Tempe, Ariz. — History continues to be written at Arizona State as Sun Devil Triathlon claimed their sixth straight national title after defeating Queens and Denver on a sunny afternoon at Tempe Town Lake North Park. Junior Amber Schlebusch (1:03:41) became a national champion after finishing first at the DI Triathlon National Championships hosted by USA Triathlon and presented by Valley Toyota Dealers. Two Sun Devils finished on the podium and four were in the top-10. Queens, in its first year of Division I Triathlon competition, had previously won six consecutive Division II Triathlon National Championships.
DI Triathlon National Championship Team Results
1 - Arizona State University - 239
2 - Queens University of Charlotte - 230
3 - University of Denver - 194
4 - University of South Dakota - 159
5 - University of San Francisco - 145
6 - East Tennessee State - 135
7 - Delaware State University - 98
8 - Wagner College - 48
Closely behind Schlebusch was senior captain Liberty Ricca who completed the race at 1:04:51 for second on the podium, just ahead of Letizia Martinelli from Queens. Today was the first time in their careers that Schlebusch and Ricca went 1-2 in an event.
"They all feel as good as the first one," head coach Cliff English said of the team's latest National Championship. "We have an amazing team. They look out for each other and push each other in training and I'm just so incredibly proud of them."
Today's race was the ultimate farewell for Ricca, who had raced for the Sun Devils since 2019. Her leadership went far beyond her accomplishments in the water, on the bike and on the pavement. She set an example for the underclassmen, and laid a foundation that hopes to be carried for years to come.
"I've had a long legacy of amazing seniors and people before me that have led this team to success," said Ricca. So as a senior, I was like, 'Okay, I gotta make sure I do this too', and I had such amazing teammates here. They did amazing. They pushed me every day in practice. I hope I pushed them. And I think, just overall, it's such an overwhelming sense of joy and excitement."
Schlebusch won her first individual Division I National Championship title behind a 34:46.8 20KM bike, and a 17:32.3 3.1KM run.
Ricca paved the way on the 750M swim, recording the second-fastest time (9:47), and she was one of just three competitors with a sub ten-minute time in the water. In her final race as a Sun Devil, Ricca set a National Championship personal record and achieved her highest finish of the season.
Out of the swim and transitioning into the bike, there were six Sun Devils in the top-11 of the race.
Schlebusch dominated the three bike laps. She was one of five Sun Devils in the top-eight entering the final 5k to complete the race. Ricca, Alexe Coursol, Camille Buchanan and Evan Welch rounded out the group.
Strategically, this was a huge piece to the Sun Devil success as they needed to give themselves as much cushion as possible since Queens' racers are known for their speed at the end of the race.
Running west down Tempe Town Lake, the Sun Devils were led by Schlebusch as she rounded out the u-turn of the 5k first, significantly ahead of the rest of her opponents and team. Ricca eventually fell in line behind Schlebusch as the crowds cheered for the Maroon and Gold.
With a comfortable lead, the dedicated junior from South Africa was handed a maroon Sun Devil flag which came across the finish line with her as she shouted in happiness, full of emotions.
Schlebusch was greeted at the finish line by her mother, who made the trip from South Africa, and her boyfriend, who came from Hawaii.
"I've got a really big support system here today, and it was really awesome to execute throughout the race," she said.
A minute later Ricca crossed, giving holler and cheer to the Sun Devils in the crowd.
Both Schlebusch and Ricca, collegiate teammates since 2020, embraced at the finish line. It was the first time the two had finished first and second in a race and their exhaustive efforts finally came to fruition.
The next three minutes would be stressful for the Maroon and Gold as they needed five athletes to come over the finish line before Queens.
Coursol clocked in at 1:05:35 and Buchanan at 1:05:42, just behind two racers for Queens. A large flood of racers then crossed, including freshman Heidi Jurankova who finished 18th with a time of 1:07:07.
Wrapping up the day for the ASU squad was Welch (1:08:05) at 20th and Naomi Ruff (1:09:07) at 25th.
Head Coach Cliff English
On his thoughts if the sixth title feels the same as the other titles…
"Honestly, they almost feel like they get more stressful, but no they feel as good as the first one. I think that we have an amazing team, they are just so together, they lookout for each other and push each other in training. I'm just very proud of them but it is definitely always a team effort out here. I am really proud of some of the individual performances as well. Amber had an amazing performance, winning the individual title and Liberty getting second place was huge. For the team and for scoring, but also with her graduating. Today was her top finish for nationals as well. When you see it all come together like that, that's what it's all about as a coach. You know year after year we just keep doing our best and that's all you can do. but I'm really happy with this one. It's been a challenging semester so it's really good that the team brought it home."
On the biggest secret to your team's success…
"I mean the basics, consistency and hard work. Understanding the team, understanding the stress they have in their lives as student athletes being a compassionate and empathetic coach and that's where your understanding comes in. I know when they have exams and I know when they're stressed. Sometimes you really have to adapt to that and make sure you keep them healthy, if you miss a session let them sleep in, in the big picture it's all about consistency. It's the sum of everything I always say, so it's like a missed practice to be able to get some sleep and to not get sick or stay healthy is super important. I always make sure I always have an open door to come and talk to me.It's all about the athlete-coach relationship and having good communication and just making sure that they're happy, healthy and hungry. I am just excited that we have such a young team now too. So I'm so excited to see what they are going to do next year and keep going."
