NCAA Triathlon for Athletes
Triathlon is an NCAA Emerging Sport for Women that where athletes swim, bike and run during a single competition. Races are sprint distance (750m swim, 20km bike, 5k run) and draft-legal, making collegiate triathlon an excellent training ground for elite and Olympic triathlon.
Prior experience in all three disciplines isn’t necessary – athletes with strong times in at least one can make strong triathletes. Interested in becoming a collegiate triathlete? Below is information on the time requirements, recruiting process and more information potential student-athletes must know regarding NCAA triathlon.
Time Standards #
Division I Time Standards (PDF)
Division II Time Standards (PDF)
Division III Time Standards (PDF)
Average Times at NCAA Nationals #
Compare your swim and run splits with the average splits of each division at the Women's Collegiate National Championships.
Division I
750m Swim Split: 11:13
5k Run Split: 21:35
Division II
750m Swim Split: 12:51
5k Run Split: 23:49
Division III
750m Swim Split: 13:42
5k Run Split: 23:39
Recruiting Process#
Participate in a Combine
Submit Your Times, opens in a new tabUSA Triathlon hosts a virtual combine for high school athletes aged 14-18 to submit swim and run times and other recruiting information to be reviewed by NCAA coaches nationwide. The combine introduces swimmers and runners to multisport in a low-presssure environment.
To participate, you must submit times for the following distances. Times do not need to be done consecutively or even on the same day.
- Swim: 100 meters
- Run: 1600 meters
Male athletes may also submit their times as collegiate club coaches also have access to the virtual combine.
Research Schools and Contact Coaches
View NCAA Triathlon SchoolsOnce you've submitted your times, start researching schools and programs you may be interested in joining. Consider every option: is there a particular part of the country you want to live in? A major you wish to study? Do you prefer big state schools or smaller private colleges?
Once you've found a few schools you'd like to compete for, contact the head coach. Introduce yourself, express interest in competing for their school and begin a dialogue.
Note: There are occsasional recruiting dead periods where coaches may not interact with potential student-athletes and/or their families.
- Division I: The Monday through Thursday of the initial week during the fall signing period
- Division II: The 48 hours prior to the 7 a.m. on the first date of the fall signing period
Register with the NCAA Eligibility Center
Register with the NCAA Eligibility Center, opens in a new tabIn order to be eligible to compete for a Division I or II women's triathlon program, athletes must be cleared through the NCAA Eligibility Center. The Center will review each prospective student-athlete's academic record, SAT/ACT scores and amateur status.
It's recommended that prosepctive student-athletes register at the beginning of the junior year in high school, but there is no deadline. Students, current college students included, must be cleared before they can receive athletic scholarships or compete at a Division I or II institution.
Athletes should also review the NCAA's eligibility requirements, including those specific to their desired level of competition.
GMTM and USA Triathlon – Connecting High School Aged Kids to the World of Collegiate Triathlon
Learn More, opens in a new tabIn a dynamic collaboration aimed at boosting collegiate triathlon, USA Triathlon joined forces with GMTM three years ago to take their mission to new heights. In this timeframe, partnership has been exploring innovative ways to support the growth of triathlon at the collegiate level. There have been high school challenges, combine week, and movements to make GMTM the landing page for athletes wishing to be recruited by college coaches at the club and NCAA levels.
Engaging in this no cost platform is easy. Compete a 100 meter/yard swim in a pool and a 1600 meter run and go to gmtm.com and enter your details. As you get faster you can record your new times. You can also record times for other distances. In addition, you can upload video – perhaps of you speaking about your goals or perhaps you swimming in a pool. The opportunity to make this your landing page for all things is there at this one location.As the collegiate triathlon scene continues to flourish, GMTM and USA Triathlon remain committed to connecting athletes with a wealth of opportunities. Their shared mission extends beyond promoting the sport; it is about linking athletes to coaches, programs, resources, and, most importantly, to each other.
Check out USA Triathlon’s Virtual Combine and join a community on the rise.
Coach Contact Rules to Know#
Per NCAA rules, collegiate coaches have limited ability to contact recruits and prospective student-athletes.
Division I's non-contact period is the Monday through Thursday of the fall signing period's initial week (the first week in the fall when recruits may sign National Letters of Intent).
DI coaches can send athletes nonrecruiting material like recruiting questionnaires, camp brochures, and non-athletic institutional publications at any time. Serious recruiting contact begins either June 15 after an athlete's sophomore year of high school or September 1 of junior year, depending on the sport and division level.
Division II's non-contact period is during the 48 hours prior to 7 a.m. on the first possible date to sign a National Letter of Intent (7 a.m. on Nov. 6 to 7 a.m. on Nov. 8 in 2023).
The NCAA Recruiting Rules for Division II schools are slightly more relaxed than those for Division I, and the rules are the same across all sports:
- Non-recruiting materials: Athletes can receive brochures for camps, questionnaires, NCAA materials and non-athletic recruiting publications at any time.
