Juniors Knibb, Hindman Named Triathletes Of The Year

Published February 25, 2016 01:48PM

Up-and-coming junior elite triathletes Taylor Knibb and Austin Hindman were today announced as the 2015 USA Triathlon Junior Elite Triathletes of the Year for their exceptional performances in national and international events last season.

Knibb (Washington, D.C.) raced her way to a silver medal at the ITU Junior World Championships in Chicago, and she claimed the title of USA Triathlon Junior Elite National Champion. Knibb also was victorious at the Monterrey CAMTRI Junior American Championships and the Holten ETU Triathlon Junior European Cup.

“Taylor set the bar very high for herself and our program in 2015,” said Steve Kelley, USA Triathlon Junior & U23 Program Manager. “Two of my biggest highlights of the year were her win in Holten, Netherlands, on the Fourth of July, and the experience that she and her very capable teammates gave us to race with strategic purpose at the Junior World Championships. For U.S. junior women, it was a stellar season all around.”

Hindman (Wildwood, Mo.) was also a top junior elite performer for the U.S. in international events, winning both the Monterrey CAMTRI Junior American Championships and the Sarasota CAMTRI Triathlon Junior North American Championships. Hindman finished fourth at the Edmonton CAMTRI Junior American Cup and was the top U.S. finisher at ITU Junior Worlds.

“Austin came into his own in 2015,” Kelley said. “He showed a lot of grit, and patience, coming back from frustrating injuries and crashes in 2014. I have a lot of confidence in his future in the sport and his ability to contribute to our elite men’s program in the years ahead.”

Knibb and Hindman also led the way on USA Triathlon’s list of Junior Elite and Youth Elite All-Americans for 2015. The honor goes to the top up-and-coming triathletes in the United States and is based on their final national ranking and performance in top junior and youth draft-legal events.

2015 USA Triathlon Junior Elite Triathletes of the Year
Taylor Knibb (Washington, D.C.)
Austin Hindman (Wildwood, Mo.)

2015 USA Triathlon Junior Elite All-Americans – Women (ages 16-19)
Taylor Knibb (Washington, D.C.)
Tamara Gorman (Rapid City, S.D.)
Kyleigh Spearing (Frankfort, Ill.)
Page Lester (Washington, D.C.)
(HM) Grace Obando (Herndon, Va.)
(HM) Audrey Ernst (South Elgin, Ill.)
(HM) Kenzi Wilson (Carmel, Ind.)
(HM) Devon Kroeker (Colorado Springs, Colo.)

2015 USA Triathlon Junior Elite All-Americans – Men (ages 16-19)
Austin Hindman (Wildwood, Mo.)
Seth Rider (Germantown, Tenn.)
Darr Smith (Atlanta, Ga.)
Benjamin Dingman (Colorado Springs, Colo.)
(HM) Chase McQueen (Columbus, Ind.)
(HM) Griffin Bailey (St. Louis, Mo.)
(HM) Graham Pimentel (Naples, Fla.)

2015 USA Triathlon Youth Elite All-Americans – Girls (ages 13-15)
Kira Stanley (Acworth, Ga.)
Addison Smith (Knoxville, Tenn.)
Olivia Wade (San Diego, Calif.)
(HM) Maryhelen Albright (Roanoke, Va.)
(HM) Liberty Ricca (Colorado Springs, Colo.)
(HM) Jane Tullis (Rome, Ga.)
(HM) Rebecca Rivers (Elgin, Texas)

2015 USA Triathlon Youth Elite All-Americans – Boys (ages 13-15)
Zach Wilson (Carmel, Ind.)
Matthew Rigsby (Brentwood, Tenn.)
Andrew Shellenberger (Indianapolis, Ind.)
(HM) Tom Oates (Chelsea, Mich.)
(HM) Ike Mendel (Sioux Falls, S.D.)
(HM) Benjamin Henriksen (Audubon, Iowa)