Amber Schlebusch
On the ASU Triathlon Culture...
"We're always learning how to balance everything and have them (freshmen) integrated into the team. And this year it was so easy. They're a fantastic group of freshmen, and we got to work pretty much straight away. And I think that we're very lucky (to have great coaches). So we're happy to be there every day."
DI Triathlon National Championship Team Results
1 - Arizona State University - 239
2 - Queens University of Charlotte - 230
3 - University of Denver - 194
4 - University of South Dakota - 159
5 - University of San Francisco - 145
6 - East Tennessee State - 135
7 - Delaware State University - 98
8 - Wagner College - 48
Closely behind Schlebusch was senior captain Liberty Ricca who completed the race at 1:04:51 for second on the podium, just ahead of Letizia Martinelli from Queens. Today was the first time in their careers that Schlebusch and Ricca went 1-2 in an event.
"They all feel as good as the first one," head coach Cliff English said of the team's latest National Championship. "We have an amazing team. They look out for each other and push each other in training and I'm just so incredibly proud of them."
Today's race was the ultimate farewell for Ricca, who had raced for the Sun Devils since 2019. Her leadership went far beyond her accomplishments in the water, on the bike and on the pavement. She set an example for the underclassmen, and laid a foundation that hopes to be carried for years to come.
"I've had a long legacy of amazing seniors and people before me that have led this team to success," said Ricca. So as a senior, I was like, 'Okay, I gotta make sure I do this too', and I had such amazing teammates here. They did amazing. They pushed me every day in practice. I hope I pushed them. And I think, just overall, it's such an overwhelming sense of joy and excitement."
Schlebusch won her first individual Division I National Championship title behind a 34:46.8 20KM bike, and a 17:32.3 3.1KM run.
Ricca paved the way on the 750M swim, recording the second-fastest time (9:47), and she was one of just three competitors with a sub ten-minute time in the water. In her final race as a Sun Devil, Ricca set a National Championship personal record and achieved her highest finish of the season.
Out of the swim and transitioning into the bike, there were six Sun Devils in the top-11 of the race.
Schlebusch dominated the three bike laps. She was one of five Sun Devils in the top-eight entering the final 5k to complete the race. Ricca, Alexe Coursol, Camille Buchanan and Evan Welch rounded out the group.
Strategically, this was a huge piece to the Sun Devil success as they needed to give themselves as much cushion as possible since Queens' racers are known for their speed at the end of the race.
Running west down Tempe Town Lake, the Sun Devils were led by Schlebusch as she rounded out the u-turn of the 5k first, significantly ahead of the rest of her opponents and team. Ricca eventually fell in line behind Schlebusch as the crowds cheered for the Maroon and Gold.
With a comfortable lead, the dedicated junior from South Africa was handed a maroon Sun Devil flag which came across the finish line with her as she shouted in happiness, full of emotions.
Schlebusch was greeted at the finish line by her mother, who made the trip from South Africa, and her boyfriend, who came from Hawaii.
"I've got a really big support system here today, and it was really awesome to execute throughout the race," she said.
A minute later Ricca crossed, giving holler and cheer to the Sun Devils in the crowd.
Both Schlebusch and Ricca, collegiate teammates since 2020, embraced at the finish line. It was the first time the two had finished first and second in a race and their exhaustive efforts finally came to fruition.
The next three minutes would be stressful for the Maroon and Gold as they needed five athletes to come over the finish line before Queens.
Coursol clocked in at 1:05:35 and Buchanan at 1:05:42, just behind two racers for Queens. A large flood of racers then crossed, including freshman Heidi Jurankova who finished 18th with a time of 1:07:07.
Wrapping up the day for the ASU squad was Welch (1:08:05) at 20th and Naomi Ruff (1:09:07) at 25th.
Head Coach Cliff English
On his thoughts if the sixth title feels the same as the other titles…
"Honestly, they almost feel like they get more stressful, but no they feel as good as the first one. I think that we have an amazing team, they are just so together, they lookout for each other and push each other in training. I'm just very proud of them but it is definitely always a team effort out here. I am really proud of some of the individual performances as well. Amber had an amazing performance, winning the individual title and Liberty getting second place was huge. For the team and for scoring, but also with her graduating. Today was her top finish for nationals as well. When you see it all come together like that, that's what it's all about as a coach. You know year after year we just keep doing our best and that's all you can do. but I'm really happy with this one. It's been a challenging semester so it's really good that the team brought it home."
On the biggest secret to your team's success…
"I mean the basics, consistency and hard work. Understanding the team, understanding the stress they have in their lives as student athletes being a compassionate and empathetic coach and that's where your understanding comes in. I know when they have exams and I know when they're stressed. Sometimes you really have to adapt to that and make sure you keep them healthy, if you miss a session let them sleep in, in the big picture it's all about consistency. It's the sum of everything I always say, so it's like a missed practice to be able to get some sleep and to not get sick or stay healthy is super important. I always make sure I always have an open door to come and talk to me.It's all about the athlete-coach relationship and having good communication and just making sure that they're happy, healthy and hungry. I am just excited that we have such a young team now too. So I'm so excited to see what they are going to do next year and keep going."
Amber Schlebusch
On the ASU Triathlon Culture...
"We're always learning how to balance everything and have them (freshmen) integrated into the team. And this year it was so easy. They're a fantastic group of freshmen, and we got to work pretty much straight away. And I think that we're very lucky (to have great coaches). So we're happy to be there every day."