- Printed recruiting materials: Starting July 15 after an athlete’s sophomore year, coaches can begin sending recruits printed recruiting materials.
- Telephone calls: Starting June 15 after an athlete’s sophomore year, coaches can start calling athletes.
- Off-campus contact: Coaches can conduct off-campus communications with athletes and/or their parents starting June 15 after an athlete’s sophomore year.
- Unofficial visits: Athletes can take unofficial visits at any time.
- Official visits: Athletes may start taking official visits starting June 15 after an athlete’s sophomore year.
Division III schools have the most relaxed NCAA recruiting rules of all the division levels. Similar to Division II, they are the same for all sports:
- Recruiting materials: Athletes can receive recruiting materials at any time.
- Telephone calls: There is no limit on when college coaches can call athletes.
- Digital communications: There is no limit on when college coaches can contact athletes digitally.
- Off-campus contact: After the athlete’s sophomore year, college coaches may begin to conduct off-campus communications.
- Official visits: Athletes can begin taking official visits after January 1 of their junior year.
- Unofficial visits: Athletes can make an unlimited number of unofficial visits at any time.
Recruiting Tips #
Jenny Garrison, President of Collegiate Triathlon Coaches Association and DI NCAA Coach, and Tim Yount, Chief Sport Development Officer at USA Triathlon, discuss basic details about how the sport operates at the NCAA level, how athletes can compete at the collegiate level while juggling academics, social commitments, and school activities, what coaches are looking for in recruiting athletes, and why NCAA triathlon is here to stay.
Triathlon 101 - Meet One of the Fastest Growing Sports at the NCAA Level
Name, Image and Likeness
- Content categorized by:
USA Triathlon Foundation NIL Collective
USA Triathlon and the USA Triathlon Foundation is the first NGB with a Name, Image and Likeness (NIL) program for NCAA triathletes.
Read More, opens in a new tab
Information for Current NCAA Athletes#
Congratulations on making an NCAA roster! While your accomplishments are already great, there's still plenty that you must know and do in order to maintain your eligibility.
Student-athletes are allowed to compete in multiple varsity sports. Prospective student-athletes should understand the recruiting rules for each respective sport you wish to participate in.
It is also important to understand the NCAA rules associated with competing in multiple sports. You will need to work closely with each respective sport’s coach as well as your institution’s compliance department to ensure all parties are in agreement and compliance.
Student-athletes may compete for non-NCAA amateur teams depending on the time of year.
Competing for an amateur team other than your NCAA team during the NCAA season is not allowed and renders the student-athlete ineligible for the remainder of the NCAA season. '
Outside of the season, there are no restrictions on competing for another amateur club. Athletes may even compete with NCAA teammates during the summer.
With the institution of NCAA Triathlon, both prospective and current student-athletes must follow NCAA legislation for each respective division, whether they are a current student-athlete or a prospective student-athlete for participation in an institution’s Women’s Triathlon program. Each division has a published NCAA Manual that you may use to inquire about any questions you may have regarding all NCAA topics including
- Article 12: Amateurism
- Article 13: Recruiting
- Article 14: Eligibility: Academic and General Requirements
- Article 15: Financial Aid
- Article 16: Awards, benefits and Expenses for Enrolled Student-Athletes
- Also provides information for prospective student-athletes
Actual and Necessary Expenses
NCAA legislation often references the term “exceeds actual and necessary expenses” when determining the permissibility of what a current and prospective student-athlete can receive.
Actual and necessary expenses are limited to
- Meals
- Lodging
- Apparel, equipment and supplies
- Coaching and instruction
- Health/medical insurance
- Transportation involving the sporting event and training
- Medical treatment and physical therapy
- Entry fees
- Facility usage
- Other reasonable expenses
Actual and necessary expenses are computed on a full calendar year.
How are “actual and necessary expenses” applied to prizes I may have received?
Actual and necessary expenses are computed on a full calendar year. Therefore, all prize money and items may not exceed the above actual and necessary expenses for a full calendar year of competition and training.
Per NCAA legislation, a student-athlete may not receive any extra benefit. The term “extra benefit” refers to anything that a student-athlete (or his relatives or friends) receives from the Institution or the Institution’s representatives that is not available to the general student body, unless NCAA rules specifically permit a particular benefit.
- A student-athlete may not receive extra benefits or services, including, but not limited to
- A loan of money
- A guarantee of bond
- An automobile or the use of an automobile
- Transportation, except permitted by Bylaw 16.9.1, even if the student-athlete reimburses the institution or the staff member for the appropriate amount of the gas or expense
- Signing or co-signing a note with an outside agency to arrange a loan
Nonpermissible benefits are explained in Bylaw 16.11.2
Share Your Story!
We want to hear your stories from your NCAA Collegiate Triathlon experience! Share your story and have the opportunity to be featured in the newsletters, magazines or on social media!
Development Pipeline #
Learn more about USA Triathlon's development pipeline.