingham, Virginia	1:15:12
1st	Jackson	Foster	Frederick, Maryland	0:57:24
2nd	Lucas	Wright	Ellicott City, Maryland	0:58:33
3rd	Colin	Hallmark	Arnold, Maryland	1:01:34
4th	Wilson	Faucette	Kensington, Maryland	1:04:25
5th	Kyle	Chen	Bethesda, Maryland	1:06:02
6th	Adam	Keatts	Annapolis, Maryland	1:09:33
7th	Adam	Heist	Annapolis, Maryland	1:09:35
8th	Bradley	Vomocil	Severn, Maryland	1:10:34
9th	Zachary	Wiener	Potomac, Maryland	1:11:13
10th	Matthew	Malloy	Bethesda, Maryland	1:11:15
11th	Lance	Fargo	Reisterstown, Maryland	1:11:15
12th	Christina	Dorrer	Crownsville, Maryland	1:12:16
13th	Robert	Klepacki	Clarksburg, Maryland	1:12:30
14th	Juho	Bay	Ellicott City, Maryland	1:12:42
15th	Caleb	Chen	Cabin John, Maryland	1:13:49
16th	Robert	Ludwig	Ellicott City, Maryland	1:14:14
17th	Elizabeth	Johnson	Ocean City, Maryland	1:15:03
18th	Richard	Fitzgerald	Highland, Maryland	1:15:34
19th	Jack	Smith	Glen Echo, Maryland	1:15:50
20th	Leslie	Knibb	Gibson Island, Maryland	1:15:59
21st	Magdalena	Plimpton	Parkton, Maryland	1:17:02
22nd	Tom	Hathaway	Arnold, Maryland	1:17:15
23rd	Zoe	Buzzelli	Grasonville, Maryland	1:17:22
24th	Danielle	Lombardi	Baltimore, Maryland	1:17:22
25th	Lance	Pittman	Gaithersburg, Maryland	1:17:23
1st	Joseph	Shields	Washington, District of Columbia	0:59:52
2nd	Joshua	Banks	Washington, District of Columbia	1:02:48
3rd	Theresa	Nardone	Washington, District of Columbia	1:13:01
4th	Samuel	Bowers	Washington, District of Columbia	1:13:39
5th	Jess	Saalfield	Washington, District of Columbia	1:15:31
6th	Anne-lise	Wohlers	Washington, District of Columbia	1:15:52
7th	David	Crownover	Washington, District of Columbia	1:19:40
8th	Isabelle	Foster	Washington, District of Columbia	1:19:40
9th	Charles	Shedrick	Washington, District of Columbia	1:20:06
10th	Nick	Marshall	Washington, District of Columbia	1:20:32
11th	Kelly	Lefler	Washington, District of Columbia	1:22:18
12th	Daniel	Kalinowski	Washington, District of Columbia	1:22:40
13th	Sarah	Thornton	Washington, District of Columbia	1:24:11
14th	Fernanda	Ruiz	Washington, District of Columbia	1:24:53
15th	Jennifer	Kron	Washington, District of Columbia	1:27:09
16th	Kayla	Edwards	Washington, District of Columbia	1:34:51
17th	Suzanne	Mink	Washington, District of Columbia	1:43:19
18th	Anna	Sheridan	Washington, District of Columbia	1:43:26
19th	Michelle	Tran	Washington, District of Columbia	1:44:16
20th	David	Radzanowski	Washington, District of Columbia	2:00:11

Sunday Pictures: